To wash a dog bed, vacuum off the hair, unzip the cover and machine wash it on the warmest setting its care label allows, then dry it fully. Foam inserts usually shouldn't go in the machine; spot clean them and air them out. Aim to do this weekly, which is what the CDC recommends for pet beds and blankets.
Weekly sounds like a lot until you think about where that bed has been: muddy paws, drool, shed undercoat, and whatever your dog rolled in on the walk. Most of it sits in the cover, which is the easy part to wash.
Before you wash: check what you've got#
Dog beds come in three broad types, and they're washed differently.
- Beds with a removable cover over a foam or fiber insert. Wash the cover; treat the insert separately.
- Fully washable beds with no removable cover, usually smaller fiber-filled beds and donut beds. The whole thing can go in the machine if the label says so.
- Beds with a cover that doesn't come off, over foam. These are the hardest; you're hand washing in a bath or spot cleaning.
Find the care label for each layer: outer cover, any inner liner, and the insert. They often have different instructions. If your bed has several bolsters or compartments, take a photo before you pull it apart. Some beds, like Orvis's bolster beds, have lettered bolsters that go back in a specific order, and you will not remember it.
How to wash a dog bed cover#
- Take the bed outside and shake it hard, then vacuum the cover with an upholstery tool. A rubber glove or a damp rubber squeegee dragged across the fabric pulls up hair the vacuum misses. Get as much hair off as you can now, or it ends up wrapped around your washing machine's drum and filter.
- Unzip and remove the cover. Close the zip again before washing so the teeth don't snag the fabric.
- Pretreat stains. For urine, vomit or poop, an enzyme cleaner breaks down the proteins that cause the lingering smell. Check it's safe for the fabric first.
- Wash on the hottest temperature and the cycle the care label allows, with your usual detergent. Add an extra rinse if your machine has one; it gets out more hair and soap.
- Leave out fabric softener and scented boosters. They leave residue on the fabric, and your dog doesn't need the bed to smell like a meadow.
- Dry the cover on the setting its label gives. Orvis, for example, says to dry its covers on low heat. If the label allows a hot tumble dry, the CDC says 30 minutes on the highest heat setting helps disinfect fabric.
If the bed is too big for your machine (check the drum's stated capacity, not just whether it physically fits), take it to a laundromat with large front-loaders. A bed crammed into a small drum comes out half-washed.
Can you put a foam dog bed in the washing machine?#
Usually not. Foam tears when it's wet and tumbled, and it holds water like a sponge, so it takes ages to dry and can go musty inside. Orvis's instructions for its foam-core beds are typical: machine wash the cover, and spot clean the foam base with a damp cloth as needed.
For a foam insert:
- Vacuum both sides.
- Spot clean marks with a cloth dampened in mild soapy water, then a cloth with plain water. Don't soak it.
- For odor, sprinkle baking soda over it, leave it for a few hours, then vacuum it off.
- Let it air-dry fully, ideally outside in dry weather or in a warm room with good airflow, turning it over halfway.
If urine has soaked deep into foam, you won't get it all out. That's the main argument for a waterproof liner between foam and cover, especially for puppies and older dogs.
How to wash a bed without a removable cover#
For a small fiber-filled bed that's labeled machine washable, wash it whole on a gentle cycle, with an extra rinse. Tumble dry on low with a couple of clean tennis balls or dryer balls to stop the filling clumping, and check the middle before calling it done.
For a bigger bed with a fixed cover, use the bath. Fill it with warm water and a small amount of detergent, push the bed under, and knead it. Drain, refill with clean water, and keep rinsing and pressing until the water stops going cloudy. Press out as much water as you can (standing on it on a towel works), then dry it outside or near a heater with good airflow. Expect a day or two.
Drying is where it goes wrong#
A cover can feel dry out of the dryer while thick seams are still damp. Fiber filling and foam are worse: the outside dries, the middle doesn't. Squeeze the thickest part. If it feels cool, it's still wet. Putting a clean cover back over a damp insert gives you a musty bed within days.
Give your dog an old blanket or a spare cover while the bed is out of action. A second cover for the bed is cheap and makes weekly washing much less of a project.
How often should you wash a dog bed?#
| Situation |
How often |
| Healthy dog, normal routine |
Weekly for the cover (CDC) |
| Foam or fiber insert |
Vacuum weekly; spot clean and air monthly |
| Heavy shedding season |
Weekly, plus a vacuum mid-week |
| Fleas in the house |
Every few days until the infestation is under control |
| Accident, vomit, or a muddy dog |
Same day |
| After your dog has been ill |
Ask your vet about extra disinfection |
Fleas lay eggs that fall off into bedding, so during a flea problem, washing bedding is part of the treatment, alongside treating every pet in the house. Our flea and tick prevention guide has the full plan.
When to replace the bed instead#
Replace it when the foam stays flat and doesn't spring back, when your dog's hips or elbows are touching the floor through it, or when the insert still smells after washing and airing. Chewed seams leaking stuffing are a swallowing risk, so bin those too.
Dog blankets and throws can go through the same routine as your own; see how often to wash blankets. Bowls need a much tighter schedule than the bed: here's how often to wash pet bowls.
Write the care settings down when you first wash the bed, because the label will fade. If you put "wash dog bed cover" in ChoreLists.com as a weekly task, the settings can live in the task notes.