Keeping It Clean: Laundry Routines That Help Reduce Allergens For You And Your Dog

Having a dog in your life can be a source of great joy, but it comes with extra responsibilities and challenges. For those with allergies, taking care of yourself and the dog can be outright difficult. Even if you aren’t allergic to dogs, your pet can collect and spread other allergens that still trigger a reaction.

The good news is that you have plenty of resources to help manage your allergies, and a number of techniques come down to how you do your laundry. Today, you’re going to learn a handful of laundry routines that can help you control allergens for both you and your dog.

Browse Detergents

If you and/or your pet has allergies, then finding the right hypoallergenic detergent is the best place to start. You have nearly endless options, so shop for yourself first and your pet second. Go to the store and sniff any promising options. See if you react. After you find (hopefully) a few different options, you can try the smallest samples of them and see how your pet reacts.

Once you have a detergent that doesn’t exacerbate allergies, you’re ready to take on laundry and cleaning tasks to beat the other allergens in the house.

Even if you’re someone who enjoys wash and fold laundry service on a regular basis, you want to do your homework with detergents to inform your service provider.

Wash Pet items

Presumably, you already wash your clothes with some regularity. Pet items are easier to overlook. If your doggo wears any clothes — like a sweater — then they should be washed after use or weekly.

Similarly, dog beds, collars, leashes, toys (that are safe in the washing machine), and anything else that gets a lot of the dog’s attention should get a weekly wash. That will significantly reduce any buildup of fur and/or dander and bring you a lot more peace.

If your dog is the one with the allergies, this tactic still helps, as you’ll get allergens off the items they interact with most.

While we’re on the topic, wash pet items separately. This reduces cross contamination with your clothes, reducing further allergy attacks. You can consider an extra rinse cycle, too. It hits the super furry items a little harder, and it helps mitigate any leftover fur and dander once the wash cycle is done.

Use Pet Hair Catchers

You’ll find more options than you can count, but there are tools that go in your washer/dryer that collect dog hair. Plenty of them work, too. From specialized dryer sheets to dryer eggs and many others, find one that suits your laundry style, and catch all that extra hair. It keeps it out of drains and lint traps, and it helps prevent hair from clinging to clothes.

As a side note, they do a good job of catching human hair, too — in case there’s a shedder in the family.

It’s Not All in the Laundry

One of the best things you can do to reduce allergies is give your washer and dryer a little help. Use a carpet brush to get hair out of rugs and carpet. That prevents the hair from spreading to clothes and other items.

Dust regularly to stay on top of dander.

Grooming the dog consistently controls shedding. It also makes their life a lot more comfortable, so it’s a win-win.

Even a tactic as simple as using a lint roller on clothes before they go in the hamper will lighten the workload of your washer and dryer and help with overall allergy control.

Apply Heat

This last tip should be used with caution. Washing or drying items on high heat can help break down allergens on a chemical level. That said, high heat can also affect the items you wash, increasing risk of damage to the fabrics. Always double-check labels and fabrics to make sure they can handle the heat before trying this method.

You can enjoy life with your dog to the fullest. Laundry is only part of the equation, but when you use it to take control of allergens, you get that much more peace and joy in your life.