Dog Poo and Mice Poo – Should Maid Clean it Up?

Dog poo and mice poo – should your maid clean it up? Or should you clean up the dog poo and dead mice before the house cleaner comes?
We Ask a House Cleaner about gross hazardous materials like body fluids, vomit, urine, dog poo and animal waste.
Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru talks cleaning advice, tips, and house cleaning training. What you need to know to be a savvy cleaner and keep your job.
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Listen: Dog Poo and Mice Poo – Should Maid Clean it Up?

Watch: Dog Poo and Mice Poo – Should Maid Clean it Up?

Question: Dog Poo and Mice Poo – Should Your Maid Clean it Up?

Okay. So, today’s question comes from a bunch of irate house cleaners from all over the globe.

I belong to a group where people get to tag in with their frustrations about the houses that they clean. And there’s a lot of stuff that goes on behind the scenes that I can’t share with you because it’s confidential. 

One thing that keeps coming up is homeowners leaving dog and mice poo for house cleaners to clean up. 

And they want to know, “Am I supposed to clean this up? Because this falls into the category of hazardous cleaning. I could get germs from it, I don’t want to get sick, and I don’t want to clean up after their animals.”

Some of them have in their contracts that they don’t clean up any animal feces. 

Answer: Dog Poo and Mice Poo – Should Maid Clean it Up?

Now, I know that’s gross. 

I am imagining being on my way out the door, I am in a rush to go to the airport to catch a flight, and I see a mouse snapped in a trap.

So I see it and I know it is there. I think “YUK! Oh well, my house cleaner is coming today, maybe she will clean and sanitize that area.”

So, I leave. When I return from my trip, I see the dead mouse is still there. I would be pretty sure that my house cleaner did not clean and sanitize the area. I would be kind of ticked!

House Cleaner’s Perspective

So, I understand, I get it.

They don’t feel it’s their job to clean up dog poo, and mice poo, and dead mice, and things like that. 

This was not agreed on in the initial walkthrough and is not part of their routine cleaning. 

Homeowner’s Perspective

And I also understand the homeowner’s perspective. So, they’ve been gone all day. Their dog didn’t get out of the house for reasons that may be out of their control.

For example, maybe they have a dog sitter who was to come over and let the dogs out. For whatever reason, that person got in a car accident or something, they did not come over today. And the dog pooped in the house. 

So I get home from my job, and I find the dog has pooped in the house. And the house cleaner has already been there but refused to clean up the poop.

Okay. So, I would clean it up, and I would understand that the dog sitter did not come for the day. But I would also wonder why my house cleaner didn’t go ahead and help me out with that.

Be Clear in Your Contract if You Don’t Clean Up Dog Poo

So, I understand both sides of the story. 

If you are a house cleaner, and you refuse to clean animal feces, that needs to be in your contract.

This is so the homeowner is not surprised.

As a Homeowner Myself

I would hope that my house cleaner had my back. And if they didn’t, I need to know that in advance.

Because there are some dogs that will poop on the floor and then they smear it all over the place. Or you have those roaming vacuums that as they are cleaning up, will smear the poop all over. That’s not cool.

That’s not cool if you didn’t know the house cleaner wasn’t going to clean it up. And then at six o’clock at night the little robotic vacuum starts smearing it all over. Now, I’d feel ticked with my house cleaner.

Be a Grown Up

My suggestion would be this: if you are a house cleaner, be a grown-up.

You’re a business owner. What is it going to take for you to earn and keep the business of your homeowners?

If there’s dog poo, is it there every single time you come? Because if it is, then there’s a problem, but if it’s a once-in-a-while thing, clean up the dog poo.

If it’s cat vomit, clean up the cat vomit. What? Does the cat vomit every single day? I mean, how hazardous is this? Because you’re wearing gloves already, right? So you’re not touching it with your bare skin.

It is a Quick Fix

And if, for example, there’s dog poo, usually it is in a little glob. 

You can take a paper towel and drape it over and scoop it up. 

Or take a grocery sack and drape it over there and pick it up without ever touching it, and then throw it in the garbage.

I mean, we’re not talking about anything that’s more than a second or two of your time. And then if you have some all-purpose spray or some disinfectant, you can spray the area, and you can wipe it up.

This is Not Brain Science

But there are some high and mighty house cleaners that feel entitled. They say,“Well, I don’t clean up dog poo.”

Well, guess what? You’re most likely going to get fired.

You’ll lose a customer that thinks it was a petty thing that you should have cleaned up.

A Note About Mice Poo

Fact: You’re going to find mice poo. If you clean enough houses, you’re going to find mice poo.

Even in the nicest homes, you will find mice poo. Not because these people are untidy, but because as the weather gets cold, mice have nowhere to go. 

So they will eat through drywall, and they will come inside people’s houses looking for food. If it’s a clean house, they’re not going to find any food. But the mice are going to poo on the way because that’s what mice do. They leave poo behind.

You Will Find Mice Poo (and Dog Poo)

You can set a trap, but somewhere in your career you’re going to find mice poo, and they’re little drops. Mice don’t leave big, huge clumps of poo.

They’re little drops, so you can either vacuum or sweep it up. And you can spray it with your all-purpose spray, and wipe down the area where the mice dropping was. 

Suck it Up Buttercup – Pick up the Dog Poo

Now, we’ve seen some terrible situations where there are lots of mice, and there’s lots of mice poo. That might be a toxic environment.

That’s a different situation. But for the average household, if you see a piece of dog poo or a piece of mice poo, for crying out loud, pick it up.

Pick it up and clean up after yourself. That’s what you’re paid to do.

And if you don’t do that because you refuse to do it, have a conversation with the customer. Do this so that when you leave it behind you don’t get fired.

That’s my two cents. Alrighty, until we meet again, leave the world a cleaner place than when you found it. 

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Resources For This Episode

Rocco & Roxie Professional Strength Stain & Odor Eliminator – Enzyme-Powered Pet Odor & Stain Remover for Dog and Cats Urine – http://amzn.to/2CYnqS4

UV Flashlight Black Light, Pet Urine Detector for Dog/Cat Urine, Dry Stains, Bed Bug, Matching with Pet Odor Eliminator (3AA Batteries Included) – http://amzn.to/2DcSL0L

Pet Stain & Odor Miracle – Enzyme Cleaner for Dog and Cat Urine, Feces, Vomit, Drool – http://amzn.to/2CMmOLI

BUBBAS, Super Strength Commercial Enzyme Cleaner-Pet Odor Eliminator. Gallon Size Enzymatic Stain Remover-Remove Dog-Cat Urine Smell from Carpet, Rug or Hardwood Floor and Other Surfaces. – http://amzn.to/2DeIu4m 

How to Clean Up Dog Poop – http://bit.ly/2qKdVRB

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