Thursday, August 9, 2012

DoggyStyle: On Dog Laundry

We write a lot about daily things we do to keep our place clean with dogs and how we keep our pooches clean, but I recently realized I haven't written much about our dog laundry routine. I actually didn't think it was anything outstanding until my same friend who says things to give me low self-esteem said it was weird. So now I'm curious...do people have a separate system for doing dog laundry?
Can you spot the pooches hiding in our Laundry?
Laundry was actually a huge ordeal back when Miss M and I lived in our Bachelorette Pad without a washer/dryer. Miss M used to accompany me, across the street, to the Jolly Rogers Laundromat. We each had our own separate laundry bags; I had my clothes and Miss M had a tiny bag of her 'dog laundry' which usually included her bed cover, some towels and my bathmat. We washed our clothes separately, then headed home. Even though we're lucky enough to have a washer and dryer in our home now, we still aren't the type of roommates who combine loads.
My friend also thought the amount of cleaning was obsessive. I always clean the dog beds when the pooches have baths because I think it will keep them cleaner longer. And I typically clean the beds and pillows every 2 weeks.
So now that it's out there...how does everyone else clean your dogs' laundry? Do you keep dog laundry separate? And how often is standard for dog laundry? Is it even a big deal?

Also: More Obsessive Dog Cleaning

24 comments:

Unknown said...

You aren't weird at all! The Duo's blankets get washed separately from any of our stuff. I'm always grossed out by how much of their hair is in the dryer vent after I've washed their blankies. Yuck!!

Ashley said...

Totally not crazy! Our pittie Ella has two dog beds and I wash them once a month when I give her a bath. I feel like it defeats the purpose of a bath if she's all clean and then rolls around on a dirty bed! I even wash her soft stuffed toys every once in awhile. They get all nasty and slobbery, so I wash them and resew any holes she's made so they last longer. Her things get washed separately from ours as well - the hair would get all in the fibers of our clothing.

Ashley said...

I hear ya! I do everything on Sunday. First thing in the morning my pittie, Rizzo, gets a shower and all her bedding/towels/stuffies get washed. Doesn't make sense to let a squeaky clean pooch sleep on a stinky bed :)

Anonymous said...

Hmm, thanks for reminding me, time to wash the dog beds! (It's been, um, significantly longer than two weeks.)

Anonymous said...

I was everything all together :). I now realize I was the dog sheet that's on my bed (actually a canvas drop cloth) much too infrequently! :)

Michelle said...

You're not weird!! I'll put Graciethepup's Thundershirt in with our laundry because I like to wash that in cold. Her bed covers and blankets get washed on hot or warm(especially if she's had messy treats like raw marrow bones) and then I usually hang those to dry in the sun. Stuffies go in a lingerie bag and hung out as well.

Unknown said...

I do Wednesday's laundry totally separate from mine! Definitely not weird at all!

Sara @ LiteraryLima said...

I think it would be weird to wash your laundry together! We have 2 dogs, plus usually a foster, in a 1300 sqft house, so keeping the doggie smell at bay is of the utmost importance! Our dogs have their own hamper and get freshly washed beds every week. Plus I wash their rubber toys in the dishwasher, so now who's weird? :)

How Sam Sees It said...

We do dog laundry (yes, separately) every two weeks. We launder collars, bed covers, toys - anything that is soft and cloth like. Besides keeping pet hair at a minimum, doing laundry keeps smells down plus, the amount of bacteria from doggy slobber is kept under control.

Sam

Tannia G. said...

Not a weirdo, not a weirdo at all! My boyfriend likes Luna but never had dogs growing up and when we started dating he was allergic to her. In general I am pretty crazy about cleanliness but, when my boyfriend had to take Claritin every day I took it a whole new level. I always do a through cleaning of my apartment once a week and then swifter and vacuum at least three times during the week, in order to de-hair everything. (Luna is allowed on the couch) She gets a bath every other week, her blankets, t-shirts, and bed covers all get washed once a week when I do laundry and yes separately. So you see you are actually quite normal.

Anonymous said...

NOT weird at all, in fact, I think you might need a new friend... Ms. Rikki's poufs are washed separately with her towels, throws, and toys generally every other week.

HoundDogMom said...

We wash the doggie linens seperate from our linens. I would love to wash dog beds and stuff every 2 weeks but the dogs don't get a bath that often. Especially since we have a Well for our water supply and this summer has been very hard on the Well. We are having water hauled in every 10 days so doggie baths have taken a back seat this summer. They did get a bath at the local HSCI fundraiser 2 weeks ago. But Bella could use a bath everyday. She is my first basset hound that loves to dig and sleep outside in the dirt. Any ideas on how to keep a hound clean when you can't bath with water on a regular basis? Sniffs, The HoundDogs

Rebelwerewolf said...

Now that you mention it, our dog beds could use some washing...

danielle said...

Dog stuff is washed separately with OxyClean. I've never found it works well for stains but it's good for getting out doggie smells.
I have 3 pitties and 2 chihuahua mixes so I end up with a log of doggie laundry.
I also wash their beds and the blankets I keep for them to sleep on my bed when they get baths. That's not weird, it's logic!

Kari in Alaska said...

Mesa loves to sleep on our dirty laundry even if it is in the basket. With 4 dogs there is so much hair that it doesn't make a difference for us to separate anything other than their beds/blankets

Stop on by for a visit
Kari
http://dogisgodinreverse.com

Two French Bulldogs said...

Sounds like us. Mom thinks it helps with preventing smells too
Benny & Lily

Debra@Peaceabull said...

I used to bathe Ray every Sunday, and his bedding about every other week but I've flipped that and now wash his bedding every week or more often if he's dripped peanut butter out of his kong.

Annie & Pauls Mom said...

We do the dog laundry after we do ours. None of their stuff is combined with ours and it gets washed every 3-6 months depending on what they've done in their room.

jessieaucoin said...

Separate loads is mandatory. Carra may sleep on our bed, but mixed dirty clothes are strictly verboten in my mind.

Unknown said...

I don't keep my dog's "laundry" separate - it's all being watered down and cleansed with detergent, so I see no reason to separate them. :)

I don't bathe my dogs as frequently, I think, as some people do...but when I do, I definitely like to wash their special bed and sofa blankets.

Kinsley said...

Too funny that we all do "doggie loads"! Our pittie and shep x are allowed on furniture, which we keep covered with sheets/blankets, as well at microfiber throws that belong to my pittie and are on top of all the dog beds, crate blankets, toys, and towels I use for fosters. I do at least 2 loads a week and when I have fosters, like now, EVERY DAY. I actually have 2 fosters, and they are puppies, so needless to say there is A LOT of laundry to do. It can be a lot sometimes, but so worth it to keep it clean:) So, no, you aren't weid at all...just in case you didn't know that yet.

Wyatt said...

The covers of the dog beds are about 2-3 loads alone. And after Wyatt has hauled them around the yard...separate loads for sure!

Jen said...

I am very bad at keeping up with cleaning, AND Elka doesn't lay on her bed very often, so that bed cover doesn't get laundered very often. The couch slipcovers we launder periodically. When Elka's hoodie needs washing in the winter, I just throw it in with a load of (people) towels.

When doing people laundry, I have Elka find socks for me. My fiance tries to keep them in one place, but doesn't always, so it's a fun game for her and I don't have to hunt.

orange sugar said...

Our dogs don't have enough laundry to warrant doing a separate load. Really there is only one towel I wipe them down with if it's raining and a dog bed. I just throw them in with our stuff. They lay all over the bed where we lay anyway.

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