Are kongs hard to clean?
- Thread starter Adrienne
- Start date
Sadly our shelter has no dishwasher. We use a bleach/dishsoap mixture on the dishes.
Sparks, we would have to sanitize them between dogs.
I guess I will do a few and see how much of a pain in the arse they are to clean. Good idea on the bottle brush!
Edit to add: I could just bring them home at night and stick them in my dishwasher, lol. Anything for my shelter dogs ya know!
Sparks, we would have to sanitize them between dogs.
I guess I will do a few and see how much of a pain in the arse they are to clean. Good idea on the bottle brush!
Edit to add: I could just bring them home at night and stick them in my dishwasher, lol. Anything for my shelter dogs ya know!
Personally, I'd rather them be a little germy than put them through the dishwasher or use chlorox on them. Those chemicals get absorbed into the rubber most likely and never completely get rinsed off. I don't want my dogs gnawing on something that might have residue of those chemicals in it. When I do clean them, which isn't that often, I just soak them in the sink in hot water...maybe add a little regular soap, shake them up, use a bottle brush and rinse well. But of course, I don't give them peanut butter or anything in their Kongs every day....hardly ever, as a matter of fact. LOL. Remember, dogs eat disgusting things, like poo and road kill. They can handle a little crusty old peanut butter.
Jackson does not like peanut butter.... weirdest dog ever, LOL. He's so picky about certain things. He would not touch the Kong w/ frozen peanut butter. I put plain no fat yogurt into it and freeze it and he generally gets it pretty clean himself. Or I just stuff cheese in there, and same thing... he cleans it pretty well himself. I've only soaked it in warm water a few times.
Dobe I am with you for at home use but we have to sanitize between dogs in the shelter so either I need a dishwasher for the high temperature or bleach to sanitize.
I would prefer yogurt but this would be coming out of my pocke and peanut butter is the most economical for large amounts of dogs and it has a great shelf life with no refrigeration necessary.
I would prefer yogurt but this would be coming out of my pocke and peanut butter is the most economical for large amounts of dogs and it has a great shelf life with no refrigeration necessary.
The shelter I worked at found that peanut butter isn't necessary to make things stick in a kong - we used a combo of dry food and canned, packed tightly, and frozen. Even when dogs didn't clean out the kongs it was relatively easy for the kennel staff to empty them before washing.
Usually the Kongs were washed in dawn soap and water to remove food particles, then bleached, well rinsed, air dried, and refilled. Our Kongs lasted about 2 years on average with weekly use.
Usually the Kongs were washed in dawn soap and water to remove food particles, then bleached, well rinsed, air dried, and refilled. Our Kongs lasted about 2 years on average with weekly use.
Ah-ha! I see. There could be kennel cough or parvo or some other horrible germs on there, I guess. Well, hmmm. Hopefully, the high temperature of the water is enough, where you could use a small amount or not any dishwashing detergent. I think that stuff is horrible. Dishwashing liquid with antibacterial properties might be sufficient to kill germs, done in a sink, plus the very hot water of the dishwasher after. ??? Or can they be boiled? Will that damage them? Those detergents creep me out. I use about 1/4 the amount in my dishwasher...that the little container thing holds.