How to Clean a Dog Crate

Dog crates are indispensable for housebreaking a puppy or transporting your pet on a long trip. However, once a puppy urinates in his crate, it takes special cleaning to remove the smell. Most crates manufactured today have removable panels or floors for easy cleaning.

Instructions

1. Use ammonia-free cleaners to sanitize a dog crate. Since dog urine is ammonia-based, a puppy may get confused when smelling the cleaner residue and think this is a good place to urinate. Diluted bleach is a good choice, but use it outside or in a well-ventilated area.

2. Pull on some rubber gloves before you get started. Harsh cleaners can result in chemical burns on your skin. In addition, it's easier to clean dog waste if you don't come into direct contact with it.

3. Remove and disinfect plastic trays in crates with wire bottoms and removable floors. These crates are easy to clean since the tray pulls right out. Just make sure you also spray disinfectant on the wire bottom and wipe it to remove any lingering urine odors.

4. Spray out a hard, molded plastic crate by removing the top and using the spray nozzle on your garden hose. This is the easiest way to remove stuck-on debris, but you'll still need to use a disinfectant or bleach to remove the smell of urine.

5. Air out wooden crates and don't expose them directly to water or cleaners that might absorb into the grain. Typically, wooden crates are solid and used for outdoor doghouse purposes. Use these crates only for house broken dogs, since a urine smell is tough to remove. Vacuum or sweep and wipe the interior clean with a damp rag.

6. Use a mixture of dish soap and water to clean a soft-sided portable dog crate. These crates are acceptable for transporting your dog on an airline, but soil easily due to the fabric. Dip a clean soft rag into the soapy water and wring it out well, then wipe the fabric clean. Consider treating the fabric with a soil repellent for easier cleanups.