How To Wash Dog Beds? Easy Process

Your dog’s bed should be clean and spotless.

But unfortunately, dog hair, debris, dirt, and other things can change this. How then can you turn smelly dirt-infested dog beds back into a clean and peaceful retreat for your dogs?

You just wash it, right? Sure, it’s easy easy-peasy lemon squeezy!

We agree that washing a dog bed is not so much of a challenge. But there are rules and guidelines to follow. This guide on how to wash dog beds will help you understand everything you need to do to rid your dog’s bed of dirt and germs that could threaten your dog’s health.

5-Step Process for Washing Dog Beds

Just five steps and your dog bed will be clean and ready again!

But before we dive deep into the steps, I want to do a quick reminder of just how important the simple process of washing your dog beds can be. Here are two main reasons why you shouldn’t risk trying to flunk this;

• Dirty dog beds will make your dog more susceptible to germs, diseases, and allergies. And since you often come in contact with your dog, it’s a double health risk for you and your furry friend.
• Urine stains, fur, and dirt buildup over time will make your dog bed a little too uncomfortable for your dog. Think about how you would feel having to go to bed when it’s filled with all kinds of dirt and unpleasant things. You’d rather not sleep, isn’t it?

How to Wash dirty Dog Beds

Now that you know why clean dog beds are necessary, here are the five key processes involved in washing dirty dog beds.

Washing your dog beds without first removing dog hairs and fur can cause a problem. The furs can stick to the wet bed when washing the bed, so it can be quite a challenge to remove.

To avoid furs, try and use a vacuum cleaner to remove the dog hairs and furs from the bed as the first thing in the whole process.

• Removing dog bed covers

Some dog beds have removable bed covers.

If your dog bed covers can be removed, this will make washing it a lot easier. Check out the instructions to see if this is something you can do. If not, you’ll need to wash the dog bed as a whole without having to remove the cover.

• Using stain removal products

You’ll need pet-safe stain removal products if the bed has urine or fecal stains. There are stain removals online that you can spray on the bed to remove mud stains, urine, and other stubborn stains. This makes sense before actually washing the dog bed.

• Washing the dog bed

So, how do you wash dog beds?

Depending on whether your dog bed is machine washable or not, you’ll either wash it with a washing machine or not. Both processes are outlined here;

How to wash dog beds with a washing machine	Washing dog beds without a washing machine
Soak the bed and cover it in your laundry machine with pet-safe laundry detergent for about half-hour to an hour.	Soak the bed and cover in a tub or large bowl with pet-safe laundry detergent for about an hour or two.
Wash in the washing machine using a ‘deep cleaning,’ ‘standard cleaning,’ ‘strong cleaning’ or other cleaning options on your laundry machine aside from delicate cycles.	Use an old brush to scrub the bed or if possible, use your hands. The water may get muddy and you may need to change it too.
Rinse your dog bed and covers off to get rid of detergents and chemicals as well as most of the water.	Rinse properly to get chemicals, detergent, and most part of the water out of the dog bed and covers.

• Drying the dog bed

You should endeavor to dry the dog bed completely.

This can be done by air drying it or using your drier. If you’re using a drier, take care to get enough water out of the soggy dog bed and covers so you don’t damage your laundry machine.

 This is how you wash dog beds to make them clean, spotless, healthy, and comfortable for your dogs. But let’s answer a few questions before we round this off. Below are three of the most common questions most pet parents ask about washing dog beds!

What should I wash my Dog’s Bedding with?

You need ‘pet-safe or pet-friendly laundry detergents.

The keywords here are safe and friendly because whatever detergent you use should not be one that’s toxic to your dog or one that could induce allergic reactions.

This is why you can’t use most regular household detergents -unless you want your pets to develop allergies such as itchy skin, etc. you’ll also need pet-stain removals to rid urine stains as well as stains from mud, feces, and other sources.

Here’s a secret;

“use mostly soft detergents, especially detergents that don’t have ammonia, chlorine, phenols, formaldehyde, and isopropyl alcohol, among others.”

However, be sure to rinse out the water, detergents, and all after washing, even if you have to put up with extra rinse cycles.

How do I wash my Dog after Washing the Bed?

You may want to take your dogs to the showers after washing their beds. According to Petco, it’s advisable to bathe your dog at least once every four weeks.

But don’t overdo it as dogs still need the natural oils produced by their body to maintain hair growth. If you want to wash your dog after washing the beds, here are a few tips to help you get going;

• Use a good hypoallergenic dog shampoo
• Brush your dog thoroughly before bathe time to release tangled hairs
• Try to stick to a particular spot to get your dog familiar with it and ease them whenever it’s time for a shower.
• Always ensure to have everything you need (shampoo, towel, brush, treats, rinsing bowl, etc) at hand before you start bathing your dog.
• Lather the soap gently and clean from the bottom up. When you want to rinse, start from the head down to the tail.
• Once done, cover your dog with a towel or blow dry so they don’t shake off the water all on you.

Bathing your dog can be a little challenging as you need to get them to stay calm while you do the washing. You may want to incorporate treats and other things to make this a lot more fun and to strengthen the bond between you and your furry friend and you can use dog stairs for bed.

Is Vet Bed Machine Washable?

Yes, but it depends!

You need to check out your dog’s bed instructions to know whether they are machine washable or not. Some are, others may not be. However, we’ve outlined the process above to include details for both types of dog beds, whether they are machine washable or not.

Cleanliness is important for proper health.

And you know that anything that exposes your dog to unnecessary health risks may also impact you directly as well. This is why you should do more than just get a good dog bed. You need to take that extra effort to wash dog beds when needed. The tips above will however go a long way to help keep your dogs and their beds fresh and clean!