Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Is Your Dog's Bowl Dirty?

How often do you wash your dishes? Most likely the answer is after every meal. Can you imagine having to eat all of your meals out of one dish that hardly ever got washed? It sounds gross and certainly not something that we would enjoy. Now ask yourself when was the last time that you washed your pet’s food and water bowls out with soap and hot water. If it is longer than yesterday, please stop reading this and go wash them. I’ll wait for you. Thanks, they appreciate it. Okay, let’s talk about why it is so important to clean your pet’s bowls.

We refresh their drinking water throughout the day whenever we see that it is low or yucky with dog slime. We’re usually in a hurry so we pour out the water in the sink and refill the bowl straight from the tap. Before you realize it, it is time to change their water or feed them again. It’s the same routine day after day. Oops, you forgot to wash out their bowls…again. They are staring at you and eagerly awaiting their bowls to be set down. It won’t hurt to wash them later. You’ll remember, right? Maybe not and before you know it, they have been eating and drinking out of bowls that haven’t been washed in a week.
  Does it really matter to your dog if the bowl is a little yucky around the edges? After all, this is the same dog that you’ve caught drinking out of the toilet and eats disgusting things in the yard. The truth is that even if they don’t seem to care; you should. According to the NSF (National Sanitation Foundation) ranking, our dog’s bowls are the fourth dirtiest spot in our home.  Not only can it make for a dirty area, but 45% of pet bowls harbor E.coli, Salmonella, and Yeast/Mold. 
       Our dogs are adorable, but some of them have rather nasty habits.  If they happen to lick their feet or more private parts before drinking, those germs are transferred to the water.  They eat their food and then drink some water.  You’ve probably seen bits of food floating around in the dish after they quench their thirsts.  This can cause a slimy residue to begin forming. 
How to Clean Your Dog’s Bowls
·        Wash them by hand with hot water and a mild detergent. Be sure to rinse thoroughly and dry.
·        Check to see if the bowls are dishwasher safe.  If you use plastic bowls, be sure to put them on the top rack so they don’t melt.
·        A homemade cleanser works well.  Mix Baking soda, warm water, and salt in equal parts to form a paste. 
·        Scrub the bowls in a circular motion, washing both the inside and outside.
 The NSF recommends soaking the bowls for 10 minutes with one part bleach and warm water. *Follow this with a complete washing and rinsing.
Is There Another Way?
I’m so glad that you asked! A great new way to make sure that your dog is eating and drinking out of clean bowls is the new Kinn® Kleanbowl™. I was lucky to win one from my friends at PetSittingology. We will be carrying it on our trips this summer so I don’t have to wash bowls. It is a healthier germ-free way to feed and water. The Kleanbowl comes with a premium stainless steel bowl and seven replacement bowls. The sugar cane fiber replacement bowls are biodegradable and compostable. Follow Kinn Kleanbowl on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
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21 comments :

  1. Omgosh thank you for this post!! We change out the water bowl daily with a fresh one practically (I wash a lot of dishes). I wouldn't drink out of the same glass day after day and neither should my babies!

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  2. the mama cleans my bowls efurry day and once per week they all get a free ride in the dishwasher :o) it's impawtant to clean the bowls, many thanks for a super post!!!

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  3. We get our bowls washed twice a day with the rest of the family's dishes and our water bowls are dumped and refilled many times a day. We gotta stay clean, right!

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  4. My bowls go in to the dishwasher every night and I always have a clean foodables bowl each time I eat...this Princess expects her staff to clean up properly after her, hehe!
    Loves and licky kisses
    Princess Leah xxx

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  5. Schooner and Skipper have 4 bowl each. I throw them in the dish washer.

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  6. Yep the bowls all get cleaned after each meal here..also if you spray a little vegetable oil or olive oil spray on them it not only gives the pups and kitties a nice litle treat and a coat boost but makes it easier to clean them :) Loves fozziemum xx

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  7. Our mom is sort of fanatical about our bowls... Both Foodable and Water... She says it is MOSTEST impawtant in the Summer butt she does it every day... year around...

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  8. Our food plates are washed with soap and hot water after every meal, and our water bowl is washed like this once a day (water is changed twice or three times a day). Health and hygiene is impawtant for everyone. Purrs

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  9. Don't tell my huMom I said it, but she's a bit of a clean freak.
    Our bowls are bamboo bowls are cleaned throughly after each meal & our water bowls are dumped & washed throughout the day.
    We always thought she was being a bit neurotic but now that I have read this I realize she is only being a good huMom.

    The Kleanbowls sound pawfect for travelling or picnics!

    Nose nudges,
    CEO Olivia

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  10. We always have Mom clean out the water bowls before refilling, and since we have a lot of water bowls, I think five around the house and deck, we get her to make sure and change the water once a day. Our food bowls go in the dishwasher. Dogs may eat dirt, but we like clean bowls!

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  11. Thank you for this! People think I'm nutso for my devotion to sparkling clean bowls for my two boys; I have found it easier to keep a bowl-rotation going so I only have to wash bowls once daily... 2 boys = 8 bowls/day (2 water, 2 breakfast, 2 snack, 2 dinner). It's easy to just wash them all up before nesting them in their food stands ready for the following day so I don't have to keep washing immediately after each use.

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  12. Thanks for the reminder . . . which our human mommy desperately needed to see. She's adding washing the bowls to her list of daily chores. We'll get her trained yet!

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  13. I confess to not having been a good dog mom cleaning Sam's bowls often enough. Thanks for reminder. And yes, happy to say, both water and food bowl are now sparkling clean and sanitized! ღ

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  14. Thanks for the reminder. I needed it.

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  15. This is a great post! and the disposable compostable bowls are a great idea!
    hugs
    Mr Bailey, Hazel & Mabel

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  16. This is terrific information!! Thanks!!

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  17. What a cool idea! We keep two sets of food dishes for each dog, and many water dishes, so I can change them out without having to wash them right that minute every time. If I'm planning on running the dishwasher I'll put them in there, if not I wash by hand with all natural dish detergent.
    Jan, Wag 'n Woof Pets

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  18. The mom cleans our bowls every meal. Though not always with soap...but definitely hot water.

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  19. I was just thinking about clean water dish blog post today as I cleaned and filled up my bowls, and here it is. Thanks!!

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  20. Biodegradable inserts are such a neat idea. We have been washing our bowls daily on our road trip but really should wash them more when we are home. Great tips and some scary statistics!

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