In a two dog household where anything stuffed, bouncy or squeaky gets gnawed on and drooled upon, we quickly realized that we might need to take more action than just playing fetch. Although you might not think about cleaning your pets toys, depending on how quickly they go through them, it can be an added bonus that results in a cleaner toy bin.
If your dog is the type who is on a mission to gut anything with a squeaker or stuffing, then there's a good chance your toys don't actually last long enough to necessitate a washing. Although our own pets have a few toys that have suffered a quick and painless death, they do still have several favorites that have been around the house for years.
When our friends children visit our home, we always get a quick reminder to give our toys a wash. Although babies and dogs alike are quite resilient, there's something about a toybox filled with crusty drool-laden toys that says it's time for a quick freshening up.
For cloth toys, they are best washed on cold in your washing machine, after being placed in a delicate garment bag. Make sure to reduce the amount of soap you use, assuming the washer won't be 100% full of toys. If so, it could be time to give a once over and do some purging! When in doubt on how much soap to use, less is better.
Once done, remove from the wash and squeeze remaining water out. If you have the ability to line dry, pin them all up like prizes to be won at a carnival and give them an hour or so in the sun to dry out. Placing them in the dryer is just fine, make sure it's on low heat and if you're worried about them, place them inside a pillow case. You may also hand wash them in the sink, but we've never really had any dog toys that necessitated such delicate care (or we cared that much about instead of just buying a new one).
If you have plastic toys use a solution of 50% white vinegar to 50% water and allow them to soak (we use tape to cover any holes so we don't spend time shaking water out later on) for 30 minutes. Remove and use a nail brush to scrub the dirt off, rinse with fresh water and allow to dry.
Tennis balls can go in the wash, however they do require a bit of funk to make them safe for pets. New tennis balls aren't the best for your four legged friends, so make sure to throw them out back in the yard or take them to the park to give them their first coat of dirt and dust!
Do you clean your dog toys? Have a different method? Let us know below!
(Image: Sarah Rae Trover)
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Our dog loves the Floppy Disc "frisbee" and when it is dirty, we run it, as well as the rubbery ones through the dishwasher.
Stuffed toys have very short lives in my house, but when my youngest lab was a tiny puppy I would wash her stuffed toys in the washing machine. I like kirstjen's dishwasher idea for the rubber ones. I could just throw them in with the dogs dishes when I wash them as well.
I wash pet toys every couple of month, this also helps me to weed out torn toys and sometimes even replace the squeaker. I also pull out toys that don't get used much and donate them to needy dogs.
In the spirit of the "Well Hung Man" post, this post should have been called "Wash Your Dogs Balls."
I dislike the pile of stuffed animal fill that typically accompany my dog's toys - so I've been buying old fleece pullovers, cutting strips, and braiding to make soft "ropes". So far the dog loves them, and they are easily washed.
for $2 (X-large pullover in my local thrift store), I get about 6 good "ropes". What a deal!
Hard toys just get run through the dishwasher with our dog's water and food bowls.
I place soft toys in a sweater bag and run them in the clothes washer.
The outdoor tennis ball just gets rinsed after each use and kept outside.
Slow day today, huh?
Hah! @patrickTOO
seconding dishwasher. There are at least 2 kongs in every load.
I <3 Patrick TOO.
Why are new tennis balls bad for pets?
They are like crack to my Jack Russell. I swear he gets high off them.
My Golden won't go outside without a stuffed toy in her mouth. She doesn't chew them--just carries them out to the yard and rolls on them. I toss them in the washing machine.
Potpie - back in the 80's it was said that the chemicals in the fuzzy exterior were bad for your dog and increased chances of cancer. Newer studies have shown that the glue that holds that covering on is harmful to them unless using in water as it dissolves the toxins faster than saliva does and usually makes them ok. As usual, just toss them when they get old or cracked and keep an eye on them!
I usually wash my dog's toys about once a month. The fabric ones go in the washer with his bed and the blankets in his cage. I don't put them in anything, just throw them in as they are. I put the hard toys in a sinkful of hot water with a capeful of bleach, and then I rinse them off and let them sit out to dry.
Like outsidethebox's Golden, my Black Lab does the same (it's the "soft mouth" retriever thing). She doesn't actually play with the toy...she just likes to show it off! Our toys are in desperate need of a thorough cleaning and I will put them in the wash, as suggested...but will the squeaky-thing inside be okay? That's MY favourite part! LOL
my older dog isnt really interested anymore, he's more into sticks. but our younger dog loooooves toys, of any sort. she doesnt rip out the stuffing or anything like that so hers stay in good condition as long as they are quality. i sew up holes and tears in the weaker toys and wash them all once every couple months. we get alot of her toys from the kids area of the thrift store. shes a huge fan of things with rattles and stuff.
Sheilalady - As long as the squeaker inside hasn't been pierced, they'll come out just fine!
Great Article and I always Steam Clean my dogs toys, dog house and bed. Kills all germs and keeps it fresh! :)