Is there a not so toxic laundry soap for your dog’s things to help get the urine smell out? One of our readers was in search of a laundry soap that wasn’t too toxic that she could use on her dog’s bedding. She covers her dog’s bed in washable hospital pads due to his incontinence. I made an assumption that she isn’t the only person with this question when it comes to washing your pet’s things with a laundry soap that isn’t harsh. Other than Nature’s Miracle, is there anything else you could use? I have found a few solutions for you to try, some you might already have in your home!
Related: Most Common Household Dangers for Dogs
Not So Toxic Laundry Soap for Your Dog’s Gear
Things to try
Cider vinegar: You probably have this just sitting in one of your cabinets in the house. Many people recommend using this in addition to your regular laundry detergent to get the urine odor from the fabric. During the rinse cycle, add a ¼ cup of cider vinegar to your wash and let it finish the job.
Borax: I have heard this will remove the smell and kill the bacteria. They kindly put instructions on the side of the box for when using with laundry detergent. If you are doing a full load, people typically use ⅔ of a cup of Borax. Set your machine to soak and let the solution sit with your laundry for about 30 minutes or so.
Related: Get Rid of that Nasty Skunk Smell on Dogs
Febreze (for the washer): This one you want to let sit overnight, so be sure you have something else your dog can lay on or sleep with in the meantime if what you are washing is his bedding. The bottle has instructions to follow on how much to add to your load of laundry. Pretty simple and they come out smelling nice too.
White vinegar: Don’t be shy with this one! You want to be relatively liberal when it comes to adding this to your dog’s laundry. You can even add an extra shot in the compartment where fabric softener usually goes. If I were you, I might take advantage of my washer’s extra rinse cycle, just to get all the white vinegar out.
Do not use…
Fabric softener: You might think you want to toss some of this in your load of laundry, for an extra boost of clean laundry scent, but wait until you have thoroughly washed and even dried the laundry items. The fabric softener will just mask the scent. Which is fine for you, but won’t eliminate the scent for your dog.
The dryer: You can dry the items, yes, but you want to make sure the odor is gone, and something in the above has worked for you. Putting something in the dryer that still has a slight smell to it is going to lock in the ‘lovely’ scent. I know this from leaving clothes in the wash too long and then drying them. You think they smell fine until you put your scrub top on for work and then perspire a little and now all you can smell is a musty, mildewy smell.
The thing to remember whenever you use any laundry solution, including not so toxic laundry soap, is that you need to rinse thoroughly. While cider residue is unlikely to cause problems for your dog, even the “non-toxic” solutions can be irritating if left behind in large amounts.
