How often do you clean your pet bowls?

Does your pet dish look as nasty as Duke’s here in the first photo? It was challenging to let it get this grimy so I could write this blog post, since I am an avid cleaner! Did you know that these should be cleaned on a daily basis? Bacteria such as Salmonella and E.Coli can form in both food and water dishes if they are not cleaned on a regular basis.

Cleaning them can be done with hot water and dish soap by hand, in the dishwasher, or both. If cleaning by hand I would use a separate scrub brush or cloth than you use for human dishes in case any bacteria transfers. Adding bleach to this process and letting sit for about 10min is also helpful for disinfecting. You can also put them straight in the dishwasher where they will be both cleaned and disinfected. If you are like me you would do both! Wash by hand with hot soapy water and disinfect with bleach, then toss in the dishwasher.

If you feed your pet raw food, using bleach and disinfecting is super important!

I would recommend using stainless steel bowls. Ceramic bowls are okay if they do not develop any cracks. I would stay away from plastic since they scratch easily and crack and bacteria can form very quickly if that happens.

Remember to clean around their food and water dish area as well. If you use a placemat or food stand, clean those areas well. Cleaning is a constant task, there will always be new places and items to clean that you may not have thought of. That is why I am here to help you and tell you about those sometimes forgotten places.