How to Wash a Dog Bed (Covers, Stuffing, and Smells)
Updated July 2026
The short answer
Washing a dog bed properly runs in a fixed order: vacuum the hair off first (hair plus water equals felted mess and a clogged washer), pre-treat any urine or drool spots with enzyme cleaner, wash warm with a normal unscented detergent, and dry completely — a bed that goes back down damp inside mildews within days. Removable covers make this easy: cover in the machine, insert aired and spot-cleaned. Whole washable beds need a large-capacity machine and a serious drying plan. Skip heavy fragrances throughout; your dog's nose lives on this bed.
Before you start
You need: a vacuum with an upholstery tool (or a lint roller session), enzyme cleaner for accident spots, unscented or lightly scented detergent. Check the bed's care tag — covers are usually machine-washable; foam inserts usually are not.
Do the hair pass outside if you can: vacuum, then a rubber glove swept across the fabric balls up what the vacuum missed.
A front-loader or large-capacity machine handles whole beds; stuffed beds can destroy the bearings of a small top-loader. The laundromat's big machines are the right call for oversized beds.
Wash the bed's blanket and any toys that tolerate it in the same session, or the clean bed re-scents in a day.
Steps
- 1Vacuum the whole bed — top, bottom, seams — then a rubber-glove sweep for embedded hair.
- 2Pre-treat accident spots with enzyme cleaner: saturate the spot, let it work per the label, blot. For urine-heavy beds, an enzyme pre-soak in a utility sink does more than any wash cycle.
- 3Unzip and wash the cover (cold-to-warm per tag, unscented detergent). Wash a fully-washable bed on a gentle warm cycle in a machine big enough that it tumbles freely.
- 4Run an extra rinse — detergent residue against a dog's skin causes itching.
- 5Dry completely. Covers: line or tumble per tag. Whole beds and inserts: this is the make-or-break step — tumble low with dryer balls, then finish in sun or over a rail until the core is truly dry. Squeeze the center; any coolness or damp means keep going.
- 6Foam inserts that can't be machine-washed: vacuum, spot-clean with enzyme cleaner, air in sunlight for an afternoon.
- 7Reassemble only when everything is bone dry , and repeat the whole routine every 2–4 weeks in shedding season.
What not to do
- Do not wash a hair-covered bed — vacuum first, or the hair felts into the fabric and lines your washer.
- Do not put a still-damp bed back on the floor; a moist core mildews and the smell returns worse.
- Do not use heavily fragranced detergents, softeners, or sprays — irritating to dogs and off-putting enough that some avoid the bed.
- Do not use chlorine bleach near a bed a dog will lie on and lick.
- Do not machine-wash foam inserts unless the tag explicitly allows it; most break apart.
- Do not skip the enzyme step on urine spots — a normal wash leaves the odor for the dog to find again.
Frequently asked questions
How often should I wash my dog's bed?
Every two to four weeks for the cover, monthly-ish for the full bed — more during shedding season, after any accident, or for allergy households. A bed that smells doggy across the room is already overdue.
Can I put a whole dog bed in the washing machine?
Only if the care tag allows it and the machine is big enough for it to tumble freely — a large front-loader or a laundromat machine. Stuffed beds in small top-loaders strain the machine and come out soap-logged. Foam inserts are almost never machine-washable.
How do you get the urine smell out of a dog bed?
Enzyme cleaner, not just detergent: saturate the spot (or pre-soak the whole cover in enzyme solution), let it work per the label, then wash. Normal detergent leaves the uric acid behind, and the dog's nose finds it even when yours doesn't.
Why does the dog bed smell worse after washing?
It went back into service damp inside — the core held moisture and mildew moved in. Drying is the make-or-break step: tumble low with dryer balls, finish in sun, and squeeze-test the center for any coolness before it touches the floor.
Accident soaked through to the floor or couch beneath the bed? Use the Stain Rescue Tool for that surface's treatment.
Use the Stain Rescue Tool