Leaving your dog toys laying on the floor without a proper cleaning is a surefire way to let all those dirt, grime, bacteria, and other germs thrive.
In the long run, all of the assorted bacteria and germs could cause a severe effect on your health or your children’s health.
Therefore, it’s essential to keep your dog toys clean and well-maintained.
Beside well-maintained dog toys will also ensure that they are around for a long time. So you don’t need to keep buying a new one every time.
In the following, we’ll cover the easiest ways to clean different types of dog toys.
How to Clean Plastic, Rubber, Nylon, or Plush Dog Toys with Squeakers
I don’t have valid data on this one, but I think plastic, rubber, or nylon chew toys are the most popular dog toys around. You will definitely spot one of these toys in the house of any dog owner.
Check out my post here for the best plastic, rubber, or nylon chews.
Enough with the shameless promotion, now let’s continue, to clean these types of dog toys, you need to be sure that the toys are dishwater safe.
The manufacturers often state clearly on their website, the product’s bag, or you can make a quick check at Amazon’s product page, whether the toys in question are dishwater safe or not.
1.To clean rubber, plastic, or nylon chew toys, first, you need to prepare a sink or tub filled with warm water.
2. Handwash the toys with the warm water and antibacterial dish soap.
3. Use a toothbrush to brush away any dirt, droll, food particles from the crevices.
4. Rinse the toys with clean cold water. Squeeze any excess water out of the toys and use a towel to air dry them.
5. The last step is to sanitize your dog toys using the dishwater. Place them on the top rack of the dishwater, then run the machine on a hot cycle. Once complete, thoroughly dry them before returning the toys to your dog’s playbox.
How to Clean Dog Rope Toys
1. Clean off any debris and dirt from the toys using a wire comb or toothbrush.
2. Wash the rope toys on in the washing machine on a gentle cycle; you can use detergent or no detergent at all. Usually, it’s okay to clean rope toys in the laundry but to be sure; you should check the product tags.
3. Dry the toys through the dryer on the low heat setting. Set the timer to about 30 minutes.
4. Sanitize the toys with a microwave. Microwave provides one of the best means to bacteria, mold, yeast, and germs on the toys. Make sure to remove as much excess crud as possible before putting them into the microwave. Run the microwave for 1 minute and keep a close eye during the process.
If you don’t have a microwave, you can use dishwater instead as a replacement. To clean the toys, just toss them into the dishwater with no detergent.
How to Clean Dog Toys with Bleach
Before we begin, I must warn you that if possible, you should never use bleach to clean your dog toys. Bleach is dangerous and could kill your pet.
If you really want to use bleach, make sure you only use it on non-porous toys (according to the recommendation from ASPCA).
1. Scrape off any visible dirt or debris using a dish brush. If you clean treat-dispensing dog toys such as Kong dog toys, you can use a toothbrush to clean the leftover food particle from the inside.
2. Wash hand your dog toys in a tub filled with warm soapy water with mild dish detergent. Use a sponge to remove the remaining dirt and debris. Thoroughly rinse the toys under cold running water.
3. Take two tsp. of bleach and mix it with one-gallon cool water then soak the toys in the diluted solution for about two minutes.
4. After two minutes, remove the toys wearing gloves. Air-dry the toys with a towel. Make sure the toys are already fully dry before giving them back to your dog to prevent your canine from ingesting the bleach residue.
How to Clean Dog Toys with Baking Soda
Stuffed dog toys can’t be machine washed, so you have to use another alternative. Baking soda and vinegar can be used to effectively clean grimy-looking stuffed dog toys.
1.Mix baking soda and vinegar. There is no specific portion, but you want to mix the soda and vinegar until the solution looks like a sort of paste.
2. Brush the stuffed dog toys using a toothbrush in a circular motion. Keep rubbing the toys until the toys clear from all the dirt.
3. Once the toys clean and you don’t see as much baking soda and vinegar as before, put the toys in a plastic bag filled with some dry baking soda and shake it up to help coat your toys.
4. Once thoroughly coated, take the toys out of the plastic bag, and let it dry for around 15 minutes.
5. Scrub as much excess off as you can then lay the toys on a towel to air dry for a day or two.
6. After two days, brush the toys gently with a rough towel for the finishing.
How to Clean Dog Toys after Fleas
1. To get rid of fleas from our dog toys we need to start from inspecting our home first to see how far the inspection has spread. Inspect and mark the area in your home where the fleas have invested.
2. Take a fogger bomb and follow the instruction in the package carefully to put it in the infected area. Ideally, you want to put one in every room including basement and attic to prevent fleas. Remove any open food or perishables from and near the infected areas before setting up the fogger bomb.
Wait for the bomb to do its work. Depending on the severity of the fleas infestation, it could take anywhere from a few hours to a few days until the fleas wholly removed.
3. Vacuum your home and all of the plush toys — this is where the flea eggs usually hide — to get rid of any remaining flea eggs. Once done, remove and dispose of the vacuum bag immediately.
4. Collect all the plush toys that your best buddy has and put them into a garbage bag along with a bit drop of boric acid.
5. Shake the bag, don’t forget to hold it closed tightly.
6. Wash and dry the plush toys afterward. Follow one of the methods that I’ve described previously.
How to Clean Dog Toys after Kennel Cough
Kennel Cough or also known with another fancy name as Canine infectious tracheobronchitis is a contagious disease that is often spread at a place where a lot of dogs hanging around such as dog parks.
In the usual case, you don’t need to throw away your dog toys if your dog has already infected.
This is because once he has recovered, your dog will develop some sort of immune system for that particular strain. However, if you have two or more dogs at home, you absolutely need to clean your dog toys to keep the disease from spreading to other dogs.
1.First off, we need to prepare old clothes and a pair of disposable gloves to protect your skin.
2. Wash all the infected toys with plain water to remove all the debris. This is necessary to clean all the chemical film that clings to the surface of the toys that could interfere with other cleaners.
3. Wash your dog toys in a tub filled with warm soapy water with mild dish detergent.
4. Soak the toys in a bleach solution — two tsp. of bleach and mix it with one-gallon cool water — for about two minutes.
5. Then sanitize the toys with the dishwater, run them on the hot cycle. If possible, continue cleaning the toys with bleach. Use dishwater that has a final rinse that exceeds: 113°F for 20 minutes or 122°F for 5 minutes or 162°F for 1 minute.
6. Air-dry the toys completely.
Remember the crate, food, water container, blanket, sweaters that your dog may have worn must be washed too, using hot water and laundry detergent.
How to Clean Dog Toys after Giardia
The steps to clean and disinfect the dog toys after Giardia is the same as the steps described to clean up dog toys after Kennel Cough.
When is The Time to Toss Away the Old and Get a New Dog Toy?
If you see the dog toy has been heavily chewed and chomped to the point that it is difficult to clean, or if the toys start to break off and the fallen pieces could cause a choking hazard, then that is when you should get a new toy for your dog.
