Dog owners are fantastically varied people. Some people wash their hands immediately after touching their pet, others don’t think twice before sharing the same ice cream cone. If you’re unsure of whether it’s safe to wash your dog blankets in the human washing machine, here’s what you need to know.
So first, yes, it’s perfectly sanitary to wash your dog laundry in your washing machine. Just like with your laundry, you’ll need to check the tag for individual washing instructions. If your dog blanket is capable of handling it, washing them with high heat is the best way to kill bacteria (and dust mites).
The biggest issue isn’t cross contamination; it’s pet hair. Our beloved pets do shed a lot, and that hair can clog the washing machine.
Tips for Reducing Pet Hair in Laundry
Before putting the dog blanket in the wash, try and remove as much pet hair from it as you can. Every hair you get off is another hair not plugging up your drains. A hair scraper like this one (ad) can really save time and do a good job of removing hair.
Even if you just give the blanket a good shake outside or scrape the excess hair off with your fingers, you’ll help reduce the hair load in your washing machine.
Dealing with Gross Stuff
Unfortunately, sometimes stinky blankets aren’t from being snuggled in too long without a wash. Sometimes blankets need washing because our pet had an accident or maybe threw up on them. Poop and vomit should be removed as much as possible before going into the wash.
The stains from these accidents should than be pretreated with an enzymatic cleaner. Enzymatic cleaners specialize in breaking down potty accidents, as well as vomit, to get the fabric truly clean.
If the dog blanket is super smelly and the smell doesn’t come out with a wash, check out our article on how to deal with stinky dog laundry.
Use Scent Free Laundry Soap
Let’s face it, the top reason we wash dog blankets is because we don’t want to smell them. Your dog feels the same way—about all those stinky laundry soaps we insist on. Even if you normally use and prefer scented laundry soap for your own blankets, it’s kinder to use scent free for your dogs.
If your dogs have sensitive skin, it may also help reduce the incidents of breakouts in your dog.
Dog blankets should ideally be washed about once a week to help reduce the load of pathogens on the dog blankets. If your dog blankets are due, you can safely wash them in your own home washing machine as long as you’re careful about how much pet hair goes in with them.
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- How Often Should You Wash Dog Blankets?
- How to Get That Funky Dog Smell Out of Blankets
- How to Deodorize a Dog Bed
- How Often Should You Bathe Your Chihuahua?
- How To Give Your Dog A Medicated Bath
