This little gem came in VERY handy for me the other day. We picked up our dog from the kennel the other day, along with his pet bed, a giant pillow. Before we decided to take the pillow, we knew full well that it may not survive a week and a half in a dog kennel, so we were fully prepared to toss it when we brought it home.
Sure enough, the thing REEKED. Wet dog, and urine…and God knows what else. I was ready to toss it, but Mr. Hoagie suggested we try to salvage it, even if only to be used as his kennel-only dog bed. So he pulled off the cover, gave it to me to wash, and took the pillow insert to the garage to air out (probably permanently!).
So I dropped this thing (by two fingers) into my washing machine, added soap and fabric softener (ha! like THAT would help!), and literally GAGGED as I closed the washer. At the last minute, I dashed over to my computer to Google “smelly laundry.”
I found this site. So I added half a box of baking soda (left over from deodorizing the fridge and a Brownie science experiment involving balloons and vinegar) to the washer, and hoped for the best.
Baking soda to the rescue! No more smell!
When the washer finished, Mr. Hoagie offered to transfer it to the dryer.
“Wait!” I said. “Let me smell it first.” Because if the stink’s not gone, the dryer will only bake it in…and maybe stink up the whole house.
He sniffed it. “I don’t smell anything,” he said.
“Gimme that,” I said, snatching it from him. Men!
He was right! Smelled fresh and clean…like soap and fabric softener.
We threw it in the dryer, and now it awaits his next trip to the kennel. Too bad the pillow is too big for our washer!
So…does anyone know where I can find a good bed for a golden retriever?
UPDATE: While I still use baking soda to de-stankify serious odors, my everyday go-to odor beater is white vinegar. I always keep a gallon or two on hand for laundry or floor cleaning. Powerful stuff.
For more great ideas, check out Rocks in My Dryer We are THAT Family.
white vinegar will help too. As for a golden retriever bed, Sears has matresses on sale!
Did you try Febreze on the pillow?
good luck, been there – washed that. used to have an Old English Mastiff.
Can you believe that despite growing up with two Arm & Hammer boxes (opened at all times, mind you) in the fridge, I do not have one in my house?! And I have one stinky dog. Time to add it to my shopping list, huh? Thanks for the tip. We all need some de-stankifying tips every now and again, don’t we?
Rip open the pillow part, toss the stuffing, and fill it with shreddings from junk mail and shredded bills, etc. Then you can feel no guilt at all next time you need to replace the padding.
Or, recycle some older pillows into new stuffing.
Try Costco for the bed, it is cheaper than Petsmart.
Oxyclean also does a great job.
Yup…Oxyclean goes in almost every load at our house…wasn’t sure how it does on odors, though. And I’m thinking about Sam’s Club for the dog bed…
Take the bed to a laundromat and wash it with the same stuff you would usually use. Laundromats have super-large machines that accommodate things like dog beds or king size duvets with no problem.
Good idea…I’ll look for one.
baking soda is a miracle cleaner/deoderizer. love it!
I have used baking soda in the past as a cleaning agent (similar to comet) but when it came to stinkiness, I’ve always used white vinegar. I’m going to have to give it a try! Thanks for the tip.