Most vets recommend that you wash your pets' bed regularly to avoid the accumulation of dirt and harmful bacteria. This will not only protect your pets from sickness but will also cut down on the allergens in your home and help them have a comfortable night's sleep.
It's important to give the bed a good cleaning for the following reasons:
- To naturally get rid of fleas and flea eggs.
- To reduce risk of marking or spraying. If you have a multi-pet family, keeping your pets' bed clean and odour-free will reduce the risk of urine marking.
- To keep the fluff lofty and the bed looking fresh. Besides the benefits to your pets, it's also nice to make sure that your home stays looking nice as well! Keep the bed clean to prevent stains from being caked-on. The longer stains remain on the bed, the more difficult they are to remove.
Read on to find out how to clean your pets' bed to make sure that it stays fresh and inviting:
1. Vacuum the bed before washing
Vacuum the bed to remove any fur buildup, dirt, and other debris that your pets have left behind. This will keep your washing machine from getting clogged and will allow the bed to be cleaned more effectively. You can go over the bed with a lint roller for fine or embedded hairs. If the bed is super smelly, sprinkle it with baking soda and let it sit for an hour before you vacuum.
2. Pre-treat stains
If the bed is soiled or stained, use a pet-friendly spot remover. Saturate the blemish in the cleaning solution for 20 minutes. During this step, you may require to use a toothbrush to scrub away stubborn stains. Be sure to rinse off the cleaning solution at intervals. After you've pre-treated the stains, toss the bed into the washer.
3. Use a gentle soap
The bed is washing-machine safe for easy, hands-off cleaning. It's very important that you wash the bed only at a LOW temperature, max 30 degrees on a GENTLE cycle and DO NOT use a harsh soap or a soap with a lot of chemical fragrance. Pet-safe detergent keeps your pets safe from allergic reactions or itchy and irritated skin, and it's worth putting the bed through an extra rinse cycle to thoroughly remove residues and chemicals.
4. Dry the bed on the delicate cycle
It's best practice to put the bed in the dryer on a LOW heat setting so it doesn't damage the bed or make the stuffing start to disintegrate, and AVOID the use of dryer sheets.
5. Between washes
Whilst cleaning the bed is very important, remember that you also need to clean the area around the bed to make sure that you aren't putting it back into a germy situation. If your pets are prone to accidents due to old age or being a kitten or puppy, use a waterproof liner or cover to protect the stuffing from urine and other messes that may seep into it, and wash the blankets and linen you add to the bed and the toys that they play with routinely. Also, bath your pets regularly with a high-quality shampoo.