How to clean your dog bed ?

The right dog bed for your dog should also be easy to clean.

 Even if you bathe your dog regularly, dog beds pick up all sort of dust, pollen and dander that reside on your floor and your dogs paws. Dogs  shed, have dander fallout, and often carry parasites such as fleas and worms. Once the fleas and their eggs are established in a dog's bed it's only a matter of time before they spread to the rest of the house. All of these things can lead to odors, but can also cause health problems for your dog and others in the house, especially if anyone in the family suffers from allergies.

How to wash a dog bed

Dogs can also suffer from allergies and other skin diseases, many of which are caused or exacerbated by dirty living conditions or parasite infestation. For example, Demodicosis (Red Mange) is caused by tiny mites that are invisible to the naked eye. These mites can infest your dog's bed and cause reoccurring infestation. These mites (also called dust mites) eat your dog's skin scales and dander. They particularly love to live in bedding. This is why it is of particular importance to set up a sanitation routine for your dogs bedding.

Best way to wash your dog bed

Sanitation Routine

Once a day:

Remove any bedding, blankets, or other loose fabric items from the dog bed, take them outdoors, and give them a good shaking. Be sure to visually inspect the fabric for signs of insect activity or obvious dirt or other foreign matter. Also be on the lookout for blood stains. Many of the biting insects that may infest your dog and her dog bed may leave blood evidence of their presence. This is why it may be helpful to use light colored bedding and fabrics. If the weather is nice consider leaving the bedding material outside to air. If the dog bed includes a bed frame, box, basket, or some other container, check that as well.

Once a week:

You should launder the bedding materials and dry them either on a clothes line or in a dryer on low heat. Be sure to use a low-suds mild detergent, such as Woolite or Fells Naptha, and add it to the water sparingly. Dogs are not used to heavy detergents and perfumes the way we are and you might inadvertently cause an allergic skin reaction if too much or too strong a soap is used. Wash the bedding in water that is as hot as the particular fabric will stand. Again, to prevent an allergic reaction, do not add fabric softener to the wash, or a fabric softener sheet in the dryer. It may be helpful to add a tablespoon or two of a commercial disinfectant, such as Lysol, to the water after the washer is full and the agitator is working. Wash any non-fabric parts of the dog bed with a mild soap and disinfectant solution and use a clean rag. Be sure when you are finished to use another rag, and plain water, to wipe any detergent residue off of the dog bed.

Once per year:

You should consider discarding all of the bedding material and replace it with new. If your dog has grown attached to her special blanket, or some other bedding material, then you may want to consider keeping it if it does not pose a health risk for any reason.

If an infestation occurs:

If a dog bed does become infested, you will need to take immediate action. First, separate your dog and any other pets in your home, from the infested area and treat them with whatever procedure your vet recommends for the particular type of infestation. Since your dog acts as the insects "host", the parasites will continue to breed and feed on your dog, until you break the cycle. Once you have her treated, you can turn your attention to treating the dog bed. Treating the bed and not the dog will only lead to a re-infestation. 

In extreme cases it may be necessary to replace the bed. 

Depending upon how much the bedding cost, you might just want to put all of it into a large trash bag, spray it with some household insect killer, seal the bag shut and toss it all in the trash. 

If you decide that you do want to keep the bedding then you need to ask your vet the best way to eliminate the infestation. Thoroughly treat the fabric, and the area around the dog bed, according to the vet's directions. Once you have determined that the infestation is under control you can let your dog start using the dog bed again.

Remember -- whatever infests your dog will infest the dog bed. What ever infest the dog bed will infest your home, and whatever infests your home will eventually infest you! Treat dog bed sanitation as a serious chore that needs to be done regularly.