Dog's always find a way to roll in the mud and to get dirty. Here are our tips for cleaning your dog's clothing to maintain longevity.
Washing your dog shirts by hand
Hand washing is the most gentle way to clean your clothing and will help increase the longevity of your dog apparel. It will also reduce your electricity bill.
1) Read the care label on your dog's shirt
Most of them are machine washable but some require hand washing and only cold water.
2) Soak your dog clothing in a bucket filled with cold water and your choice of cleaning detergent.
We recommend to use a natural detergent or a hypoallergenic liquid with no dyes or scents. Leave them soaking for at least 30minutes.
3) Drain the water from the bucket and refill with clean water and detergent.
Use gentle movements to swish the clothing in the water. Be mindful not to scrunch the shirt as this may damage the clothing.
4) Remove the clothing from the bucket and rinse under flowing water to remove any suds.
Your shirt should now be clean. If the shirt still requires more cleaning repeat step 3.
3) Air dry your clothing
Please wait until your dogs shirt is completely dry before allowing your dog to wear the shirt again.
USING A WASHING MACHINE
Washing machines aren't as gentle as hand washing but still do a pretty good job, especially if you are time tight.
If you are wanting to remove excess hair from the clothing we recommend starting with step 2. If a wash is going to be sufficient move to step 3.
1) Read the manufactures care label on your dog's shirt.
Most dog shirts are machine washable but some require hand washing and for you to only to use cold water.
2) To remove excess hair place your dog shirt into the dryer.
It is important to set this to a no heat cycle. If this is not possible use the lowest temperature as possible. After ten minutes remove the dog clothing and give them a good shake. This will help to loosen up and remove dog hair from the clothing.
3) Turn the dog shirt inside out and place in your washing machine.
We highly recommend to use a hypoallergenic washing liquid with no scents or nasty chemicals. Alternatively you could use a home made natural wash e.g Vinegar or baking soda solution.
4) Air dry the clothing.
This will ensure that the clothing is not shrunk from the high heat produced by a drier.
5) If the shirts still smell after this wash
You can soak the clothing in up to 1/4 a cup of baking soda and 2 litres of water for several hours up to over night and repeat the wash cycle.
Your dog's shirt is now clean and smelling great again!
How to clean your washing machine.
Your washing machine has a tough job. It constantly cleans all your dirty laundry and will start to accumulate dirt and soap debris. Ideally your washing machine should be cleaned at least one a month. If you notice washing detergent build up and dirt around the seals you should take this as a notice that your machine needs to be cleaned.
1) Add Vinegar to the washing machine and start the cycle.
Set your washing machine onto the highest temperature possible and pour in two cups of white vinegar. Turn the machine on and once it is filled with water pause and leave it to sit for up to one hour. Once this time is up resume the cycle.a
2) Wipe the outside of the washing machine.
Fill a spray bottle with equal parts water and vinegar. Spritz a microfibre cloth with this solution and wipe down the entire outside of your washing machine.
3) Open the lid and clean the liquid dispenser.
We highly recommend using a tooth brush to clean the dispenser.
4) Run one more cycle with baking soda.
Add one cup of baking soda into the washing machine and run on the hottest cycle possible. The baking soda is a natural deodoriser and will help to deep clean your machine.
Your washing machine is now clean, leave the lid open and allow your machine to dry.
If you want more information on selecting dog shirts click here or if you would like tips on keeping your dog's clothing clean see our expert tips here.