From restaurants to hotels to office buildings, many places now welcome pets on-property, which can become a challenge for cleaners. As office spaces continue to change and evolve, cleaners need to know how best to clean and sanitize pet-friendly environments for their clients.

Planning ahead

Get the information to be able to accurately estimate labour and time to accommodate for any additional services required to clean up after pets. Ask about the number of pets, the frequency of their visits, scheduling, and hygiene expectations to be able to maintain your margins and provide a superior customer experience. Getting a scope of work, including details like whether you are responsible for cleaning toys and bowls is also key to estimating and pricing the job.

Planning ahead means scheduling additional time for tasks like cleaning welcome mats that may need extra attention, storing supplies out of reach from animals, and any other required duties that take you away from your regular cleaning tasks.

Products and practices

The fact that there may be additional hair, stains, and odours may lead cleaners to use strong chemical cleaners for optimal sanitization. However, many of these products are not pet-friendly and can harm animals if they come into contact with them.

Indoor air quality is also important if there is fur or dander in the air, but some products contain VOCs and fragrances that can actually contaminate the air inside.  Choose pet-friendly, natural, organic products where possible to mitigate any risk to pets and improve air quality. Be careful if using essential oils, many of these are toxic to pets if exposed to or ingested. As well, if an air filtration system has not been installed, clean with windows and doors open where you can, to let in clean, fresh air.

Creating a detailed schedule that includes regular vacuuming, dusting, and hair removal will also help keep the pollutants out of the air and the space clean.

Be prepared

Even when you know the scope of work, cleaning up in a pet-friendly environment can mean unexpected tasks and surprises. Put together an ‘emergency kit’ for unforeseen situations on-site, so your team is prepared and can efficiently handle all tasks. Include lint rollers, safe pet-safe stain remover and odour reducer, pet waste bags, hand sanitizer, and more to ensure that staff is confident and prepared when they get to work.

Work environments continue to evolve and that means that cleaners will need to be prepared to handle anything that comes their way. Pets add a challenge, but cleaners who are prepared with a plan can offer efficient, organized, and safe results.