# Freshening up dog beds without actually washing them?



## ladyshadowhollyjc (Oct 28, 2008)

I just noticed both of our dog beds are a little, musty? smelling. I don't want to toss them in the washer if I don't have to. Any ideas on how to freshen them up aside from just washing them?


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

Febreeze! lol


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## ladyshadowhollyjc (Oct 28, 2008)

Kayota said:


> Febreeze! lol


Oh duh! Lol. I JUST bought some BOGO too...


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

It works great for the floor too when Faxon decides to poop when I'm away. Swiffer, enzyme cleaner, febreeze. Voila! Smell gone.


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## Dog Person (Sep 14, 2012)

outside in the sun and air.


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## JeJo (Jul 29, 2013)

I echo DP's suggestion of an outdoor airing after a good vacuuming or hardy shake to rid the bed of any hair. A sprinkle of baking soda, rubbed in, after bringing the bed in should help, too.


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## blenderpie (Oct 5, 2012)

Backing soda, let it sit then c
Vacuum it up.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Baking soda, rub into the bed and wait 30 minutes, vacuum. Then put bed outside in the sun and fresh air for a few hours. Flip it over and give it another few hours. Even better if you can hang it from a clothes line to get a breeze on both sides.

I don't like using sprays like Febreeze since the dogs I get tend to have sensitive skin.


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## Hambonez (Mar 17, 2012)

There's a new fragrance free febreeze that I love (I hate fake scents!). I'd go for something like that if I was to febreeze a dog bed. It works great! Gets rid of smells without introducing new smells.


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## Greater Swiss (Jun 7, 2011)

When I use Febreeze I tend to use the anti-allergen "scent free" (there's a tiny bit of scent, but really hard to catch it), I prefer it for myself and for the sake of the dogs. I tend to take movable stuff out in the sun, give it a shake, and a febreeze, let it sit for a bit. Sometimes a tumble dry in the winter. 
For the most part though, I prefer making a dog bed cover, with a layer inside that is water resistant/water proof. In that case, I take off the cover, chuck it in the washer with whatever else, then drier on fluff and all done. I dunno about you but I hate washing things with stuffing, they usually come out misshapen for me, so the covers are good....plus if something is going on (illness in the pet etc), it can be washed and dried in a matter of a couple of hours, as often as needed (heck, if you've got time and patience that I don't, making an extra cover is always an option, just to change them out!).


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## Kudzu (Aug 15, 2013)

Isn't it easier to just wash them? Unless they're really big.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Kudzu said:


> Isn't it easier to just wash them? Unless they're really big.


Two of my dog beds are made from the very firm foam used to make automobile seats. Maybe 4 ft by 3 ft and 4 inches thick. They have covers, but the foam itself can use a freshening sometimes. I then put a king sized comforter folded into quarters on top of the foam pad and while technically that is washable, it requires a trip to the laundromat.

The other dog bed is a crib mattress covered in a crib sheet. Sheet gets washed. Mattress is of course not washable but has a water resistant cover anyway since it is made for babies. 

Lots of pillows and things with stuffing just don't come out right when washed at home and only sometimes come out right when washed in the giant triple loaders at the laundromat.


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## ladyshadowhollyjc (Oct 28, 2008)

Kudzu said:


> Isn't it easier to just wash them? Unless they're really big.


Well, the two that need need washing are pretty big. I've washed them a few times, and each time it seems liks the washer doesn't completely spin all the water out of them unless I put them through the spin cycle 3+ times. One has a cover, but the inside part with the stuffing had a hole in it and when I take the cover off bits of fluff and foam get everywhere. 

I will have to wait until we have sunny day to let them out in the sun. I think that's why they're getting musty...it's been so rainy and damp the dogs run in and curl up on them and leave that wet dog smell.


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## deege39 (Dec 29, 2008)

I actually use a couple layers of towels and a blankets over the dog bed, and whenever the dogs get a bath the blankets go in the wash.

We've got a really large bed that barely fit in an industrial size machine at the laundry-mat.

It doesn't keep the bed from getting musty altogether, but it helps freshen up the bed when the blankets are washed... I've used the baking soda trick whenever they've gotten sick on it or my bed; The baking soda trick is what I would recommend... The fragrance of Febreeze bothers my sinuses and it bothers me to think the dogs who have a more sensitive sense of smell breathe it as well....... JMO.


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## ackerleynelson (Feb 1, 2013)

Keep those in sunlight...


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## Kudzu (Aug 15, 2013)

Yes, those sound like a pain to wash. 

My small dog's bed is made of marine vinyl, which can be wiped down with a microfiber with or without mild soap for refreshing. I put a crate pad on top of it for coziness that is easy to wash. For my big dog, we use a large old ottoman and had a faux leather slipcover made for it so that is wipeable, and a washable crate mat on top of that too. I have spare crate mats so I can switch them out for clean ones while the others are in the laundry. By being able to wipe all the dirt off the beds with a microfiber cloth and toss a fresh crate mat on top, I have clean dog beds in under five minutes! Can you tell I put a lot of thought into making life easy for myself?  I hate wrestling bed covers on and off of pet beds.


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## squiggles (Feb 22, 2013)

Vinegar. It's gross until it dries, then you smell nothing. It's also cheap as heck.


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## ladyshadowhollyjc (Oct 28, 2008)

squiggles said:


> Vinegar. It's gross until it dries, then you smell nothing. It's also cheap as heck.


That's another alternative I didn't think about. Vinegar pretty much destroys bad smells. 

I did sprinkle some baking soda and let them sit for a while before I vacuumed it off. That did seem to help quite a bit. Now, if only the sun would return to the sunshine state, I could let them get a nice sun bath too lol.


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## TXTorres (Mar 31, 2013)

If you have a bed with a removable cover, put the inside, fluffy part into a trash bag and then put the cover over that. If there are any messes on the bed, you can throw the cover in the wash and wipe down (or switch out, if you want) the trash bag. This may not work for giant beds, but it works well for our's


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