KONG dog toys are the most adaptable and cost-effective canine products available. If you’re a frequent visitor to Bark Think, you’ll know how very much we love utilizing plush KONGs to aid with canine anxiety, bored puppies, mental exercise, and redirect unwanted behavior like destructive chewing.
However, if you utilize sticky materials inside a KONG toy, including such butter, honey, mozzarella, cream cheese, tinned (wet) dog food, as well as other gooey items, you’ll likely have some difficulties cleaning it after your dog has done! As a result, I’d like to share several of the best clearing up and disinfect your dog’s favourite KONG toys, which I’ve learned over the years of using such food-based active dog toys.
- Wash your hands
Most of the time, all must do is put a dab with dish washing soap within the toy and clear out whatever trapped food with your finger. I suggest putting the KONG in hot water with some dish soap to assist release the food particles if the treats are really sticky or hardened. Any loose fragments can be broken up using the jet stream of your sink spray head. High pressure from a hose will frequently wash away any residual food for exceptionally stubborn treats.
- Cleaning Brush with a Specialty
As so many parents will recall, the bristles of the a bottle brush may be incredibly beneficial for cleaning infant bottles. It’s also great for cleaning the interior of KONGs as well as other treat-dispensing dog toys. Cleaning here between groves outside the KONG toys with a toothbrush is indeed a good idea. Specialized dog toys washing brushes with bristles engineered to fit exactly inside KONG toys are now available for the even better tool.
The suction cup also aids in keeping a brush upright after using it, allowing it to dry rapidly and avoid bacterial build-up. Drink well Pet Fountain Cleaning Kit was another dog toy brush which worked well for me.
- Dishwasher
I frequently wash a KONG on the top rack in the dishwasher if it is really dirty and a brush and finger cleaning is insufficient. KONG rubber toys may be washed in the dishwasher on the top shelf. The heat will help sterilize the toy by completely killing any remaining microorganisms. I’ve done this load of times and have never encountered any issues. Please remember that prolonged exposure to excessive temperatures can make KONG toys’ natural rubber to degrade more quickly than usual. Despite being absolutely clean and dry, older and worn-down KONG toys may start to feel “sticky.”
It will still be safe to use, however depending on your dog’s chewing habits, this may be time to replace it with a newer KONG. I’ve would only have to retire one of my 16 KONGs and other plaster stuff able dog toys because of this issue mostly because the stickiness was causing me OCD.
Clean Kong dog toys
If your dogs are like mine, they’ll lick the insides clean. In that scenario, I just spritz a little dishwashing soap into the Kong, swish it around for a few seconds, and feel around with a finger to ensure nothing is stuck within.
But if they do not even empty their Kongs, I take the following steps:
- To scrape out whatever remaining chunks of bits of food within the Kong toy, I utilize my index finger (or occasionally my middle finger and it is longer). The base of the regular-sized Classic Kong is barely reachable by my finger. I simply pour a spray of dish soap onto my finger when there isn’t much to clean. Internally, clean it and a good rinse
- I wipe an inside wall of a Kong toy with a pet toy washing brush to remove anything caught there. This is ideal for long and narrow rubber dog toys such as Kongs as well as other treat-dispensing dog toys.
- I use a thin, bristly bottle brush to clean unusually shaped Kong toys (those with extremely small ridges and apertures). Using a toothbrush to remove food from all the nooks and crannies can sometimes be effective. A toothbrush, on the other hand, isn’t as effective as a wire-bristled brush. To scrape out food particles which have become caught in such little spaces, you’ll need firm bristles and a solid wire base.
- If the interior of a Kong toy is very nasty or has a lot of ridges and grooves, I simply swipe my finger within the Kong and chuck it in the dishwasher (top shelf). I’ve did it hundreds with the dog’s Kong toys over the years.
Use a bread knife or a bottle brush to scrape the surface
During an hour of dog toy licking, traces of food would invariably be left behind after dog saliva but also peanut butter mix. Scrape out all the larger fragments that have become lodged inside with a butter knife and discard in the garbage disposal. Some pet owners are using a bottle brush can scour off food lodged in gaps and crevices, although wire bristles don’t reach deep enough. To prevent mould from forming, scrape out large chunks from the bottom.
Soak for the at least an hour in a tub of hot, soapy water
It’s time to soak the dog toy after the larger parts have been removed. I used to put dishwasher-safe toys on the top shelf of our washer, but the colour would fade and fracture due to the high heat.
I now make a hot soap soak by filling our sink with heated air and liberally sprinkling natural dishwashing liquid. Toss all of the rubber Kong toys into in the water and soak them for an hour if you go this approach. Food lodged in crevices will be lifted and removed with a long soak. After thoroughly soaking each toy, rinse it thoroughly, air dry it, and re-stuff it with dog food.
