The question of how to clean a dog bed is one of the first ones you should ask before getting a dog. Taking care of your pet’s comfort and hygiene are some of your top priorities as a dedicated dog parent. Dogs love playing around and getting dirty. This is why they need a change of bed sheets now and then.
Dog bed cleaning is also important because their beds can get dirty and smelly in a week or ten days which can stink up your whole house and even threaten your furry little friend’s hygiene and overall health.
Why do you Need to Wash your Dog’s Bed?
If you own a dog, you probably know the struggle of keeping them clean. Most dogs are not particularly fond of showers and also love running around outdoors and getting dirty. If you’re a neat freak, you are probably frustrated every time your dog comes back inside covered in dirt
Knowing how to clean your dog’s bed is immensely important because it is probably littered with dirt, urine, and poop stains. Harmful bacteria can thrive in a dirty environment and could cause a lot of harm to your dog. In addition to this, unclean dog beds tend to smell horrible. This could affect both your dog and the general ambiance of the house.
This is why it is important to keep the dog bed smelling fresh and clean otherwise your dog might decide to join you in your bed for a night of clean and good sleep! Experts recommend that you wash your dog’s bed at least once a week to avoid the accumulation of dirt and harmful bacteria. This will not only protect your dog from sickness but will also help them have a comfortable night’s sleep.
How to Properly Clean a Dog’s Bed?
Now that we have established that it is extremely important to clean a dog’s bed. Let’s go over the best and most common ways of dog bed cleaning.
Vacuuming the dirt
A simple way to clean your dog’s bed is to vacuum all the dirt out of it. Since most dog beds come with removable cushions and bedding. You can easily remove the cushions and vacuum them using a hose and upholstery attachments. If you have a hairy dog, their bed is probably littered with their fur. This can cause a nuisance is not removed before the bedding is washed.
To avoid wet, stray fur sticking everywhere after the bedding is washed, you can vacuum the bedding before washes. If you vacuum the bed, you will have to wash it a lot less since you will be getting all the dirt and the stray dog hair out of your dog’s bedding. However, it is still advisable to wash your dog’s bedding at least once in 10 days.
Cleaning Stains
Your dog’s bed is often littered with mud, feces, and urine stains which are extremely unhygienic, especially if they are ignored for a longer time. To take care of this you need to wash your dog’s bedding once in 10 days. You may be able to wash your dog’s bedding in the washing machine if it is washing machine friendly fabric. Otherwise, you can also clean the stains by hand. This is more tedious work since washing the bedding with your own hands requires more labor.
To clean the stains you must use soap or detergent that is not harmful to your dog. Pet-safe detergent is easy to find in the market and keeps your pet safe from allergies or irritated skin. It is recommended to wash your dog’s bed covers with cold water to help take out the stains more effectively.
Washing the covers
Since the cover of your dog’s bedding is in direct contact with your dog’s body, it is usually the dirtiest and smelliest part of your dog’s bed. This is why washing the covers should be your priority. To wash your covers, you must first remove them from the bed and check for tears in the cover. Since your cover is exposed to your dog’s body, there is a chance that its condition will deteriorate after a while and it might even tear.
After this, you can either wash the cover by hand or use the washing machine to wash it. Just make sure that you have zipped up the cover before washing it since an open zip can be a nuisance during the cleaning process. If the cover is not removable then you can wash the whole cushion with cold water to clean it.
Washing the cushion
The cushion is one of the most important components of your dog’s bedding because it makes most of your dog’s bed. Cleaning the cushion is extremely important since a clean cushion will make your dog extremely comfortable. To clean your cushion, you must first read the tag on it and find out whether it is washing machine friendly or not. If it cannot be washed in the machine. You will have to wash it by hand using cold water and pet-friendly detergent.
Another thing you can do before washing your cushion is to remove its cover and wash it separately to ensure the effective removal of dirt and stains. If the cover does not come off separately, you can wash the cushion by first soaking it in hot water. The hot water will disinfect your cushion and let all the dirt come out. After this, you can rinse, add detergent, and wash the cushion by hand to extract the dirt and germs.
Drying the cover
Drying the cover is one of the most important parts of cleaning a dog bed. A wet or damp cover will irritate your dog and they will not be able to rest comfortably in it.
To dry your cover, you can put it in the dryer if it is machine friendly. This will easily and effectively dry your dog’s bedding in a short amount of time. However, if you do not have a machine-friendly cushion, your cushion will take slightly longer to dry. All you need to do is put your cushion on a dry surface under a fan so that it dries fast. You can also use a hairdryer to speed up the drying process.
Cleaning Dog Beds – FAQs
Here are some Frequently asked questions that dog owners might have regarding cleaning their dog beds.
Can you Wash a Dog Bed in the Washing Machine?
You can wash your dog bed in the washing machine. Dog bed cleaning is more effective when it is done by a washing machine. However, you need to first make sure that your dog’s bedding is washing machine friendly. This information is usually given on tags attached to your dog’s bedding.
In addition to this, it is advisable to first soak the cushion in hot water to remove the germs and disinfect it. After this, you can wash the bedding in a washing machine with cold water and pet-friendly detergent.
How can you Clean a Dog Bed that isn’t Washable?
There are many ways to clean your dog’s bed if you cannot wash it with water and detergent. You can remove the bedding and shake all the dirt and the stray hair out. This method may not be as effective as washing but it does remove the grime and dirt to a great degree. For more effective removal of dirt, you can use a vacuum to clean it. The vacuum with suck out all the dirt and also the stray dog hair.
Another thing you can do to get rid of bad odor is to spray perfume or odor-absorbing enzymatic spray on your dog’s bedding. Just make sure that it is pet-friendly and will not irritate your dog’s skin. To get rid of stubborn stains, you can also use a damp tissue or cloth to target and get rid of specific stains on the bedding.
How to Clean a Stinky Dog Bed?
There are many ways to clean a stinky dog bed. To get rid of the stink, you can use either pet-friendly perfume or enzyme cleaning dog spray on your dog’s bedding. This will ensure that your dog’s bed does not smell horrible or stink up the house.
Other ways to get rid of bad odor and clean your dog’s bed include washing the bedding, using a vacuum to clean up the dirt and stray dog hair, soaking the cushion in hot water to disinfect and get rid of stubborn stains, and using a damp cloth to rub off stains from the bedding.
How Often Should Dog Beds be Cleaned?
It is advisable to clean your dog’s bed at least once in a week or every 10 days. This will help you keep your dog’s bed comfortable and clean. However, if your schedule does not permit you to clean your dog’s bed frequently, you can either use a vacuum to suck out the dirt regularly, or at least shake out the dirt from the bedding regularly.
This will help the bedding stay clean for longer periods and you will not have to worry about washing it. Despite this, washing is the best way to disinfect and clean your dog’s bedding. When buying a dog bed, go for a bed that is easily washable.
How to Clean a Dog Bed’s Cushion?
There are a variety of ways to clean a dog’s bed cushion. Since a cushion is one of the main components of a dog’s bedding you must take special care when cleaning it. Before cleaning the cushion, you can either remove its cover and wash it separately or wash it with the cover if it is not removable. It is advisable to separate the cover and wash it if it can be removed since the cover has a lot of stains and dirt that may need some extra washing.
You can soak the cushion in some warm water and soap to disinfect it before you wash and rinse it. After this, you can either dry your cushion in the dryer or use a hairdryer or fan if the cushion is not washing machine friendly.
Keeping your dog’s bed clean allows your house to stay smelling nice and your dog as well. Furthermore, the cleaner their bed, the healthier the conditions are for them to live in.