Depending on your pet, they may or may not like having their bed cleaned. Sometimes dogs hate it when we wash their bed, full of all their scents, but your pets will thank you for keeping their bedding fresh in the long run. Here are our top tips for keeping your pet’s bed lovely and clean.
Why is it important to keep your pet bedding clean?
For small pets who live in a habitat like a cage complex, gerbilarium, rabbit den or chinchilla kennel, fresh bedding is absolutely essential for their health. The ammonia in old, soiled bedding can affect their respiratory systems causing them long-term health issues. It’s also best for your environment too – especially of your pet sleeps indoors.
Your dog bed and cat bed can also harbour all kinds of germs, insects, unhealthy organisms – even E.coli and salmonella, as well as getting a little bit stinky. Most modern pet bedding can be thrown in the washing machine with a pet friendly detergent, at the temperature recommended on the label, but at least 140F to make sure you get rid of anything nasty lurking in the bedding.
If you have an outside kennel for your dog, rabbits, guinea pigs or chinchillas, make sure it has washable removable bedding which can be machine washed at 140F+ to get rid of germs and organisms.
Our Top Tips
- Wash hard surface beds, cages, houses or kennels with hot soapy water at least once every week.
- Change the soft disposable bedding in your small animal habitat at least once a week.
- Always use the most appropriate soft disposable bedding designed for your small pet.
- Hoover visible hairs from your dog bed or cat bed before popping them in the machine.
- Always wash your dog and cat beds separately from other laundry.
- Have you heard of pet hair dissolver? You can add it to your dog or cat only laundry to get rid of extra hairs.
Always air-dry pet bedding and never let your pets sleep on it again until it’s completely dry.