Facing problems cleaning your pet’s stinky and dirty bed? Maybe you’ve done it all but still, that awful smell doesn’t leave the house? Well, cleaning a dog bed can be a troublesome task, if not done procedurally. But here we are, to teach you the perfect method to clean a dog bed!
Dog beds are the cozy place for your pet to doze off. But it is also the home for dog-hair, odor, and other dirt. Moreover, do I need to remind you of those terrible bacteria? If not cleaned often, the dog bed can be a perfect place for stinks and germs to develop.
Therefore, it is crucial to clean a dog bed periodically. Of course, you do not want your pet to get any disease, do you?
Reasons to Keep it Clean
- Foul smell: A dirty dog bed can actively cause foul smells. And it will be unwelcoming for your guests to get a filthy first impression of your otherwise spotless house.
- Parasites: All the animals, whether it be domestic or wild, carry bacterias, parasites, and fungi on their body. These organisms can live without any host for a very long time and can make your pet sick, very sick.
- Health threat to Children: Do you have any kids? If yes, then by not cleaning your pet’s bed you’re causing a health threat to them. Children can easily get viral infections from getting in touch with parasites on the dog bed.
- Home decor: Dog beds are also a part of your home decor. You might have well-decorated the house but still, the dirty dog bed is going to ruin the presentation of your house.
- Durability: A dirty bed may contain spots that are contacted with moisture or dirt quite often, this can ruin the bed and lessen the sturdiness of the bed.
How to Properly Clean a Dog Bed
To clean a dog bed properly, you must follow the right method to it.
#1. Remove any big junk
The first step is to remove big junk from your dog bed, which can later cause a problem in the cleaning process.
Take the dog bed out in the open and shake it out to make sure that there are no big pieces of dirt in it. You may take a broomstick as well, and clean a dog bed accordingly.
#2. Vaccum hard
Take out your vacuum cleaner and work to clean a dog bed. Vaccum on all the possible surfaces to clean a dog bed. Focus on the areas where your pet often takes a nap.
Here, we need to make sure, that there is no dog hair on the bed. Dog fur is hard to clean and can get stuck with the bed while washing it in the machine. By vacuuming the bed, we can remove dog hair, dust and insects easily.
#3. Remove the bed cover
Next, remove the cover from the bed and give it a machine wash.
If your bed cover is removable, it can be a straightforward task. But ensure to read the washing instructions before dropping it into the machine.
Now, if your dog bed has not come with a removable cover, you will have to wash the entire bed in the machine. But before moving any further, check the washing instructions first. If the bed is not machine washable, you might have hand wash to clean a dog bed.
#4. Remove Stains
If the bed has any stain on its surface, use a stain remover to remove them from the bed. Because if you clean a dog bed before removing the stains, it might get even tougher to remove them afterward.
Use a stain remover from a good brand that will remove the stains completely from the bed. If not completely then it might get removed while giving it a wash.
#5. Wash the bed
Now that you’ve removed the stains from the bed cover, load it in the machine. Otherwise, if your bed is machine washable, load the whole bed in the machine.
To completely clean a dog bed, a single cycle will not work. Wash the bed with hard wash in two repeated cycles. This will remove most of the dirt from the bed.
If your bed is not machine washable or too large, you can give it a hand wash. To hand wash a large bed, you can use the bathtub. Fill the bathtub completely, soak the bed and firmly wash it with your hands.
If you’re washing a memory foam, makes sure to remove all the detergent from it before draining it.
#6. Dry thoroughly
It is important that you let the bed get dry completely such that no moisture gets left behind. If the bed fits in the dryer, you can use it. Otherwise, air-dry the bed. Put the bed in an open place to air-dry.
Make sure to put it elsewhere from direct sunlight. Because the sun rays can damage the color of the bed. Further, the memory foam can get damaged from direct harsh rays of the sun.
#7. Use odor spray
Now that you have cleaned a dog bed, make sure that it is pleasantly usable for your pet, spray any mild odor sprays available on the market. This will remove the strong scent of detergent from the washing.
#8. Re-assemble
As soon as the cover and cushion dry out and you’ve sprayed the odor spray, re-assemble the whole thing together. Make sure to close every zip and velcros completely such that no dirt gets inside easily.
Cautions
Before washing memory foams, look for the washing instructions since many memory foams require special care. In addition, it takes a lot of time to dry these memory foams, so keep that in mind before soaking them.
Check out: Benefits of Elevated Dog Beds
Also, before washing any cover and cushion, make sure if they are machine friendly or not.
Now that you’ve learned how to properly clean a dog bed, make sure to wash it periodically. If possible, schedule it on a monthly or weekly basis. By cleaning the bed, you can ensure a good health of your pet. In addition, it will also keep your home clean and germ-free.
If you have any queries regarding this article, ask it in the comments below. We will make sure to answer them ASAP. Meanwhile, keep on spreading the canine love with PetLovesBest.