How to Clean Your Pet’s Stuff

From leashes and bedding to toys and water dishes, your pet has a lot of belongings. And just like your own belongings, these items get dirty with use over time, harboring dirt and bacteria that you don’t want in your home, let alone in your pet’s personal space. As such, it’s important to clean your pet’s stuff regularly, and especially prior to moving, since otherwise all of those germs will be tagging along in the truck.

Giving your pet’s belongings a refresh means a cleaner home and a safer environment for your furry friend—and it’s a good practice to get into as a responsible pet parent. Below, we’ll cover how to clean your pet’s stuff, as well as how often you should be tackling each item. And while your pet might not know (or care) that you’ve put in the extra work, you’ll get peace of mind knowing that you’re doing everything you can to help ensure that your animal companion lives their best life.

Food and Water Bowls

How often to clean: Daily.

According to a study by NSF International’s Public Health and Safety Organization, your pet’s bowls are the fourth germiest place in your entire house. It’s not really surprising either when you consider how much work your pet undertakes to make sure not a single crumb is left after every meal. Yet a Petco survey found that one in five pet parents wait at least a month to wash their pet’s bowls, giving bacteria plenty of time to proliferate.

If your pet’s bowls are dishwasher safe you can simply toss them in the dishwasher once a day. If you’re washing by hand, use a mild detergent and hot water to take care of any lingering germs. Then leave out to air dry, or wipe dry with a clean dish towel.

Notice any cracks, scratches, or chips on your pet’s bowl? Go ahead and replace them. These are prime areas for trapping moisture and allowing germs to grow and hide, and even with daily cleanings you won’t be able to know for sure that you’ve gotten the bowls completely sanitized.

Beds and Blankets

How often to clean: Once a week.

You should be washing your pet’s bedding as much as you wash your own. Over time, pet beds and blankets pick up lots of allergens that can then spread throughout your home and irritate your dog or cat’s skin. To minimize the risk, it’s recommended that you wash your pet’s bedding—including their bed itself—once a week.

Look at the tag on your pet’s bed to see what the cleaning instructions are. Most pet beds feature a removable outer layer that can be taken off and thrown in the washing machine. If not, it’s usually safe to just put the whole bed in there, so long as there aren’t any tears where stuffing could escape. If your pet does a lot of shedding, give their bed a quick rundown with the vacuum before putting it in the washing machine to prevent future items you wash in there from getting covered in fur. As for pet blankets, you should have no trouble putting those in the wash as well.

For both beds and blankets, stick with a mild and fragrance-free detergent to prevent any irritation, then tumble dry on low for only as long as needed to get the bedding dry (about 20 minutes or so will normally do the trick).

Toys

How often to clean: Once a month, or more as needed.

Coming in at number seven on NSF International’s list of the germiest place in the home is pet toys. Balls, bones, stuffies, and everything else that makes up your pet’s toy bin are prime breeding group for yeast and mold, and they can even harbor dangerous coliform bacteria, including Staph. This is good reason to wash your hands thoroughly after playing with your pup or kitty and their toys, as well as to wash the toys themselves on a regular basis.

For soft toys, including tennis balls, toss in a mesh garment bag and wash on the delicate cycle in your washing machine. Use a gentle, fragrance-free detergent, since these toys will almost certainly be going right back into your pet’s mouth. Alternately, you could just skip the detergent all together. Dry on low or extra low.

Hard toys can be hand washed the same as your pet’s food and water dishes in hot water with a mild detergent. For best results, fill your sink or a bucket with hot soapy water and submerge the toys, then go over them one by one with a clean toothbrush to release any built up gunk. When finished, lay toys out on a clean towel to air dry.

Part of knowing how to clean your pet’s stuff is knowing when an item needs to be tossed. If a toy is so frayed, torn, or otherwise destroyed and you’re not sure you can get it completely clean, it’s probably just time to get rid of it.

Leashes, Collars, and Harnesses

How often to clean: Once a month, or more as needed.

Imagine wearing the same thing every single day and never washing it. That’s what your pet is doing if you’re not washing their collar regularly. Collars, harnesses, and leashes should all be cleaned on a regular schedule to prevent bacteria growth, as well as spot cleaned on an as-needed basis.

If the items are nylon, toss them in a mesh garment bag on the delicate cycle in your washing machine, making sure to first remove any additional items like tags or waste bag holders. Skip the dryer afterwards and simply lay flat to dry. To hand wash, fill up your sink or a bucket with hot soapy water and let the items soak for ten to fifteen minutes, then allow to air dry. For leather collars, skip the washing machine and just give them a soak. You can use a clean toothbrush to gently remove any additional grime that’s left.

Choosing Pet-Safe Cleaning Products

Anything that you use to clean your pet’s stuff is going to come back in contact with your pet later on, so it’s crucial that you only use pet-safe cleaning products. Stick to non-toxic, mild, and fragrance-free detergents, and if you need to more thoroughly sanitize something, use a vinegar solution instead of a bleach solution.

There are lots of commercial cleaning products out there that are specifically labeled safe for pets. So in addition to using pet-friendly detergents to clean pet items like toys and bedding, try to use pet-safe products in general throughout your home. From floor cleaners to window sprays, there are plenty of great pet-safe options available that allow you to get a squeaky clean home without putting your four-legged family member at risk. If you do use chemical cleaning products for non-pet-specific cleaning projects, keep paws off those areas until they’re fully dry.

Part of being a good pet parent is keeping your pet’s stuff clean. Follow the advice above in terms of how to clean your pet’s stuff and the regularity with which you should be doing so. Clean all of your pet’s items prior to a move too, so that you don’t just end up bringing that dirt, grime, and bacteria with you to your new home. Taking care to clean your pet’s stuff is better for them and better for you—make it part of your cleaning routine and soon you won’t know how you ever went so long in between washings.