You're committing common dog bed cleaning mistake – and it's making you both ill

Maintaining a clean and tidy home is essential to prevent illness among your family members.

A study revealed failing to regularly wash your dog's bed could have negative impacts on both their health and yours. The research found one in 20 owners have never washed their dog's bed. According to Dr Kelly Reynolds, an associate professor of environmental health at the University of Arizona, pet owners should be washing their dog's bed weekly.

She discovered that dog beds are among the top 10 germ hotspots in the house, harbouring MRSA and faecal matter. Dr Reynolds advises owners to remove the covers from their dog's bed before washing them in hot water and drying them on high heat to eliminate dirt and germs.

However, another expert, Kathy Backus, DVM, holistic veterinary services, in Kaysville, Utah, suggests owners should also consider their "pet's activity level, how much they shed, the amount of time they spend outdoors and if they have allergies" when deciding how often to wash their beds. If these factors are high, she recommends increasing the frequency of washings to twice a week.

A spokesperson for Vamoosh warned: "Although you're obviously not the one sleeping in the dog's bed (although how many times has your child cuddled up in the dog's bed) germs and infections can easily be passed from animals to humans after you pat and pet them - and many of these organisms can live in your dog's bed for up to 12 months without a host.

"Also, when your dog sleeps in its bed and then moves around the house, they are dragging invisible germs everywhere they go." A survey by OnePoll found that the primary reason people delay washing their pet's bedding is the hassle of dealing with the hair left behind in the washing machine and tumble dryer.

A spokesperson noted: "The longer you go between washes, the harder it will be for your washing machine to remove all the potential pathogens from the bedding." Some dog owners shared their cleaning habits, with one Reddit user saying: "Weekly, just like people bedding – except I don't eat collagen chews in my bed."

Another user added: "She peed on the blanket that came home with her so that got washed right away. Now that I don't have any worries about comforting smells, everything gets washed once a week." A third user said: "Mostly when he eats raw bones on blankets or pukes on them."