Throw Out Your Cotton Mops & Towels
While cotton is great for its breathability, it is challenging to sanitize. Cotton is an organic material, and sanitizers and disinfectants are designed to break up organic compounds.
Sanitizers cannot distinguish between germs, dirt, cotton fibers, or other organics. The active ingredients in the sanitizer will bond with the cotton fiber, which means that there will be less active sanitizer available to destroy bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens.
Microfiber and polyester are a much better choice for kennel bedding, towels, and cleaning tools.
NOTE: Many bacteria and viruses can survive regular washing. If a puppy had an accident on the bedding or any animal in your household has been sick, add a tablet of EfferSan to the wash to kill any germs lingering in the bedding. We recommend adding an extra rinse to the wash cycle and drying on high afterward.
The #1 thing UC Davis Koret recommends when cleaning kennels? Use effective products.
It is important to understand that no one product kills every pathogen. Enveloped viruses and nonenveloped viruses have different ways of spreading and being killed. Regular soaps can get rid of many enveloped viruses, but nonenveloped viruses are trickier.
This is why its vital to make sure your sanitizer/disinfectant is effective against the germs that cause common canine illnesses. Before buying a disinfectant or cleaning product, look at its testing and research it.
For example, quaternary ammonia products claim to be effective against parvo, but many independent studies indicate that quaternary ammonia does not kill parvo. Parvovirus is a nonenveloped virus that is very common in kennels and it spreads like wildfire. However, many tests have shown that Wysiwash kills parvo within minutes. For continued research, veterinary schools, the Humane Society, and Maddies Fund are all great places to start.
A daily clean up is a must for professional kennels — it takes a few minutes and can save you from a disaster. Additional deep cleans should be done weekly and monthly.
Plus, dogs thrive with routine, so keeping a regular cleaning schedule keeps their stress levels down.
How To Safely Clean A Dog Crate
First, you need to clear out the crate. You should wipe down your dog’s toys and clean them with disinfectant if they have any urine or feces on them. Set the toys aside so you can focus on your dog’s bedding.
Maintaining a Clean Crate
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1 Pull out the removable tray at the bottom. Wire crates tend to have plastic trays on the bottom. Slide it out
