Cleaning after pets? We have everything you need to know.
Welcoming pets to your rental means welcoming pet hair, slobber, and all manner of other things. We have everything you need to know about cleaning your pet-friendly rental so it’s in tip-top shape for your next guests.
The first step to keeping a clean rental is to start at the beginning. Set expectations on your rental posting and elaborate further in the policy (or have a separate pet policy). Stipulate the kinds of animals allowed, how many, and if you have any size or breed restrictions. Your policy is also where you should share house rules. Some examples include:
Outline any pet or cleaning fees in your documentation. Include details and make yourself available to any renters should they have questions about the policies you’ve put in place.
There are many cleaning products out there, but when you invite pets to stay in your rental, you need to ensure that anything you use is pet-safe. Some key chemicals that are incredibly popular in cleaning products today are inherently dangerous and toxic for animals. Avoid products with alcohol, bleach, chlorine, and other toxic household cleaning ingredients. Cats are especially at high risk for the consequences of consuming any of these toxins since they regularly clean themselves by licking their fur and feet and due to their smaller size. While dogs don’t lick themselves clean, they do lick their paws, increasing the risk of exposure.That’s not to say you can’t use these products between guests. It simply means that you must be abundantly cautious and follow instructions to a tee. If you’d rather err on the side of caution, you can make plenty of at-home cleaning solutions with items you probably already have on hand.
Cleaning doesn’t have to take forever, especially with the right products and tools. We recommend:
🚨 Avoid anything with essential oils, as these are highly toxic to pets.
Carpet is a bad idea when choosing flooring for your rental. Stains, odors, and hair get easily caught in it, and no matter how hard you try to clean it, there seems to be more dirt and grime. Plus, pets sometimes have a habit of finding loose threads and chewing on them, creating more damage than it’s worth. But even with tile or vinyl flooring, having a heavy-duty vacuum is always a good idea.
Typically safe for all flooring types, vacuums can clean pet hair and debris on the ground, furniture, pillows, and bedding. They have all sorts of attachments to help you get in those hard-to-reach places and nooks and crannies.
👉 Renovating? Read the “Ultimate guide to the best flooring for dogs” for guidance on choosing pet-friendly flooring.
Pets are great, but they do shed, and dander can cause sensitivities, allergies, or just general discomfort if not dealt with. Choosing the right air purifier for your rental doesn’t need to be difficult, especially since so many are adept at dealing with pet concerns. We recommend looking for an air purifier with a solid filtration system that utilizes a pre-filter for removing pet hair. You can choose whichever air purifier matches your budget and aesthetic.
Invest in high-quality air filters in your HVAC system to ensure as many allergens as possible are trapped and don’t make it through your home to boost the effects of your air purifier.
An ozone machine is an air purifier that creates ozone and puts it back into the air. Essentially, ozone air purifiers combine oxygen from the air into ozone. Once ozone hits pet odor, smoke, or any other airborne allergen or environmental stressor, the ozone breaks down harmful molecules. This sounds great—and honestly, it is—but ozone can be dangerous because of how reactive it is. When inhaled, ozone creates a reaction in the lungs of any living being, human or otherwise, that causes damage.
Unlike regular air purifiers, these can’t be used constantly. Instead, remove all pets, plants, and people from the space and let the machine run. After the ozone machine has finished, air out the room for a few hours. Once that time is up, feel free to return safely.
Cleaning furniture is much easier when the pieces are made of durable, stain-resistant fabrics. Tightly woven fabrics are best because they can withstand claws like twill or tweed. But you can also choose fabrics like microfiber, velvet, or outdoor fabrics that have the added benefit of durability.
Consider slipcovers for easy cleanup to avoid costly replacements or having your furniture professionally reupholstered (anywhere from $2-$4,000). These are by far the easiest to clean (slip them off and toss them in the washing machine) and you can change the color and style of them at will depending on the ever changing decor you may have within your rental.
In your pet policy and listing, make sure pet parents know what they should do at your rental to help speed up the cleaning process. This could include taking out the trash or tidying up.
It’s reasonable to ask pet owners and other guests to respect your rental. That can mean lots of things, such as:
Let’s be honest, no one wants to step in dog poop. Here’s some ways you can encourage guests to keep the outdoor parts of your property in top shape.
Owning a rental is a business; as such, you want to ensure you’re making a solid profit and being smart with how you spend your money maintaining your property. One way to cut down on costs is to clean your rental yourself. This only works if you are willing to do the work yourself and live local to your rental. Unfortunately, sometimes guests leave messes that are a little more intricate than we can tackle ourselves. Where pets are involved can include a pet marking or anything else involving bodily fluids.
That’s where a professional cleaner can come in handy. They have the industrial-grade cleaning supplies that some pet messes necessitate. Plus, they have more experience cleaning furniture and flooring, which can save you from making a further mess. Even if you choose the DIY route, we always recommend having the contact information of a trusted cleaner in the event that you need them for a quick turnaround so that you can get back to renting.
Have the proper policies, furniture, and amenities that turn your pet-friendly rental into a place where all the needs of owners and their pets are met.
Rental websites have cleaning standards that you should consult to ensure you’re meeting both basic cleanliness and the above and beyond standards required of you as a rental owner.
Each owner can decide on any light cleaning requests from renters, but all renters should adopt a considerate approach to tidying up a space they’re leaving.
