Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110
Your industry news - first
The original and best - for over 20 years!
We strongly recommend viewing Cleanzine full size in your web browser. Click our masthead above to visit our website version.
Welcome to the
Cleanzine - the original Cleaning & Hygiene industry e-news
Read by industry professionals in 163 countries worldwide!
Producing e-zines (pronounced e-zeens, as in emailed magazines!) across two industries as I do, I receive several hundred emails and press releases each week and as many aren’t relevant, I’ve become expert in rapidly whittling out those needing to be discarded.
One I quickly retrieved from the bin today though deserves a mention in this leader – not because of any relevance to cleaning per se, but because of the need for cleaning its subject might create… The release, sent by the US–based Canine Company, advises readers on how not to fall foul of 
colleagues when participating in next Friday’s global ‘Take your dog to work’ event.
I kid you not.
I work from home and occasionally do battle with my cat over my workspace. He might wedge himself into my chair behind me – dislodging me, or he’ll nudge my mouse hand – creating unusual words - or nudge and move the screen. Sometimes he’ll wriggle between me and the keyboard so I can’t work until I’ve given him some attention.
He’ll occasionally make muddy footprints on my desk and while I don’t believe he has fleas, if he has, they’re in my home anyway and although he’s collected two ticks, they remained firmly mouthparts-embedded until I prised them out. What I’m saying is that it’s my choice to have him here together with any nasties he might bring in and my responsibility to clean up my workspace after me. And if he bothers anyone, it’s not my colleagues or the cleaners.
The advice given by the Canine Company is sound in as much as it tells people to be courteous of co-workers' needs (i.e. “a colleague with severe allergies or an overwhelming fear of dogs won't be comfortable around the best-behaved canine,” and "behaviours you find cute may not be well received by co-workers.") Quite. It also suggests placing a plastic mat under food/drink bowls to prevent carpet stains as well as bringing plastic bags for cleaning up after your pet – “just in case there's an accident”.
My advice would be, not to get involved in the first place. Little accidents aside, I once moved into a brand new 20-odd storey building to find the expensive carpets being ripped out and replaced because the first lot had fleas.
You’ve been warned…
Please get in touch either by emailing me or posting a comment on our Facebook page. www.facebook.com/Cleanzine
You can also follow us on Twitter @cleanzine
Yours,
18th June 2015