How Often Should You Wash Your Dog’s Bed?

Spring has arrived and many of us are in the throes of doing some major Spring Cleaning of our homes. While you are undoubtedly focusing a lot of your efforts on cleaning the most obvious spots in your house, like the bathrooms and the kitchen, you might be overlooking what is perhaps the germiest of places in your whole house: your dog’s bed. Yes, you read that right. Even if you bathe your dog regularly and throw his dog bed in the wash once a year or so, as it turns out, that’s not enough to stay on top of the germs, bacteria and other allergens that are currently calling Fido’s bed home sweet home. 

Why are dog beds so germy?

So, how does a dog bed rank as one of the germiest spots in the home? Dr. Kelly Reynolds, Associate Professor of Environmental Health at the University of Arizona found that dog beds are one of the 10 dirtiest (germiest) spots in the home, due to the bacteria, MRSA, and fecal matter that they harbor. 

Think about it…your dog goes outside and walks around, collecting bacteria on his feet. He might even roll in dead things without you knowing about it. Those germs stay on his body until he hops on his bed, roots around, and deposits all of that “stuff” onto his nice, fluffy bed. 

A safe haven for germs

Another issue is that humans are pretty good about bathing their dogs, but don’t think to regularly wash their dog’s bedding. It’s not until it gets really smelly that someone throws the dog bed in the wash. In addition to germs, our pet’s beds also hold all of the pollen, dust, dirt, and dead skin cells that your dog tracks into the home. This creates a breeding ground for bacteria to grow and flourish, such as salmonella, listeria and even ringworm. It can also exacerbate your seasonal allergies, by giving dust and pollen a safe place to accumulate right there inside of your home.

What do you do?

Experts recommend that you wash your pet’s bedding at least once a week. (Yes, I know that sounds excessive. Don’t shoot the messenger!) The best way to do it is to throw it in the washer and wash in hot water and dry on the highest (hottest) setting that your dryer has. This will help to eliminate most of the germs from the bedding. 

Another good way to remember to wash your dog’s bedding is to do it the same day that you change your own sheets, that way it gets done more often (one hopes!) and you can rest easy, knowing that your home is a little less germy than it was! 

Find more ways to be the best dog parent you can be in the posts below:

How to Calm Overstimulated Dogs

Ask a Trainer: How Do I Get My Dog to Stop Barking?

DIY Bone Broth Recipe for Dogs

Author: Jenny Jurica

Jenny is a married mother of two humans, one rescued Weimaraner, and four (yes, four) rescued cats. She is a native Texan who is a columnist/contributor for several publications and enjoys spending her free time curled up on the couch with a dog and a couple of cats. Much like the poet Sylvia Plath, Jenny often finds that she, “likes people too much or not at all,” but has never met an animal that she didn’t instantly adore (except for maybe the Komodo dragon at the zoo).