washing bedding

[rosalie68]

i have a rug in each of my rabbits cage for the floor and i was wondering what to wash them with. do i use a little bit of laundry detergent or do i put vinegar only in the washer? (would the vinegar change the rugs colors like bleach does?) what do you guys use? i have the tide free clear and bounce free for our family clothes but they still seem to have a scent to them.

 

kim

[Elrohwen]

I just use regular laundry detergent and set the water temp on high. Cold water is fine for clothes, but for things like bunny rugs and blankets the hot water will kill any bacteria that might be present. As long as you don’t use too much detergent for the amount of water, it should be fine and all wash out.

[rosalie68]

ok thanks!

kim

[Elrohwen]

I was just thinking that you can probably find some detergents that are more envionmentally safe, less toxic, and scent free. If your buns spend a lot of time eating the rug fibers that might make you more comfortable. My bun doesn’t eat his blankets, so I never really thought about what I used to wash his blankets.

[Sarita]

I just use regular washing detergent as well – basically whatever is on sale. I do use the warm/cold cycle too like Elrohwen instead of cold/cold like I use for myself.

[LucyTwoBunz]

Me too…regular laundry detergent (I do use the “free” stuff) with hot water.  My issue is that Lainey is white & sheds BUNCHES so the dryer lint trap looks like a rug after drying their blankets.  We have tried to get the hair/lint off before laundering, but nothing we have tried works.  If anyone has ideas, would be appreciated .

[rosalie68]

i would shake them out as much as you can and then maybe u could use one of those tape rollers to get the hair off or at least as much as possible.

so far they havent eaten the rug. its one of those cotton double sided woven rugs. i didnt want them to eat the rubber backing of the other kind. im going to use my laundry detergent and use hot water to wash them. dont know if i will use a dryer sheet bc charlie has a respiratory infection of some kind right now. maybe ill hang them to dry. thanks for the advice everyone!

kim

[Sarita]

I usually just put my carpets out to dry in the garage – especially those plastic backed ones. It takes awhile longer to dry but they dry just as good and they don’t have that odd smell from the burning rubber that happens when you dry them. I always have plenty of rugs too because in the winter they take longer to dry.

[RabbitPam]

I’m sensitive to scented products and do fine with All Free and Clear (or the Tide, etc. versions) but the bounce things are not OK for me. So I think just air drying, or fluff dry in a plain dryer will do the trick.

I used to have several special rugs for Spockie when he became incontinent, so I always just tossed the soiled one in the washer and laid down a fresh one immediately. It had a few days to dry because I rotated about 3.

[Balefulregards]

We wash the rabbit rugs in regular detergent – and in the summer, I hang them to dry on our clothesline. Right now, we have several feet of snow (it seems never ending) so I do dry them in the dryer. However, I put it on a low heat so the rug gets dry, but doesn’t get that super hot burning smell Sarita referenced.

I also have a stack of rugs so if Coco pees on one, I can wash the floor and replace the rug immediately. My bedroom ( where they Live) looks ridiculous with a ton of throw rugs, but it works for them. Otherwise we have lovely hardwood floors on which they slide all over the place.

Luckily, neither seem to be chewers of Rug. But of course now that I have written that, the rugs will become delicious looking and both will start chowing down.

[Beka27]

We use baby blankets for the buns so we don’t have to worry about the rubber backing. I do the bunny wash with regular detergent (maybe half the normal amount) and I do an extra rinse cycle. I dry the blankets like normal.

I agree that the lint trap is WEIRD… it’s a solid white bunny fur sheet after the dryer is done. One thing I messed up a couple months ago… I did bunny laundry and did not do the extra rinse and I washed my scrubs right after… no amount of rinsing could get the white fur off. I ended up having to wash them a couple times… lol.

[jerseygirl]

I use one of those lint brushes that looks like short nap chenille or velvet. Works pretty well. You can also lightly mist rugs, towels etc with water then rub over with your hands or a small hand broom.

Ditto Beka ^ Wash with less detergent. You can add vinegar as a rinse aid. It takes out the excess detergent and scents a bit.

[Carrot Lane Bunny]

I was my blankets on speed wash with ecos detergent from Costco. Before i got DJ I was already using this detergent because of skin issues.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I use regular detergent. If the bun is not allergic to many things I think it’s fine. If they are-say sneezing and diagnosed allergies-then perhaps look at ‘green organic’ options but otherwise I’m certain regular detergent is fine

[Bkysiu]

There are organic soap nuts that can be bought from organic stores that are not toxic and would be safe. I have sensitve skin and I use only that so I can imagine that a rabbit’s delicate skin could cope with the same natural product? Washing with soap nuts and a high water temp would be a good combination method that would ensure cleanliness and safety for rabbits.

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