Am I supposed to wash plush dog toys after every use?

August 8, 2024 7:43 PM

This is a slightly embarrassing question. I recently bought a nosework toy, the Lambwolf Baguette, that I stuff treats into for my dog to find. It gets damp from her licking and biting every time she uses it, and I was thinking that if I washed it every single time after she plays with it, it'll probably fall apart because of the washing, not her playing. So how often am I supposed to wash toys like this? Is it gross if I do it once a week, along with her bedding?
posted by antihistameme to Pets & Animals (12 answers total)

I do not think I have ever once washed my dog’s plush toys. It is possible I am disgusting.
posted by moosetracks at 7:45 PM on August 8, 2024 [23 favorites]

I wash them when I get grossed out by them them on my lap or furniture.
posted by Grandysaur at 8:10 PM on August 8, 2024 [7 favorites]

No dog owner I’ve ever known has cleaned these… they SHOULD once in a while… lol
posted by tristeza at 8:13 PM on August 8, 2024 [2 favorites]

I do a load of my dogs' soft toys every 6ish months. I run the treatball type toys through the dishwasher when they look deeply offensive.

I have seen what these beasts choose to lick. The cleaning is for my benefit.
posted by phunniemee at 8:22 PM on August 8, 2024 [11 favorites]

Warning: if you wash your dog's toys, doggy dismay may ensue. (Sorry, your question made me think of that video immediately, and I could not resist tracking it down and linking it!)

Actual answer: We never wash our dog's plush toys (eek). Then again, he tends to destroy them after a few months anyway, and they get thrown out. If anything survived more than a few months I would probably wash it at that point.

For a super cute, well-made toy like that, if you're worried about it falling apart, you could try pre-treating it and then washing it on a gentler cycle?
posted by fire, water, earth, air at 8:55 PM on August 8, 2024 [5 favorites]

My cats hide theirs in my laundry every so often - otherwise I’d never wash them (cat plushies also get licked and gross but maybe more slowly than dogs’)….
posted by Tandem Affinity at 10:02 PM on August 8, 2024

I probably wouldn't wash most plush dog toys, but ones you hide food in I might. Even then, weekly seems a bit much.
posted by Garm at 10:29 PM on August 8, 2024

I wash mine with the dog bedding, maybe once every 1-2 months.
posted by shock muppet at 10:40 PM on August 8, 2024

Response by poster: OK, I'm feeling a lot better about this, guys. I'm going to take the wash-when-it-starts-smelling-weird approach, I think. It's not like she brings it into my bed :)
posted by antihistameme at 3:25 AM on August 9, 2024

I wash the dog's bedding and nosey soft toys once a week (and the toys are fine, it doesn't cause extra wear in my opinion) but I guess I'm an outlier here. Are y'all changing your pets water dishes every day?
posted by twelve cent archie at 5:09 AM on August 9, 2024

Yes, water and food dish get changed and cleaned daily. Dog refuses to sleep on anything but our bath mat, which I wash weekly.

I should’ve caveated my comment by saying that plush toys get destroyed quickly here — I don’t think I’ve ever had one last more than a month or two, and I’ve had many get destroyed same day. Very impressed by the pups in here who are capable of loving their toys well over many months!
posted by moosetracks at 6:42 AM on August 9, 2024

My dog destroys all the soft toys almost immediately, so I have no advice to offer. My last dog would just mouth them softly for years; possibly I should have washed them?
posted by suelac at 11:46 AM on August 9, 2024