Dog Bed Care & Washing Guide

The search for how to wash a dog bed usually starts with a smell. You come in from a wet walk, the house is warm, and there it is: the bed by the back door has started to smell like the bed by the back door. Getting it fresh again is mostly a matter of knowing which parts go in the machine, which never should, and how to get everything properly dry before it goes back together.

A clean bed is not only for you. A cover that smells, stays damp or sticks to the foam is a less inviting place to lie down, and a bed thrown out while the inside is still sound is money you did not need to spend. Here is how to look after each part.

Start with the label

Check the care label on your bed's cover first; it has the final word. Beds are made from different fabrics and finishes, so the instructions differ. Many of our zipped covers machine wash at 30°C, including Ullswater, Wensleydale, Sawrey, Harewood, Kendal, Chatsworth and Loweswater. Others simply say to follow the sewn-in label. A few parts should not go in the machine at all: Thirlmere's structured felt, for example, and the coated Derwent crate mat unless its label expressly permits it.

Then match the method to the part:

• If it's a zipped fabric cover: take it off and wash it as the label says.
• If it's foam: keep it out of the machine and out of water, and air it instead.
• If it's a waterproof inner liner: wipe it with a damp cloth.
• If it's a coated, wipe-clean fabric: a damp cloth for everyday marks, and check the label before any wash cycle.
• If it's a raised mesh bed: rinse or wipe it, then let it dry.

How to wash a dog bed cover, step by step

1. Get the hair off first. Take the bed outside and give it a good shake, or run the vacuum over it. Hair left on a cover tends to end up in the machine's filter and on the next load.
2. Unzip and empty it. Take out the foam or inner cushion. Some beds make this easier than others: Elterwater's crumb memory foam cushion lifts out, the Crummock Herringbone Nest has an inner cushion that lifts out, and Melbreak's cover opens on three sides.
3. Close the zips before it goes in, so the teeth do not catch on the fabric.
4. Wash as the label says. Where it says 30°C, stick to 30°C. A mild detergent is plenty.
5. Skip the tumble dryer where the label says so, as the care instructions for Chatsworth and Loweswater do. Air-dry instead.
6. Refit only when it is completely dry. A damp cover zipped over foam is how smells start.

Foam never goes in the machine

Foam should never be machine washed or soaked. It holds water and takes a long time to dry, and a drum can tear it. While the cover is in the wash, stand the foam on its edge in a dry, airy room so both faces can breathe. If something does get through to it, blot it straight away with a dry cloth and let it dry right through, away from direct heat, before the cover goes back on. If it needs more than that, ask us before you try anything else.

This is exactly the job a waterproof liner does for you. It stops the problem one layer earlier.

Waterproof liners and wipe-clean fabrics

On beds with an inner liner between cover and foam, such as Newlands, Easedale, Scafell, Burnmoor and Braithwaite, the instruction is to wipe the liner while the cover is off. A damp cloth is enough; let it dry before refitting.

Coated outer fabrics are made for quick cleaning. Wipe everyday mud and drool off the Crummock Waterproof Nest, Wasdale or the Ribble crate bed with a damp cloth; the Derwent mat takes a damp cloth and mild soap. Check the label before any removable cover on these goes in the machine, as some waterproof finishes do not take kindly to detergent or a wash cycle. Leather handles, on beds like Eskdale, Seathwaite and Patterdale, have their own care instructions. Browse waterproof dog beds.

Elevated beds and outdoor pieces

Raised mesh beds are the easiest of all: Windermere and Bassenthwaite have no cover and no filling. Rinse or wipe the frame and mesh, leave it to dry completely, stand it on level ground and give the joints a check every so often. That is all Windermere and Brotherswater need (check Brotherswater's rubber feet while you are at it), and Bassenthwaite can simply be rinsed down with water. See elevated and cooling dog beds.

Outdoor dog houses and day beds have plastic or woven shells. Clean them with mild soap on a damp cloth. Cushions have their own care label and are best kept under cover when not in use, and everything should be dry before your dog goes back in.

Keeping smells down between washes

• Towel them before bed. A dog who goes to bed damp takes the damp into the bed. A quick towel at the door saves a wash later.
• Air it. On a dry day, open a window, take the cover off and stand the foam on its edge for a few hours.
• Vacuum weekly. Hair and grit work into fabric and hold smells.
• Add a top layer. A blanket or throw on top can go in the wash far more often than the cover. On a mesh bed it also makes winter warmer.
• Turn it round. On a mattress-shaped bed, turn it end to end now and then so the same patch is not taking all the weight. Duddon is reversible, so flip it to the canvas side when it warms up and back to the fleece when it turns cold.

How often should you wash a dog bed?

There is no fixed rule. A sensible rhythm for most homes is to vacuum weekly, wash the cover every couple of weeks, and wash it straight away after an accident, a muddy week or an upset stomach. Puppies, older dogs and dogs who swim will need more. If the bed smells again within a day of a wash, the smell is probably in the core, not the cover.

When to replace a dog bed

• The foam no longer comes back to shape, or you can feel the floor through it.
• A smell returns soon after washing, because it has soaked into an unprotected core.
• The cover is torn and the filling is exposed or being pulled out.
• Your dog has started choosing the floor instead.

Some of our foam beds come with a 5-year no-flatten guarantee on the core, and the product page will tell you if yours is one. It applies under normal domestic use, subject to the guarantee terms, and does not include cover wear or pet damage. If you are replacing a bed that went flat, our guide to what's inside a dog bed explains what to look for next time.

Dog bed washing questions

Can you put a whole dog bed in the washing machine?

Only if its label says so. On most of our beds the cover comes off for washing and the inside stays out of the machine. Foam should never be machine washed or soaked.

Can I tumble dry a dog bed cover?

Check the label. Some of ours, such as Chatsworth and Loweswater, say not to, and most of our care instructions say to air-dry fully before refitting. If in doubt, air-dry.

How do I get the dog smell out of a dog bed?

Wash the cover at the temperature on its label, air the foam on its edge while the cover is off, and make sure everything is bone dry before it goes back together. If the smell comes straight back, it is in the core, and that is when a waterproof liner earns its place on your next bed.

Which of your beds are easiest to keep clean?

Mesh beds have nothing to wash. After that, look for a cover that comes off fully and a waterproof layer, inside or out. Our washable dog beds are a good place to start.

Choosing a new bed anyway? Let the Bed Finder start with how they sleep. Most of our beds come with 100 nights to decide.