TL;DR
Wash a removable pet bed cover weekly and the insert or whole bed about once a month, using the hottest water the care tag allows. Hard rubber and nylon chew toys clean up in hot soapy water; plush toys go in a mesh bag on a gentle cycle. The step people skip is drying, and a foam insert that goes back damp will smell like mildew within days.
Read the care tag before you do anything
The tag decides your water temperature, your cycle, and whether the insert can go in the machine at all. Most beds fall into three groups: a zip-off cover that washes alone, a whole bed that washes as one piece, and a bed with a bonded foam core that should never be submerged.
If the tag is missing or worn off, treat the bed as the most fragile option. Wash the cover only, spot clean the core, and skip the dryer. A shrunk cover that no longer fits the insert is the most common way people ruin a bed they were trying to save.
Memory foam and egg-crate foam absorb enormous amounts of water and hold it in the middle where air cannot reach. That is why so many manufacturers say cover only. Our full guide to cleaning a pet bed walks through the material differences in more detail.
How do you strip and wash a pet bed?
Vacuum the bed first, then unzip the cover and shake it out over a trash can. Wash the cover alone on the hottest cycle the tag allows with regular detergent, and add an enzyme laundry booster if there is urine or drool odor. Wash pet bedding by itself, never mixed with your own laundry.
That vacuum pass matters more than it sounds. Loose hair turns into a felted mat in a wash drum, clogs the filter, and comes back out clinging to everything. Run the upholstery tool over both sides of the cover and around the seams before it goes anywhere near water.
Skip fabric softener and dryer sheets on pet bedding. They leave a coating that reduces absorbency and adds fragrance to a surface your pet presses its face into all night. If the cover comes out still smelling faintly of dog, that is usually residue rather than dirt, and a second wash with an enzyme product does more than a stronger detergent would. See why a washed pet bed can still smell for the odor chemistry.
Crate pads and travel mats
Crate pads are thinner and easier. Most are a quilted or fleece pad that washes whole on a warm or hot cycle and tumbles dry on low.
Check for a waterproof backing first. A polyurethane or vinyl liner is heat sensitive, and a hot dryer will crack it into a flaking mess that sheds into the crate. Waterproof pads dry on low heat or air dry flat.
Elevated cot-style beds are a different job. The fabric sling comes off the frame, washes like a heavy-duty cover, and the frame gets wiped with hot soapy water. Pay attention to the corner pockets where the fabric wraps the tubing, because that is where hair and dander pack in.
How do you clean hard chew toys?
Hard rubber, nylon, and silicone toys wash in hot soapy water with a bottle brush, then rinse and dry completely. Many are dishwasher safe on the top rack, but confirm with the maker first. Anything cracked, gouged, or shedding pieces gets thrown out instead of cleaned.
Hollow treat toys are the ones that go bad quietly. Food dries inside the cavity where a sponge cannot reach, and the smell that develops is old food, not the rubber. A narrow bottle brush and a soak in hot soapy water handles it. There is a fuller breakdown in our guide to cleaning rubber chew toys.
Rope toys can be washed, but they hold water in the core. Wash them on a normal cycle, then dry them fully, ideally outdoors or in a dryer on low, before they go back into rotation. A damp rope toy is a mildew problem waiting to happen.
Plush toys with squeakers go into a mesh laundry bag on a gentle cycle in cold or warm water and air dry. The squeaker usually survives; the stuffing usually does not survive a hot dryer. Our guide to washing plush pet toys covers the repair-or-toss call.
What cleaners are safe on pet bedding and toys?
Plain detergent, dish soap, and enzyme cleaners cover nearly every job. Avoid scented additives, avoid chlorine bleach on colored or wool covers, and rinse everything thoroughly so no residue is left on a chewing surface.
Essential oils deserve a specific warning. Many oils, including tea tree, citrus, peppermint, pine, and eucalyptus, are toxic to cats, which lack a liver enzyme that processes them, and birds are extremely sensitive to airborne fumes from any scented product. Source: ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center. Keep them out of pet laundry entirely.
Never mix bleach with ammonia, with vinegar, or with any acidic cleaner. Urine itself contains ammonia compounds, so pouring bleach onto a soiled pad is a genuine hazard rather than a theoretical one. Keep the two products apart and ventilate whatever room you are working in.
Drying is the step that decides the outcome
A pet bed is only clean when it is dry all the way through. Squeeze a foam insert hard in the center after drying; if any water comes out, it needs more time.
Air drying works if you flip the bed a few times and keep air moving across it. A fan pointed at the bed cuts drying time dramatically. In a damp Willamette Valley winter, plan on a full day or more for a thick bed, and put a temporary blanket down in the meantime so your pet is not sleeping on a bare floor.
Do not put a cover back on a damp insert. That traps moisture against foam with no path out, which is exactly how a bed develops a musty smell that survives future washes.
Building it into a routine
Most households do better with a fixed day than a vague intention. Cover weekly, whole bed monthly, toys every week or two, and a hard replacement rule for anything cracked or shredded. Our guidance on how often to wash a pet bed gives the cadence by household type.
Bedding is also only part of the picture. Hair moves from the bed to the floor to the vents, so a laundry day pairs naturally with a vacuum pass and the regular whole-home house cleaning rhythm that keeps the rest of the room from absorbing the same odors.
FAQ
How often should I wash my dog bed?
Wash the removable cover weekly and the full bed or insert monthly for a typical indoor dog. Increase that if your dog is a heavy shedder, goes outside in wet weather, has allergies, or has had an accident. Any bed with urine on it gets washed right away with an enzyme product.
Can I put a pet bed in the washing machine?
Only if the care tag says so and the bed fits with room to tumble. A cramped drum does not clean well and can damage the machine. Thick foam cores usually cannot be machine washed at all, so wash the cover and spot clean the core instead.
What temperature kills germs on pet bedding?
Hot water plus detergent plus a full drying cycle removes far more than temperature alone. Household washers rarely reach true disinfection temperatures, so treat laundry as thorough cleaning rather than disinfecting. If a veterinarian has asked you to disinfect after an illness, follow their specific instructions.
Are dog toys dishwasher safe?
Some hard rubber, nylon, and silicone toys are, on the top rack. Check the manufacturer instructions, because heat deforms some plastics and can weaken glued seams. Never run toys with electronics, batteries, or wooden parts through a dishwasher.
Why does my pet bed still smell after I wash it?
Usually it is residue rather than remaining dirt. Detergent buildup, fabric softener film, and urine salts deep in foam all survive an ordinary wash. Rewash with an enzyme cleaner and no softener, and confirm the insert dried completely, since a damp core creates its own musty smell.
Can I use vinegar on pet bedding?
Diluted vinegar in the rinse can help cut detergent residue on colorfast fabrics, and it is safe used on its own. Never combine it with bleach in the same load or the same container. Skip it on wool covers, which do better with a wool-specific detergent.
Pet bedding, toys, and the floor around them all trade odors back and forth, so cleaning one and not the others rarely fixes a smell. If you would rather have the floors, baseboards, and pet zones handled on a schedule while you keep up with the laundry, we can help. Every home is different, so the real number depends on size, condition, and what you want covered. Get a quote and we will walk you through it.
