A dog bed collects more than you’d think — dead skin, drool, dirt tracked in from every walk, and whatever they rolled in that one time. Here’s how to Clean a Dog Bed Properly.
Most people wash their own bedding weekly without a second thought, but a dog’s bed — which sees just as much daily use, plus mud, drool, and shed fur — often goes months between washes. Knowing how to clean a dog bed properly matters more than it might seem: a dirty bed isn’t just unpleasant to be near, it can genuinely irritate your dog’s skin, trigger allergies, and become a breeding ground for bacteria and dust mites. The good news is that doing it right isn’t complicated once you know the steps.
Why How to Clean a Dog Bed Properly Actually Matters
Dog beds absorb a lot over time — natural skin oils, drool, dirt, and outdoor debris that gets tracked in after every walk. Left too long, that buildup can cause odor, skin irritation for dogs with sensitive skin, and a genuine allergen problem for anyone in the house with pet allergies. Learning how to clean a dog bed properly isn’t just about keeping things looking tidy — it directly affects your dog’s comfort and skin health, especially for dogs prone to itching or hot spots.Pin
How to Clean a Dog Bed Properly: Step-by-Step
1. Remove loose fur before washing. Run a hair-removal tool over the bed first — our Electrostatic Pet Hair Removal Glove works well for this — since a heavy layer of loose fur can clog your washing machine filter or drain if it goes in unbrushed.
2. Check the care label, if there is one. Different fillings and fabrics have different limits, particularly around water temperature and tumble drying.
3. Wash the cover separately from the filling where possible. Covers generally hold up fine on a warm or hot cycle, but the filling underneath often needs a gentler approach to avoid clumping.
4. Skip fabric softener and go light on fragrance. Fabric softener coats fibres in a way that can irritate sensitive canine skin and actually reduces how well the fabric absorbs moisture and odor over time. A mild, fragrance-free detergent is the safer default.
5. Avoid bleach entirely. It’s harsh enough to break down fabric fibres and filling over repeated washes, shortening the bed’s lifespan considerably.
6. Dry thoroughly before letting your dog back on it. Damp filling left to sit is exactly the kind of environment mildew and odor-causing bacteria thrive in — air dry fully, or tumble dry on low if the fabric allows.
How to Clean a Dog Bed Properly When It Doesn’t Have a Removable Cover
Not every bed makes this easy, and if yours doesn’t have a removable cover, you’re mostly working with spot cleaning and deodorizing rather than a full wash:
- Sprinkle baking soda over the surface, leave for 15–20 minutes, then vacuum it off to lift odor.
- Spot-clean stains with a small amount of mild detergent and a damp cloth, working in rather than rubbing hard.
- Use the upholstery attachment on your vacuum weekly to keep loose fur and debris from building up between deeper cleans.
Choosing a Bed That’s Actually Easy to Clean
Honestly, the easiest way to get this right long-term is starting with a bed built for it. Our Donut Dog Bed, Fluffy Plush Round Cat Bed has a genuinely removable, machine-washable cover, which turns “how to clean a dog bed properly” from a multi-step spot-cleaning project into a normal wash-day task — pull the cover, wash it with everything else, done.
How Often Should You Actually Wash It
As a general rule: wipe down or vacuum weekly, wash the cover every one to two weeks (more often for dogs who spend a lot of time outdoors or have skin conditions), and give the whole bed a deeper clean monthly. If a bed’s filling has flattened out or it’s holding onto odor even after a proper wash, that’s usually a sign it’s closer to the end of its useful life than something more washing will fix.
Final Thoughts
Getting how to clean a dog bed properly right really comes down to a consistent light routine rather than an occasional deep panic-clean — remove loose fur first, use the right detergent, dry it fully, and wash more often than you’d think necessary. If you’re due for a bed swap anyway, choosing one with a removable cover from the start makes every future wash considerably easier. Mew Vora ships worldwide, so wherever you’re doing laundry duty for your dog, an easy-to-clean bed is never far out of reach.
Shop washable dog beds and grooming essentials at mewvora.com/products — quality cat and dog essentials, delivered worldwide.