5 Tricks for Cleaning Your Dog's Bed

3 minutes

Last update: 22 April, 2018

A dog’s bed is one of those things that never seems to be clean no matter how many times you wash it. Even if you put it in the washing machine, fur seem to stick to it and stay there in the fabric as if you’d never washed it at all. Is there any way to get the dog’s bed thoroughly clean? Well, yes there is.

Here are several tricks that owners of dogs have shared with us. They really work! Do you want to see what they are?

How to clean your dog’s bed

Even if you bathe your dog a lot, it’s not enough if you don’t wash his bed. Whether it’s a wicker bed with a mattress or just a cushion, both can be cleaned the same way.

Separate the bed’s parts

This is the first step: separate the foam parts that make up the bed from the fabric cover. If anyone told you that you can put everything in the washing machine in one piece, they were mistaken. The foam parts should always be cleaned individually. Don’t worry though; it’s not hard. Almost all dog beds have zippers or velcro to facilitate.

Use the vacuum

Unless your dog is hairless, it’s normal for the bed’s cover to be full of animal hair. So, to clean your dog’s bed thoroughly, the first thing you have to do is remove the fur. How? Using a vacuum cleaner is ideal, but if you don’t have one, you can always use a sticky roller — or two or three.

If you don’t have one of those rollers either, take a very thick tape (like duct tape) and start sticking it to small parts of the bed, as if you were “waxing” it. Little by little, you’ll see the hairs disappear.

Attack the stains

The cover might have tough stains for several reasons that we don’t need to get into here. Before putting the cover into the washing machine after removing the hairs, you’ll have to treat these stains with a stain remover, or whatever stain-removing method you like.

Then put the cover in the washing machine and use hot water to kill any bacteria and germs. It’s also important that you use a gentle soap, because otherwise it could cause an allergic reaction in your pet.

Also, avoid using fabric softeners. If you want your dog’s bed to smell nice after you’ve cleaned it, try spraying a little perfume on it. Let the bed dry before you allow your pet to lie down in his freshly cleaned bed. If you don’t, he may start a sneezing marathon.

Clean the foam parts

You can clean the filling of your dog’s bed by hand or in the washing machine. Go for the second option only if it does not specify that it should be washed by hand.

When using a washer, use warm water and a mild detergent. If the foam that makes up your dog’s bed is in separate pieces, you will most likely have to put some tennis balls into the cover to make sure that it keeps its volume once you have washed it.

If you want to wash it by hand, put the foam into a container with lukewarm water and a little soap. Remember that the foam absorbs water easily. Then rinse it with warm water and leave in a sunny place to dry.

Blankets

If your dog’s bed has blankets, clean them by first removing the hairs stuck to them. Do it the same way that we suggested for the dog bed’s cover. Then check for stains, treat them and finally put it in the washer. Just make sure that it can be washed with hot water, since blankets tend to shrink.

That’s all you need to know to clean your dog’s bed. Time to sleep now?