The guide below compliments our main guide on how to clean and wash a dog.
The guide below outlines specifically how to clean and wash dog beds with stuffing inside them.
If your dog bed is made of metal and fabric, or memory or orthopedic foam, chances are it has a stuffing like polyester inside.
To keep the dog bed fresh and smelling nice, it’s important to know how to clean these types of beds.
Let’s take a look at some actionable steps on how to do that!
(NOTE: this is a general information guide only, and is not professional advice, or a substitute for professional advice. A qualified vet or animal expert is the only person qualified to give you expert advice in regards to your pet/s)
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How To Clean/Wash A Dog Bed With Stuffing or Polyester Inside
Before you do anything, it’s important to look at the washing or cleaning instructions from the dog bed manufacturer to make sure you clean/wash the bed how they intended.
The manufacturer will tell you the best way to care for, maintain, clean and wash the bed so that you don’t damage it, or void the warranty (if there is one)
Apart from that, you may consider the following:
1. Put The Bed In The Washing Machine
Most polyester or stuffed beds are fully machine washable.
If you check the cleaning instructions and it says the bed is, then put it in the washing machine.
Some people who have dogs with sensitive skin or allergies sometimes choose to use a natural laundry detergent like the following to minimise the risk of irritation:
- Nellie’s All Natural Laundry Soda (on Amazon)
- Molly’s Suds Natural Laundry Powder (on Amazon)
- Puracy Natural Liquid Laundry Detergent (on Amazon)
2. Spot Wash And Clean The Bed, And Dry It Out
If for whatever reason you can’t machine wash the whole bed, you might choose to wash it manually.
To do that, you’ll want to put some water on the bed to dissolve any liquids that have seeped into the bed.
You can run the bed under your shower, put it in your bath tub, or give it a hose down with your garden hose.
It’s important if you have a memory or orthopedic foam dog bed, or you have a metal frame dog bed, you might choose to spot clean just the dirty parts of the dog bed instead.
For deodorising and sterilisation, you can combine a natural hand soap with some warm water and apply it to your dog bed – either all over, or during spot cleaning.
The good things about natural hand soap is that it’s usually free of harmful additives and irritants.
A natural dish soap like Puracy Natural Liquid Dish Soap (on Amazon) mixes easily with warm water.
For stain removal, you might use a natural stain remover.
Some people choose to use a natural pet stain remover like
- Puracy Free & Clear Natural Pet Stain Remover (on Chewy)
- Puracy Natural Stain Remover (on Amazon) – it is plant based so it has natural ingredients.
A natural pet stain remover can used to remove dirt, blood and other stains on the appearance of the bed.
Finally, you can run over the bed with cold fresh water to end, and then put the bed in a well ventilated area to dry.
Best Washable Dog Beds
You can read this guide where we list the best washable dog beds on the market right now.
Best Dog Beds On The Market Right Now
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We’ve had our bed several years, but have always been disappointed in washing the removable pillow. It clumps terribly and leaves parts with no stuffing. I machine wash it and air dry it. Don’t you use a washable, non-clumping stuffing? What is the solution? I have two pillow cushions and they both clump. Help.