How To Clean a Dog Crate, Best Hints, and Tips!
However cute and cuddly your furry friend is, it can be a bit of a challenge keeping their crate clean, sanitized, and smelling fresh! Dogs do love a beautifully tidy and super squeaky clean home, just like you!
So maybe you’ve bought a plastic-type, metal dog crate or even a super fabric sports type and are wondering how to make sure your best furry friend has a warm, comfortable and safe environment to snuggle up in and the best way to achieve it!
We’re going to answer all your questions, so read on!
First, we will look at the short answer as to how to clean your dog crate, then we’ll go into more detail on how the best way to do it and what will help you!
How do I clean my dog crate? To ensure the best results, prepare the cage and remove all your pet’s bedding, toys, and blankets for washing. Take the cage outside if possible, or use a bath with an old towel. To totally eliminate bacteria, use 100% natural cleaning and disinfecting products, then rinse and dry thoroughly.
Now we’ve looked briefly at the best way to clean your pooches' personal little cave, let’s start by looking at some of the reasons you may need to begin the great clean up!
Why do I need to keep my pet crate clean?
Although you may think your pet has some messy tendencies, such as paw prints after a walk over your clean sofa, or the doggy wet coat shake on your recently scrubbed floor! They do, however, love and really deserve a clean and sanitized home.
It’s worth knowing that their natural instinct, along with any training you’ve done with them, makes them extremely hesitant to perform bodily functions inside the cage.
However, even the most behaved canines could make some mess sometimes, and simply, just like humans, every so often their beds and homes need a spruce up.
So let’s begin by looking at how best you make your favorite furry family member’s metal dog crate spotless and clean to show him how much you care!
How to clean a metal dog crate
Large heavy-duty crates can be a little more time consuming to keep clean and fresh rather than their smaller counterparts.
Luckily, most of them have a pull-out tray which makes the cleaning process a little simpler. So take a look at our tips below on how to make the metal cage polished and fresh and start with the soft pad on the bottom of the cage.
Wash the soft furnishings such as pad, pet bed, and blankets
The Pad is probably the simplest part of the cleaning process as you simply pop it on a washing cycle. Do make sure any soft pads you buy are washing machine safe.
You can, of course, wash any soft furnishings of your pet’s home, such as a favorite doggy fleece, or any other type of pooch bed that’s inside his metal cage.
You may like to wash these parts of your dog’s beds fairly frequently to make sure your pet is clean and comfortable. When washing soft elements of your dog crate, why not try our specially formulated laundry boost
This will also keep everything smelling fresh - including your pooch! You don’t have to completely wash the entire cage every time you freshen up his bedding and pad.
Make sure any soft toys your pet has also get regularly washed to minimize smell and keep all your pet’s favorite little toys sanitized and clean.
“The Pad is probably the simplest part of the cleaning process as you simply pop it on a washing cycle.”
Prepare the kennel
Ok, so your pet’s bedding and the favorite snuggly blanket is tumbling around in your washing machine. Any pet toys which aren’t soft can be wiped down.
And make sure everything is removed from the tray at the bottom of the cage.
The next stage is to give the enclosures a good scrub!
Wash
If the weather is suitable, it might be easier to take the cage outdoors to wash it, especially if it’s a larger type cage. If the weather’s not so great then indoors is fine.
The bathtub is probably the best place to start the cleaning process - depending on the size of your cage! Especially if you have a shower head over your bath.
Line the tub with a thin towel and place the cage into a bathtub. Use the head shower to spray the unit and then fill the bucket with warm water and a cleaning solution.
Use a scrub brush to apply the solution to the crate, making sure to scrub any rusty areas too.
Make sure you clean all over the whole cage, inside and out, and also on the plastic tray.
Rinse
After scrubbing away any stubborn stains, make sure you rinse thoroughly as although using pet-friendly products, it’s still important to rinse to minimize any chance of upset pet tummies due to detergent residue.
Remove Odor
To totally remove pet odor, apply a generous amount of Pet odor remover.
Use a generous amount to totally destroy any unwanted odors and make your furry friends home smelling fresh and clean.
Dry the kennel
Make sure you use a towel, or even some paper towels to make sure the kennel is completely dry and any moisture has gone before you let your doggy back inside it. Once the crate is entirely dry, it’s beautifully clean and shiny, all ready for some snoozy naps and cozy snuggling.
So now we’ve seen how to make sure your dog’s metal crate is thoroughly sanitized, all clean, and comfortable for your furry best friend, you may be wondering how to clean an older rusty crate.
It may be that you’ve inherited your crate from a friend or you may have kept your crate stored somewhere it’s not been completely dry, such as an old shed.
Although it may seem an impossible task, it’s actually possible to give a rusty old crate some TLC to restore it as a perfect pet cave! Let’s look below at some tips to getting it rust-free and safe for your pet.
How do I clean a rusty crate?
If your kennel is in pretty bad condition, then it may require some considerable work to restore its previous glory.
First of all, use a wire brush to remove all the rust, then prime and paint it with the non-toxic spray. Refurbishing will ensure durability and protect the metal cage from further damage.
So now we’ve looked at the best ways to clean metal cages, let’s look to see how you can get your pets plastic crates sparkling clean, thoroughly sanitized, and smelling fresh.
How to clean Plastic Crates?
Plastic cages are among the easiest to clean, and by giving your pets plastic crate a wash and brush up, you will be making sure you remove the dirt, any stains, pet odors, and other unpleasant surprises.
There are just a few simple steps, so let’s take a look below. Start with unscrewing the crate to enable easy access to all parts of the crate.
Break the cage apart
The easiest way to get your pet’s plastic cage clean is by taking it apart. There is a hinged enclosure on most plastic crates, which are linked with screws and plastic nuts. Once you remove the top, it’s all systems go!
Hose out any waste
Where a protective pair of rubber or other gloves to protect your hands from and then take your pooches plastic home out outside. Using a hose, remove all the traces of solid or liquid waste, and then using a paper towel, drop everything into a trash bag.
Clean the inside
There are many super products and environmentally friendly, non-toxic dog cleaning products available, so make sure you pick one which is good for the planet as well as for you and your dog!
It goes without saying, to make sure your pet isn’t inside the cage when you are cleaning your plastic crate, and make sure the room is well ventilated.
Do not mix any specialized cleaning products with bleach as it may cause a chemical reaction that can damage the kennel.
“It goes without saying, to make sure your pet isn’t inside the cage when
you are cleaning your plastic crate, and make sure the room is well ventilated.”
Clean the outside of the crate thoroughly
After thoroughly sanitizing and cleaning the inside of your plastic crate, make sure you give the outside a really good clean too, make sure once again you’re using specialized products that are safe for your pets and the environment.
“Do not mix any specialized cleaning products with bleach as it may cause a chemical reaction which can damage the kennel”.
And finally…
We hope you’ve got some great tips on how to keep your doggy crate clean, bacteria and odor-free, and also beautifully fresh and inviting.
Make sure you take a look at our store to check out cleaning products designed to give maximum effectiveness in cleaning your dog’s important environment, such as kennels and crates - and show them how much you care by giving him a clean and fresh smelling crate.
