I must say I’m amazed at the people who do the maid’s job for them (pulling off dirty linens from the bed, etc.). I fully agree that you shouldn’t be a total pig and make the maid’s life hell (towels in all corners of the room, ash trays dumped on the desk, body fluids on the floor), but cleaning bathroom surfaces and making the bed are the bare-bones basics of the job. I do appreciate it’s not a great job, but I’ve seen them doing their job and it’s not so miserable, either. And I tip a minimum of $2 a night up to $5 if it’s a large room with more work to do.
WRT the trash thing: It’s mostly things I decide I no longer need. For instance, last night I may have left half a bottle of water and a newspaper on the table. In the morning, I decide I no longer want either, so I toss them in the trash can. I don’t leave obvious trash lying about.
If it is a 1-2 day visit I’ll put the “do not disturb” sign up. I/we don’t have much to clean up after 2 days, and if we need anything else, we’ll just ask for it.
For longer stays I’ll make sure my stuff wont interfere with basic cleaning: put my luggage and belongings off to the side, and pile up the dirty towels.