How do you disinfect stainless steel dog bowls

How to Clean Dog Bowl Effectively? (Sterilize and Disinfect)

We all know why it is important to clean dog bowls, but very few knows how to clean dog bowls effectively.

First, let me tell you that a dogs bowl or a dogs dish is the 4^th filthy thing in the houses. And I am not saying through any of my personal observation or experience. This has even been proved by Public Health Organization, NSF International.^[1]

Which is why it is crucial to clean dog bowls. Your dog may get sick due to germs, bacteria, molds and other microorganism that might be there in your dogs bowl.

In this article, I will share 2 ways to clean dog bowls. The first one is the Disinfect Method and the other is The Sterilize Method.

Go On! Read the complete article.

How to Disinfect and Clean Dog Bowls?

Disinfecting your dogs bowl will remove all the germs that may harm your sweet canine. However, disinfecting does not remove 100% germs or bacteria. So, if you wish to deeply clean dog bowls, you must sterilize it.

In the next section of this article, I have explained how to sterilize a dog bowl. So, dont stop scrolling and reading. But before that, lets talk how to clean your dogs bowl through disinfect method.

If the surface inside your dogs bowl is slimy, then it is an indication that your dogs bowl contains biofilm. To remove it, you will need to follow 3 steps, which are:

1. Wash your dogs bowl after every meal with mild detergent or soap and water to remove all the left over from the bowl.
2. Now, wipe the biofilm using a soft sponge and warm soap water. Clean the dog bowl meticulously. Remember not to use any hard material or scratch the bowl.
3. The last step is to disinfect the bowl every week by either dipping the bowl in white vinegar or by heating the water and rising its temperature to more than 60C and washing the bowl with the same water.

Some people even use the dishwasher with the highest heat setting to wash their dogs bowl. However, not all dog bowl can be washed in dishwasher. Vinegar is a raw cleanser that has been proved really effective over the time.

How to Sterilize and Clean Dog Bowls?

Did You Know?

A study regarding the survival of Salmonella, proved that even after you deep wash your dogs water bowl with soap and water in the dishwasher, there are chances that more than 67% of Salmonella still remains in the bowl!^[1]

Thus, it becomes very crucial to not just wash and clean the dog bowl every day, but also sterilize it at least once in a week. Sterilizing your dogs bowl will remove all the microorganisms. And the best part about this is that it is very easy to sanitize and sterilize dogs bowl and dishes.

To sterilize your dogs water bowl, you need to carry out an additional 4 steps once you are done with washing and cleaning your dogs water bowl.

Lets see what are those 4 steps!

1. Add half cup of bleach to roughly 4 liters of water.
2. Transfer this solution to your dogs water bowl and keep it that way for at least 10 minutes.
3. Take off the solution from the bowl and clean the bowl with fresh water.
4. Lastly, let the dog bowl dry.

And thats it. Your works done!

However, if you are using a stainless steel water bowl for your dog, you should not try this technique, as bleach will rust the steel.

How Often Should You Clean Your Dog Bowl?

With the increasing awareness and health issues in dogs, many vets suggest you to wash your dog bowls every day at least. It is best, if you wash your dog bowls as frequently as you wash your own utensils, i.e. after every meal.

However, if you find washing your dogs bowl after every meal, you can wash it less frequently based on the type of food, you give your dog.

• Dry Food: If you serve your dog dry food in the form of a kibble, then you may wash your dog bowl after the last meal of the day.
• Food with Water: If you are mixing your dogs food with water, then you must wash the dog bowl at least once in a day.
• Wet Food: If you feed your dog a wet food such as fresh meat, or some canned food, you must wash and sanitize the bowl after every meal.

If you are using dog mat, it is equally important to wash it as well. Dog mat also should be cleaned at least once in a day.

Yes, I know this a lot of cleaning, but risking your dogs health is not something that you would choose.

Am I right?

FAQs

The best and most simple way to clean dog bowls is using warm water and soap.Using extremely warm water, makes sure that all the germs and bacteria is removed and with the help of soap, all the food residues can be cleaned. However, you must know that most germs and bacteria does not die at any temperature below 60 C.So, make sure the temperature of your wash is more than 60 C. Some pet parents even opt to clean dog bowls in the dishwasher at the highest temperature setting.

Definitely a yes for this one!Washing dog bowls in the dishwasher is considered as a great idea as the temperature of the dishwasher is very high. What hot temperature does is that it kills all the bacteria from your dog bowl very effectively.Not only that, but you are suggested to keep the temperature at the highest heat setting because some strong bacteria like Salmonella can easily combat cool or lukewarm temperature.However, before your toss your dogs water bowl, make sure they are dishwasher safe and read the instructions carefully.

A big no for this one!It is highly advisable not to wash bog bowls with human dishes because the bacteria, parasites, and Leptospira can transfer from dogs bowl to human dishes, if washed together. Thus, it is considered very unsafe and unhygienic to wash dog bowls and human dishes together.You also need to make sure that you properly sanitize and wash your hands after you come in contact with dogs bowl or any of your dogs utensils.

Stainless steel dog bowls are very hygienic and considered better for dogs. To wash them you need to follow these 3 steps:1. You need to only use a soft sponge and mild detergent to wash your dogs bowl. Never use a scrubber or any such material that can spoil your dogs bowl.2. The second step is to sanitize your dogs bowl by either using hot water and vinegar or cool water and bleach. 3. Let your dogs bowl be soaked in the solution for some time.Now wash the bowl with clean water and let it dry.

Stainless Steel is the best material for a dog bowl.This is not just my opinion but an opinion of every pet parent. Pet parents love stainless steel dog bowl because they are very durable and long-lasting. These bowls do not even get broken or cracked, if you drop them by mistake.Another most important feature is that they are light. Carrying the dog bowl during your holidays isnt something you need to worry about. To clean dog bowls made from stainless steel is also a matter of seconds.

Conclusion

I know that such frequent cleaning is a pain for most of us. But, then werent you ready for all the challenges, when you brought your sweet canine home?

To save your dog from some serious health hazards as well dental hazards, you should clean dog bowls regularly. So, even if you did not all of these till today, its totally fine. Dont be guilty about it.

You can start from today!

I hope you found my guide on how to clean dog bowls helpful. Share your feedback in the comment section below.

References:

1. N. (2022d, August 22). Clean the Germiest Home Items. NSF. Retrieved August 25, 2022, from https://www.nsf.org/blog/consumer/clean-germiest-home-items
2. Young, S. D., & Young, S. D. (2017, April 19). How often should you clean your pets food bowls? ConsumerAffairs. Retrieved August 25, 2022, from https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/how-often-should-you-clean-your-pets-food-bowls-041917.html
3. Cleanipedia. (2021, August 17). How to clean dog bowls and toys. Retrieved August 25, 2022, from https://www.cleanipedia.com/gb/family/how-to-clean-dog-bowls-and-toys.html

Ellis is a retired veterinary technician and full-time contributor at DogLovesBest. He likes writing about pet health care tips and reviews the products that are useful for fidos on a daily basis.

Ellis also guardians a Siberian husky, Nova, and a cat named Shilly. They all live happily with his wife Ammy, and both the dogs on a seaside apartment in Queens, NY.

How To Clean Stainless Steel Dog Bowls (Proper Cleaning)

Your dogs health depends directly on its hygiene. The feeding bowl is the most vulnerable place for your precious pup, as the National Sanitation Foundation has found a dogs bowl to be the fourth most germ-contaminated item in a house. We usually keep an eye on the living space of our puppies but forget to take care of the bowls in which they eat. Among others, stainless steel bowls look fancy and durable, but how to clean stainless steel dog bowls? To address this, we have developed a helpful guide that will help you clean your puppys bowl properly and save you time and energy.

Before moving forward, do you know how a tainted bowl can affect your dogs health? When mixed with saliva, the food in your dogs bowl becomes a paste-like substance and sticks to the sides. It causes the contamination of bacteria and other pathogens, which can be deadly for your pet. Moreover, it causes a stinky smell, which can also be awful for you. Considering all the hygienic parameters, we have brought a complete manual for you to clean your pets pot effectively.

How Often Should I Clean My Stainless Steel Dogs Bowl?

A stainless steel delph is the best choice for your puppy as it is unbreakable and doesnt absorb water. But, it needs to be washed the same way we go for a washed dish when we want to eat something. Although vets recommend washing your dogs bowls daily, it is better to follow the given strategy to avoid compromising your pets health.

For Wet Food

The bowl in which wet foods like broth, soup, or raw are fed must be washed before feeding new food.

For Dry Food

Your dogs bowl must be washed every morning before you put food in it.

For Water Pot

For your dogs water pot, you may choose any time of day to wash and sanitize it

For The Dogs Food Mat

You may clean it daily with your regular detergent.

It is, however, recommended that you purchase a spare bowl rather than making your puppy wait for its food.

Read also: What Size Dog Bowl For 50 Pound Dog?

How To Clean Stainless Steel Dog bowls? (Effective Ways)

The effective way to clean a dogs bowl is to wash it and sanitize it against harmful bacteria using hot water, disinfectant-based soap, or detergent. Given how to achieve it,

Washing in Dishwasher

A dishwasher can easily clean stainless steel dog bowls. Rinse your dogs bowl under a water tap and remove all apparent contaminated food. After that, the bowl can be washed with regular soap or detergent, as the dishwashers heat will likely kill all the bacteria and germs if maintained at a temperature above 135 degrees Fahrenheit. To your satisfaction, you may repeat the process.

When washed the same way regularly, the dogs bowl can be cleaned with your dishes. Even if your pet is clean and healthy, that sounds strange.

A study on pet hygiene found that most bacteria stay in the bowl even after washing it the usual way. So, a thorough cleaning to get rid of germs includes,

Cleaning Your Dogs Bowl Cleaning a dogs bowl involves the removal of waste material with a soap-water mixture, which does not necessarily kill the pathogens.

Sanitizing Your Dogs Bowl Sanitizing decreases the number of microbes contaminating your dogs bowl by soaking the bowl in either detergent like dishwashing soap or any acidic medium like vinegar.

Disinfecting Your Dogs Bowl It is a method in which harmful bacteria and germs are killed by using chemicals like chlorine disinfectants or heating the bowl to elevated temperatures. Disinfecting, however, does not clean it.

These three processes are necessary to have a clean and hygienic feeding dish for your pup.

Handwashing

To wash your puppys bowl with your hands, remove all the leftover food and wash it with hot water. With a sponge soaked in soapy water, thoroughly clean the bowl to remove any food particles left behind. It is better to use a soft sponge, piece of cloth, or dog bowl cleaning brush with soft bristles to avoid any scratches. A scratched bowl is more likely to be contaminated than a plain bowl.

Soak the bowl in a mixture of water and soap for 10 to 15 minutes. Some people, however, like cleaning dog bowls with vinegar, which is also good practice as vinegar also works as a disinfectant. Now, rinse with plenty of water and then dry it.

You can easily clean stainless steel dog bowls with any of the methods mentioned above to get a germless clean mazer for your pup.

Hot Water Treatment

Sometimes the bowls interior has food traces in the complicated corners that cannot be seen or cleaned with a regular sponge or dog bowl cleaning brush. In that case, comes hot water treatment. First, remove any remnant food, and put the bowl under the faucet for a while to run water all over it. Then soak the bowl in boiling water for 1015 minutes. After that, remove it from the water and let it cool. Then rinse it with a soapy scrubber gently and wash it with tap water. Lastly, dry the dogs bowl with a piece of cloth or towel.

Doing so will not only remove the residual food but also, at such a high temperature, kill the microbes like Staphylococcus, Salmonella, and E. coli, which cause skin disease and stomach and intestine infections in dogs.

Safe Dish Soaps For Dogs

One of the best things about stainless steel dog bowls is that we can easily clean them with dish soap. However, what needs a proper check is the PH of the soap. Any detergent with a PH of more than 8 is unsuitable for your pups bowl washing. Because even a tiny amount of soap/water mixture could cause vomiting, diarrhea, or bloating in your dog, causing problems for you and this poor soul, vets recommend looking for those dish soaps or detergents whose PH lies between 6.5 and 7.

Plastic, Ceramic, or Stainless Steel Dogs Bowl which is easy to clean?

When selecting a feeding bowl for your little friend, you have three choices: plastic bowls, ceramic bowls, and metallic bowls. Regarding clean dog bowls, material matters the most; well talk about each one, pointing out its pros and cons in terms of cleanliness so that you can decide which one is best for your dog.

Plastic Dog Bowls

They are very cheap, lightweight, and come in attractive colors and shapes compared to other materials. In addition to that, they are durable, and you might not have to worry if your puppy eats them or plays with them. But that isnt a good criterion for choosing a bowl for your pup! One must also consider the hygiene of the material, as in the case of a plastic pot, scratches appear after some time. And these rubbed breed pathogens, causing fatal illnesses among pets.

Plastic bowls, after washing, can carry those microbes. Moreover, they are not suitable for heat treatments (mentioned earlier).

Ceramic Bowls

Ceramic bowls are easy to wash as they can be cleaned with dish soap and can even withstand heat treatment, unlike plastic ones. But, they are fragile and therefore have a limited life compared to plastic and stainless-steel bowls. Moreover, over time, they develop micro-cracks, which are hardly visible to us but can also induce the growth of microorganisms.

Metallic Bowls

Metallic bowls are the sturdiest ones. They can be made of metals like copper, silver, cast iron, aluminum, and stainless steel. The most commonly used are stainless steel bowls. They are known for their durability and hygiene. Also, they are the best dog bowls for small dogs, as unlike plastic and ceramic dishes, they do not harbor germs. Therefore, cleaning stainless steel dog bowls is not rocket science now, as stainless steel bowls are dishwasher-friendly and are easy to heat treat. Moreover, cleaning, sanitization, and disinfection, all three necessary steps of washing, can be done with them.

Consequently, stainless steel bowls stand out among all other dishes for their durability or hygiene.

Frequently Ask Questions (FAQs)

What is The Best Way To Clean My Dogs Bowl?

The best way to clean your dogs bowl is to wash it in a dishwasher following three processes, cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting.

Can I Put My Stainless Steel Dog Bowl in The Dishwasher?

It is perfect to put your stainless steel dog bowl in a dishwasher, but before that, a thorough cleaning with soap and water is necessary.

The Final Thought

We have covered all the practical methods that will tell you how to clean stainless steel dog bowls? Following the strategies mentioned above, you will be able to take care of your pets health and feel satisfied. Have you already tried any of the methods covered in this article? Let us know in the comments.