How do I wash soft toys for dogs: wash and dry safely with your washing machine! Everything you need to know to successfully keep your beloved pet & their toys safe
You would be forgiven for thinking that dogs are tough animals and you don’t need to pay a lot of attention to their hygiene. But, as every pet owner knows, dogs love to roll in unsavoury things, they eat almost anything, and are happy chewing almost anything.
In short, their mouths are full of bacteria. Of course, as a responsible dog owner, you give them dedicated dog toys, specifically soft toys. This helps to prevent them from chewing the wrong things. But, it doesn’t stop the bacteria from building up on the toys. That’s why you need to know how to clean your house when you have a dog and, as this article will discuss, how you wash soft toys for dogs.
How do I disinfect dog toys?
The safest way to clean and disinfect any dog toy is to put it in the washing machine. The majority of soft dog toys can be easily washed in a machine. The washing machine will guarantee that the entire toy is soaked in water and safely disinfected.
Of course, you need the right programme, to select the best disinfecting products, and, it’s best to take care of your dog accessories by choosing one of Hoover's washing machines. These machines are some of the best currently on the market. As you know, it’s worth paying a little extra for quality and durability.
The best part about using a washing machine is all you have to do is check the dog soft toy label, add the right product, and select your programme. The machine does everything else for you.
How do I wash soft toys for dogs and which programmes should I use?
If you want to make sure your dog toys are fully disinfected and safe for them to play with you need to use a cool wash. It’s best to stick to 30-40°C for temperature on a normal cycle. You’ll need to rely on the products you use to clean the dog toys.
If you choose a hotter cycle you may damage the material and even the stuffing of the soft toy. On harder toys, it is likely to make them brittle and can even cause dangerous chemicals to leach out of the material.
However, it should be noted that if you’re dealing with bed bugs and mites, the soft toys will have to be washed with hot water. If it damages the toy you’ll have to throw it afterwards but cool water won’t kill the mites.
What to do to disinfect the washing machine?
It’s advisable to wash dog toys separately and then disinfect your machine afterwards. The good news is that it’s easy to take care of your washing machine with the Care+Protect cleaning tabs for washing machine that remove any detergent and washing residue.
That’s all it takes. You can locate dog detergent which can be added to your machine in the usual fashion and will effectively clean and disinfect the soft dog toys. However, you may be concerned that this will leave a residue that affects your clothes when you wash them.
As a final point, it’s advisable to wash your dog toys every two weeks. It’s best for your dog, your home, and your family.