How I Wash My Dogs’ Plush Squeaky Toys

It’s been a while since I last posted here!  Life has just been a bit hectic.  I’m sure most people can relate.  Recently, both my partner and I ended up coming down with Covid.  Thankfully, we’re both on the mend and will hopefully be fully back in fighting form soon.

Ever since I felt well enough too, I’ve been on a bit of a cleaning frenzy.  Gotta get rid of all those germs!  Although the data I’ve looked at suggests that it’s rare for dogs to suffer from Covid-related symptoms, one can never be too safe.  My cleaning has included my dogs’ stuff, such as their bedding and toys.  I guess if there was one “good” thing about getting Covid, it was that the timing worked out well.

At least once a season I like to go through my dogs’ toys.  I throw out any that are broken.  Then I wash all their toys before deciding which I will keep out, and which I’ll put in storage while doing toy rotations.  I must admit, I used to destroy quite a few of my dogs’ toys while cleaning them.  Especially plush squeaky toys, which are both of my dogs’ favorite kinds of toys.  Luckily for Kitsune and Fenrir, these days we rarely ever have toy casualties on cleaning day.  Over the years I’ve seemingly perfected my plush squeaky toy cleaning technique!

Why Clean Your Dogs’ Toys Anyways?

According to NSF (National Sanitation Foundation) International, pet toys are one of the top 10 germiest items in our homes!  NSF states that…

Pet toys were a source of coliform bacteria (including Staph bacteria), yeast and mold in many homes.

Yuck!  Nobody wants bacteria from their dogs’ toys spread throughout their home.  Exposure to bacteria, yeast, and other fungi from dog toys can potentially make you sick.  And it’s no great secret that dogs play with their mouths.  That makes dogs especially prone to pathogen exposure from dirty toys.

How to Clean Plush Dog Toys

Cleaning hard dog toys, such as rubber Kongs, is pretty straightforward.  But what about plush toys?  How can you clean plush dog toys without destroying them, matting down the fur of fuzzy stuffed animals, or preemptively killing squeakers?

I clean my dogs’ plush toys in the washing machine and dry them in the drier.

The secret to washing dog toys (and other soft, fuzzy, plush fabric items as well) in your washing machine is cold temperatures!  Hot water in your washing machine, or putting your drier on a high heat setting, can melt the fibers of plush toys.  Heat is especially damaging to really fuzzy plushies.  When I wash my own dogs’ toys I use cold water in my washing machine, and the lowest heat setting on my drier.

What soap products should you use to wash plush dog toys?

Again remember, dogs play with their mouths!  They also have an ultra sensitive sense of smell.  Any detergents you use will leave at least small amounts of soap behind on whatever you wash.  My safer alterative, go-to cleaning products for washing my dogs’ toys are pretty basic – baking soda and/or vinegar!  Most often I’ll use a bit of vinegar in my washing machine.  I don’t love the smell of vinegar, but it can be a great odor eliminator and leaves my dogs toys looking fresh and clean.  Thankfully, the vinegar smell doesn’t linger once the toys are clean and dry.

If you prefer, you can also use more traditional laundry detergent that’s marketed for people who are sanative to chemicals and strong odors.  These are typically marketed as “free & clear”, hypoallergenic, or sensitive skin formulas of detergent.

The NSF recommends that dog toys be washed in diluted bleach (half a tablespoon of bleach to one gallon of water) or washed in your washer’s sanitizing cycle.  Use caution with bleach and hot wash cycles, though, as both of these things have the potential to destroy plush dog toys.  Use your best judgement on how each individual toy should be washed.  Toys made of tougher fabrics that are not particularly fuzzy have a higher chance of surviving hot wash cycles fully intact.  Bleach will, of course, discolor most fabric items.  You also must be sure to fully rinse all bleach off your dog’s toys.

How Often Should You Wash Your Dog’s Plush Toys?

“As needed” is the simplest, yet not super helpful answer.  The NSF recommends that dog toys be washed monthly, or even more often as needed.  I have to admit I don’t wash my dogs’ plush toys that often.  Besides a handful of favorites, my dogs don’t play with all of their toys on a daily bases.  So while some see a lot of play hours, others hardly get touched in the span of a month.

I use my best judgement as to how often each toy needs to be cleaned.  My Alaskan Klee Kai, Fen, has a handful of favorite toys that he plays with daily.  I wash those much more often then many of our other dog toys.  Whether they need it or not, I do wash all of my dogs’ toys once a season.  So at least once every 3 months.

It’s important to keep your dog’s toys clean, but washing plush toys in the washing machine more often will ultimately decrease their lifespan.

Toy Wash Day is The Best Time for Toy Checkups!

Even if you don’t rotate your dog’s toys like I do, toy cleaning day can be a great way to preform a quick checkup on all your dog’s toys.  Look out for toys that are too worn out, or no longer safe in some way.  I usually throw plush toys out once they have been destuffed, ripped open, or if they have any damage that may make them unsafe (such as a lot of loose strings or exposed squeakers).  Keep playtime safe for your furry best friend!

Do Your Wash Your Dog’s Plush Toys?

Comment below!  What is your dog’s favorite toy?  How often do you wash your dog’s toys?  Do you have a special cleaning technique, or certain products you use to keep your dog’s toys clean?

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