Washing pet bedding: what actually works

First: does the cover come off?

Check before anything else, because it determines the whole approach. Most manufactured beds have a zipped cover over a separate insert, and the two are laundered completely differently. The zip is usually along one long edge and can be hidden under a flap.

If the cover comes off, wash the cover and deal with the insert separately — that is the design intent and it is far easier. If it does not, you are washing the whole thing as one object, which changes the machine size you need and the drying time substantially.

Beds with no removable cover and a thick filling are the hardest case in this whole article, and for those the honest answer is often a large commercial machine or nothing.

Smell is not the same as dirt

A pet bed that looks clean and still smells is the commonest complaint, and it is because a standard wash addresses the visible soil and not the cause of the odour. Oils from a pet’s coat work into the fibres over weeks and are not water soluble, which is why a normal detergent cycle lifts the surface and leaves the rest.

An enzyme-based laundry product is the thing that addresses that, and it needs contact time rather than a quick cycle. Pre-soak the cover in warm water with an enzyme product for an hour before washing, or use a long cycle that allows a soak phase.

Vinegar in the rinse helps with residual smell and costs nothing. Fabric softener does the opposite — it coats the fibres, traps the oils underneath and makes the problem worse next time.

This explains why oils cause smell and how to remove them, without any claim about anything being killed, eliminated or sanitised. If a pet has a parasite problem or a skin condition, that is a veterinary matter and laundering the bedding is a supporting step rather than a treatment — speak to a vet about the animal first.

Foam inserts and orthopaedic beds

The insert is where most pet beds are ruined, because foam and washing machines are a poor combination.

Solid memory foam or orthopaedic foam should generally not go in a machine at all. It absorbs an enormous amount of water, becomes extremely heavy, and the agitation tears the structure internally where you cannot see it. It also takes days to dry, and foam that dries slowly develops a smell of its own that never leaves.

Spot-clean the foam instead: a cloth with warm water and a little mild detergent, blotting rather than soaking, then dry it thoroughly with airflow before putting the cover back on. If the foam is genuinely filthy, replacing the insert is usually more sensible than washing it — inserts are widely available and cost a fraction of a new bed.

Loose polyester fill is a different case and generally washable, though it clumps and needs the same shake-and-turn treatment as a comforter to redistribute it while drying.

How often

Weekly for the cover is the usual recommendation and is more than most households manage. Every two weeks is a realistic target and makes a noticeable difference compared with monthly.

More often if the animal goes outside a lot, if it is elderly or unwell, if it sheds heavily, or if anyone in the house is bothered by the smell. Less often for a cat bed that stays indoors and gets little use.

Between washes, a quick vacuum every few days does more than people expect — it is the accumulating hair that carries the smell, and removing it regularly slows the whole process down.

The other habit worth building is turning the bed over. Most beds are used from one side and the underside stays comparatively clean, so flipping it midway between washes roughly doubles the time before the top surface becomes unpleasant. It costs nothing and most people never think to do it.

More than one pet, or more than one bed

Two animals is not twice the laundry, it is more than twice — beds get used harder, hair accumulates faster, and the beds tend to be shared regardless of intention.

The arrangement that works is the same as for household linen: hold a spare. A second cover for each bed means the bed is never out of use while a cover is being washed, and it means you can wash on your own schedule rather than when the bed becomes unbearable. Covers cost a fraction of what beds do and this is the single most useful thing a multi-pet household can do.

If you have several beds, rotate rather than washing them all at once. One a week keeps everything reasonable and never produces a laundry day where three dog beds need a large machine simultaneously.

Beds that cannot be washed

What makes a bed easy or hard to launder

If you are buying rather than washing, this is the single decision that determines how much work the bed will be for its whole life, and it is worth more thought than the colour.

A bed with a removable cover and a replaceable insert will stay usable for years. A one-piece bed with bonded foam is a consumable, however good it looks in the shop.

Where the bed sits changes how often you wash it

A small thing with a large effect. A bed by a back door, in a hallway, or anywhere the animal goes straight to after coming in from outside gets dirty several times faster than one in a quiet corner.

Moving it a few feet, or putting a washable mat between the door and the bed so the worst comes off first, reduces the laundry considerably. So does keeping it off a carpet that holds dust, and away from a radiator — warmth accelerates the oil-and-odour process that makes a bed smell.

When the smell is the room rather than the bed

Occasionally a bed is washed properly, dried completely, and the smell is still there the next day. In that case the bed is usually not the source.

Soft furnishings near it absorb the same oils — a rug under the bed, a sofa the animal also uses, curtains at floor level. Washing the bed and returning it to the same spot puts a clean item into a scented environment, and it picks the smell back up within a day.

If that is happening, wash the throw and the rug at the same time as the bed rather than in isolation. It is more laundry in one go and it is the only thing that resets the room rather than one object in it.

Blankets and throws the pet uses

Often overlooked and usually the easiest win in the house. A throw over the sofa where the dog sleeps takes far more of the hair and oil than the actual bed does, and it washes like ordinary laundry.

Putting a washable throw or blanket over the bed itself is worth doing for the same reason. The throw takes the wear, washes weekly without effort, and the bed underneath needs washing far less often. It is the same principle as a duvet cover, applied to a dog bed.

Crate pads, car covers and the rest

Pet laundry is not only the bed, and the other items tend to get washed far less often because nobody thinks of them as laundry at all.

• Crate pads. Usually thin and easily washable, and usually filthier than the bed because they get less attention. Wash on the same schedule.
• Car seat covers and boot liners. These take mud and wet fur directly and are often the smelliest thing in the house without anyone identifying them as the source.
• Harnesses, collars and soft leads. Fabric ones wash in a mesh bag on a gentle cycle. Check for metal fittings that could damage a drum.
• Soft toys. Most wash fine in a mesh bag. Anything with a squeaker or a rigid part usually does not survive.
• Blankets used in the car or the crate. The easiest of all and the most often forgotten.

Washing all of it together on the same day makes sense — it is one load of pet items rather than pet things appearing in ordinary washes throughout the month, which is how hair ends up on everything else you own.