If you start thinking about it, your pets toy takes trips to the backyards, swimming pool, muddy areas around the house. Most of all, it’s always inside the dog’s mouth. All that filth and grunge is festering with bacteria and moldy germs. Yuck!
Perhaps it’s time to clean those dog toys!
Are dog toys washable?
Dog toys are surely washable. Washing your dog toy is one of the easiest and safest ways to keep your pet’s dirty plaything clean and germ-free. Warm water or soapy water is a good choice for cleaning. Many people even put their dog’s toys on dishwashers and washing machines.
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Over the course of time, since we do not wash their toys often, it picks up bacteria, grime, and other musty food that remains from the surroundings it rolls on. Ultimately when your dog puts these same toys inside their mouths, are gulping some of the muck.
When dogs have something in their mouths, like a tennis ball or rubber toy, they tend to salivate. This could trap all those germs from the toy and cause concerns in your pet’s mouth.
Are dog toys machine washable?
Whether dog toys are machine washable or not, will certainly depend on what kind of toy you are planning to put inside the machine. In the case of hard toys, it is always better to wash them in the dishwasher. However, softer toys can be put into the washing machine, but the cycles should be gentle.
Toys made of hard plastic or rubber cannot go into either washing machine but can go into the dishwasher. Soft plush toys can go into both dishwashers or laundry machines. However, the quality of the toy will determine if it can take the machine abrasions.
Additionally, you must use very mild detergent, along with moderate temperature water settings. The speed and time cycle must also be slower than it is when washing your or your family’s clothes in the washing machine.
You can put the stern surfaced toys in the dishwasher without worrying about wear and tear. Since dishwashers use more water pressure and hot water, older, softer, or more fragile toys shouldn’t be put into the dishwasher.
Do dog toys need to be cleaned?
It is necessary to clean and sanitize all the toys our dog owns once in a while. Dog toys pick up dirt and muck from all the surrounding, both from outside and inside the house. If these bacteria are left to fester, over time, they can cause harm to your dog but more to you and your family.
5 reasons why dog toys need to be cleaned:
If you are still in two minds whether you should clean your dog’s toys, here are a few reasons that might want you to clean the toy immediately:
Your dog’s health is risked:
Dogs already have a lot of bacteria in their mouths, for all the places they put their mouths into. More than the dogs, their toys lurk around in parks and mud in the backyard.
As time goes and we ignore the cleaning duty, the plush toy or rope pull might have accumulated enough food particles and oil from the grounds. These bacteria can grow and take a more harmful septic form.
One risk such oil and dirt possess is on your pet’s skin. If these yucky grim sits on the pores of your dog’s skin, it can cause skin acne for them. Irritation and itching are also a possibility!
Un-hygienic for you:
Bacteria or germs are transferable. Your dog runs and lays around the house and licks items here and there. And if your dog loves to smooch you while they are showing some affection, they surely transfer a lot of that harmful bacteria to you!
Dog toys carry every germ you can think of, from yeast to microorganisms picked up from grass or puddle. Such bacteria can cause more harm to you and your health than to your dogs. They can cause skin annoyance and sometimes can end up entering your stomach to causing upsets.
Unsafe for children:
Kids are kids. They don’t differentiate between their own toys with the dog’s toys. Besides, kids are much more vulnerable to getting ill if they contact germ.
You or your dog may be resilient to small bacterial organisms; children are not.
Bad smell:
Your dog’s toys may look as much as faded out from a distance. If you pick it up and take it close to you, only then can you understand how stinky it has gotten from all the collected gunk and oil.
More economical:
You can always throw out the toy that seems too nasty. But dogs are playful and take their toys everywhere. Toys get dirty quite quickly. Also, they grow attached to certain ones and never want to leave the toys anywhere.
If someone throws out the toys every time, they’ll have to buy new ones. This, instead of cleaning, is not cost-effective or efficient. Plus, this might upset your furry friend, which we certainly don’t want.
Can Dog Toys Go in the Washing Machine?
One of the best ways to wash your dog’s toys is by putting them in the washing machine in optimal settings. You can put soft toys in the washing machine without worrying about tearing them apart. Moreover, cleaning the toys in a washing machine can save you valuable time.
However, very old toys that already have some ripped-up parts, may spill out the fillings inside the toy if washing machine settings are rough. If the toy contains harder pieces, you can put the toy in a mesh bag for the protection of your machine
Whether the toy is new or old, you should always check for a tag in the toy that will warn of whether the toy is safe for washing machines or not.
How to wash dog toys in the washing machine?
This is how you can wash your dog’s softer toys in the washing machine:
- Step 1: Look for a tag in each toy before putting them in the washing machine to check if the toy is washing machine safe.
- Step 2: Put detergent in the machine. You must use very gentle or natural detergents. The strong detergent will harm the dog.
- Step 3: If you don’t have a mild detergent, a good alternative is a baking soda and vinegar. Before closing in the lid, spatter a bit of baking soda along with vinegar on the toys.
- Step 4: Put the softer toys into the washing machine. Keep very old or fragile ones away for hand cleaning
- Step 5: Change the cycle to slow and gentle settings.
- Step 6: After the washing is done, put the toys in the dryer. Set the temperature to low for half an hour. If you don’t have a drying, air dry them.
Can dog toys go in the dryer?
Yes, dog toys can be put into the dryer for drying after being washed, either by hand or washing machine. The dryer should be set into an air-drying setting. Some people also put their toys on the dryer on high heat. The high heat is said to repel germs, but it can also damage the toys.
Many people scrub off the dirt off the toy and hand washes the toy with warm soap water. This is also a great way to clean off grime from the corners of dog toys, especially plush toys. In such cases, squeezing out all the water out of the toy is important before putting it into the dryer.
How to clean dog toys in the dryer?
Whether the dog toys have been washed by hand or cleaned in the laundry machine, putting them in the dryer should be done with precautions.
- Step 1: After washing the toys, squeeze out the excess water by hand.
- Step 2: Check if there are any open chains, loose-plastic parts in the toy.
- Step 3: Turn the heat of the dryer to low
- Step 4: The best setting for dog toys in a dryer is the air-dry mode. You can directly set the dryer to this mode
- Step 5: Turn off the dryer after 30 minutes.
Can dog toys go in the dishwasher?
Dog toys can go into the dishwasher, but only if they are hard surface toys. Toys that are made of rubber, hard quality plastic or nylon can be put into the dishwasher. When it comes to soft toys, it is not recommended that you clean them using the dishwasher.
However, dishwashers usually use very high heat, as well as, increased pressure to clean the toys. If the toy you have put inside the dishwasher is not strong enough, there could be permanent damages to the toy.
In some cases, these toys may even produce toxic chemicals after being washed in the dishwasher due to the great heat.
How to wash dog toys in the dishwasher?
Here are a few simple steps on how to wash dog toys in the dishwasher:
- Step 1: Check the toy is dishwasher safe.
- Step 2: Put only hard, nylon, or rubber toys on the washer.
- Step 3: Set the cycle to hot mode.
- Step 4: Put any natural detergent. This step can be avoided if you don’t have natural detergent.
- Step 5: Turn on the dishwasher and remove the toys after they are finished being washed
How to wash dog toys with squeakers?
Dog toys that have squeakers can be washed in many ways. Softer toys with squeakers can go into the washing machine, while harder ones can be cleaned in the dishwasher. Washing squeaky toys with hands is also a good idea. However, certain precautions need to be taken, so the toy does not get ruined.
3 ways to wash dog toys with squeakers:
You can follow any of the methods to wash dog toys that have squeakers:
- Washing machine: Use a gentle detergent along with some vinegar, and set the cycle to slow. This method is suitable for soft toys only. Remove the squeaker before putting it in the machine if it’s possible.
- Hand washing: If you have hard rubber or nylon toys, hand washing the toys with lukewarm soapy water with the help of a scrubbing brush can save the squeakers.
- Dishwasher: High-quality Hard toys with squeakers can be put in the dishwasher. Here it is better to use vinegar instead of detergent by the same amount.
Can you bleach dog toys?
You can bleach dog toys, but only with mild bleach that can be diluted with water. Moreover, the dog toy that you plan to bleach has to be impenetrable and made with non-porous materials. Generally, it is not advisable to use bleach on a pet possession on higher concentrations or at all.
We don’t recommend anyone to use bleach on dog toys due to all the risk it entails. It’s never worth it when it comes to our pet buddies!
Is bleaching dog toys harmful to dogs?
Bleaching dog toys can be harmful to dogs if the concentration of the bleach used is high. Un-diluted bleach can cause tissue irritations for dogs. If your dog licks the toy immediately after it has been treated with bleach, the dog may suffer from digestive or even respiratory issues.
How to clean dog toys with bleach?
If you still want to use bleach, make sure to follow important steps:
- Step 1: Make sure the toy is completely non-porous.
- Step 2: Take expert advice on the ratio of water to bleach. Make sure to dilute the bleach according to the calculated ratio.
- Step 3: Keep the toy away from the dog immediately after bleaching
Can you wash dog toys with laundry detergent?
Laundry detergents have harsh chemicals that can cause risk to your dog’s health. It is not safe to wash dog toys with laundry detergent. If anyone wants to use detergent for cleaning the toys, many great brands sell natural detergents that are made with ingredients that are safe for your pets.
One great alternative to laundry detergent is using a mixture of vinegar and warm water. Baking soda can also be used in tiny amounts for better cleaning.
Is washing dog toys with laundry detergent harmful to dogs?
Although washing the dogs with laundry detergent will not harm the dogs directly, these detergents contain certain toxins that can be harmful to dogs if sniffed or ingested.
How often should dog toys be cleaned?
Dog toys should be cleaned every two weeks. If your dog has toys like a particular ball or frisbee that it takes to parks or places outside the home, you can consider washing that toy more often. Older toys that may wear away from washing twice a month can be washed at least once a month.
Sanitizing your pet’s toys every day will surely cause more harm than good.
Since a dog’s mouth can take a lot of bacteria before any harm is caused to them, the toy needs to be incredibly filthy before it can cause any real harm.
Still, you need to make sure whatever is around you, your pet, and your house is well maintained and germs-free.