7 Tips to Keep Dog-Friendly Offices Clean [2025]

Working in dog-friendly offices is getting more popular as many employees have an animal companion in their home. Studies suggest that working in pet-friendly offices can boost employee’s well-being. However, when it comes to office cleaning, you should take extra steps to make sure your dog-friendly office is clean and safe for employees as well as pets.

In this article, we’ll discuss the most important tips to keep a dog-friendly office clean.

9 Tips for Cleaning Dog-Friendly Offices

Cleaning routines for a dog-friendly office remain almost the same as other office spaces. You can use our daily office cleaning checklist, which is the exact checklist used by commercial cleaning companies. However, you have to fit a few items to make sure the office is clean and safe for employees and animals.

Tips for keeping a dog-friendly and pet-friendly office clean

Here are 9 Tips you should consider for your dog-friendly office cleaning checklist.

#1 Establish Ground Rules

The first tip is to establish ground rules for dog owners working at the office. These policies not only help the office space remain clean but also ensure the safety of both employees and pets. It is the owner’s responsibility to follow these rules before bringing their pet to the office.

Here’s a list of the most important ground rules for dog-friendly offices:

Bathe and clean the pet regularly.
Brush the dog and remove loose fur.
Clip the dog’s nails regularly.
Make sure the dog receives up-to-date vaccinations.
House-train the dog to behave around other employees.
Train the dog to use the potty and litter box in the office.
Make sure the dog can remain calm in busy spaces like the office.
Prevent the dog from excessive barking to distract employees and meetings.

#2 Use Pet-Safe Cleaning Supplies

Regular cleaning supplies may have chemicals that are harmful to dogs. The residues on surfaces might be dangerous when the dog is licking them. Therefore, make sure to get pet-safe and eco-friendly cleaning supplies or ask your office cleaning company to use such solutions.

#3 Keep The Air Clean

Changing the HVAC and air purifier air filters in dog-friendly office space

It is crucial to maintain the air quality around a pet-friendly office space. Such workplaces often have dust particles and fur in the air which not only degrades the air quality but also increases the spread of disease. To overcome this, it is suggested to install an air purifier and change or clean HVAC air filters regularly.

#4 Regular Vacuuming

Dog- and cat-friendly offices always deal with fur and animal hair. Dog and cat fur settle on soft upholstery and in carpets waiting for someone to use them. Then, they will get in the air again, reducing the air quality and making other furniture and equipment dirty when they settle again.

The best way to prevent this is regular vacuuming. Once a day is the best frequency for most pet-friendly offices. Therefore, either invest in a powerful vacuum cleaner or ask your office cleaning company to use their best one when cleaning the office space.

Read More: How to Reduce Dust in Office?

#5 Have a Dog-Only Zone in The Office

The best way to keep the dog-friendly office space clean is to contain pet activity in a dedicated zone so cleaning the office would be easier. You can dedicate a room or two for pets or create a small habitat at the corner of the reception area in the office.

Creating a dog-only zone in the office space

Also, make sure to furnish the pet-only zone with dog toys, dog beds, feeding stations, dog potties and pet floor mats. Similar to the rest of the office, clean this zone regularly as well.

#6 Prevent Unpleasant Smell

Pet-friendly offices often have a weird and unpleasant smell due to different factors relevant to animals. You may not smell anything because you are used to the smell but it’s there and clients entering the office will notice it.

To prevent bad odour in the working environment, you can do the following:

Spray air fresheners around the office.
Wash and sanitise dog beds and dog mats.
Empty and clean dog potties and replace the litter.
Clean the dog-only or pet-only zone every day.
Clean pet toys every day.
Replace worn-out pet toys and equipment ASAP.
Clean and sanitise the feeding station and replace food and water every day.
Hire deep cleaning professionals once a month.
Carpet cleaning and upholstery cleaning once every three months.

Read More: Benefits of Deep Cleaning

#7 Get “Emergency” Cleaning Supplies

Getting emergency cleaning kits for when doggy accidents happen

It is inevitable that “accidents” happen in a dog-friendly office. To clean up these doggy accidents happen no matter how well-train a dog is so it’s better to have emergency cleaning kits and supplies in the office.

Here’s a list of cleaning supplies you’ll need when doggy accidents happen:

Cleaning gloves
Cleaning sponge and sanitation spray
Small plastic bag to pick up after the dog

Buy dedicated supplies and make sure to store them in a colour-coded box dedicated to such emergencies.

Conclusion

Pet-friendly and dog-friendly offices are becoming more popular. Studies showed that working in a dog-friendly workspace can boost employee’s well-being. Operating a dog-friendly office isn’t easy especially when it comes to cleaning. While the routine is similar to a regular office, a few extra items should be added to the cleaning checklist to make sure the office space is safe for employees and pets.

In this article, we discussed the tips for keeping a dog-friendly office clean by simply adding a few items to the cleaning checklist. The information provided here can help you or anyone looking to incorporate dog policies around the office or transform the office into a pet-friendly one.

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