Would you / how would you clean your washing machine after washing doggy diarrhoea covered bedding in it?

[handlemecarefully]

Dog had diarrhoea. Her bedding is covered and I will be washing it on 90 degrees centigrade.

But urrghh, I am feeling a bit queasy about putting our own things in to wash after using the machine to wash doggy diarrhoea covered stuff. Probably am being completely irrational.

Any suggestions about what special measures I should take to clean the machine afterwards - if any?

Don't know ggirl - could be an interesting chemical reaction?

If you use bleach use the thin stuff, as the thich stuff can lead to lots of bleachy bubbles escaping via the door! (Learn from experience!)

dear god- my machine ought to be bleached, disinfected and heat treated on a daily basis according to these suggestions- am i the only one that chucks stuff in and assumes that a WASHING machine will wash things clean?

if you really are paranoid run a hot wash with a squirt of bleach or (as happens monthly in the pa household due to nappy washing etc!) a few capfuls of zoflora disinfectant to make it smell lovely!

I think there are clearly 2 sorts of mums on here - those who believe a 'bit of muck does you good' and the 'bleach junkies'. I am obv the former and all I can say is my dcs are never ill, we don't get tummy upsets etc, however my cousin whose mother was always cleaning, wouldn't allow animals in the house etc ended up with permanent tummy problems which drs put down to having no resistance to germs, she got Crones disease while at uni.

So, basically you have to do what you feel is right for you- I can assure you that the exact same thing used to happen to me on a regular basis as I had a dog with kidney failure and we are all still fine

Ah, but it's possible to be firmly in the 'bit of muck' school and still have no interest in having animals in the house. Doesn't mean I'm a clean freak, just can't be arsed with responsbility for animal life. Can only just summon up enough interest to bother with the humans in my care.

Can't be arsed with spelling, either, apparently.

Course flea , that might have come out wrong.... my point was it's each to their own but personally I think it's far more dangerous to go overboard on cleaning rather than miss a bit IYSWIM - hasn't really got anything to do with animals, just trying to paint a picture of my Aunt!

I think this is turning into a classic thread.

MN advice causes explosion in the HMC household, description of 'three-dimensional' bits - and HMC deserves recognition ofr her heroic efforts in and out of her marigolds.

ewwwwwwwwwwww

I would hang it outside somewhere and hose down for hours, spray with disinfectant, hose again, then take to the laundertte

Wisteria - I am generally of the 'bit of muck' persuasion, but also irrationally squeamish about some things, and DDD in the washing machine would qualify. As does anything to do with raw chicken. Or vomit. But not blood - which is of course potentially more serious.

Definitely agree Wisteria - hate all that antibacterial wiping that seems to go on. How do people think superbugs evolve?

LOL - launderette is a good idea!
If a bit shocking.

I frequently wash the dogs bedding in the machine,and then run an empty 90 degree wash after it, to clean the machine. Not yet come across DDD though.

Mind you, I have to run very frequent empty 90 degree washes as I am the dog-poo-still-in-bag-in-pocket-into-the-machine person

See I wouldn't be able to walk into launderette with it anyway, far too embarrassing for me - In fact are there any launderettes left??

We're all completely different that's the thing... raw chicken - rational, as can kill.

I had a weird type of PND after dd2 when I went cleaning mad (bleaching skirting boards every day and bizarre strange things like that), in the end my mum came round and said - "this house is far too clean for someone who's got 2 children and a dog. You are obviously not spending enough time with your children"

Took me a bit of a while to admit she was right and I am back to normal now - phew!

I am the 'scummy mummy' sort obviously.

I would chuck in the dog bed, having scraped off the lumps, and let the machine get on with it, just as I did when ds was tiny and poo'ed or was sick on his bedding.

Sometimes I run a rinse cycle first, to slosh off most of the debris, then an ordinary wash. I would only run the machine empty afterwards if I thought I could smell something unpleasant.

I never understand the view "i wouldnt have a dog in the house as i think they are dirty animals".
If you care for your dog, know where it's walked, know what it's eaten, why should it be considered any more dirty than anyone else in the house?
Personally, I think Cats let out unsupervised to pick up vermin etc are much worse.

I have an update - just before I leave for Pre-School. The 2 hour cycle finished. I hadn't done what Blu had sensibly suggested and pre-scraped the bedding (really couldn't face it and anyway it was fairly fluid and not all that solid) - I had just bunged it into machine

Unfortunately bed is huge so took up most of the drum space and not much room for water to circulate between the folds of the fabric...you can guess what happened. There was still a veneer of diarrhoea on the bedding post washing - and when I unwittingly pulled it out of the machine it splattered onto the floor (which I had only just super cleaned to a hospital operating theatre standard)

Have now scraped it (funny - no appetite for breakfast and lunch today) and it is back in the washing machine. Not being very green today!

Can't believe this has dominated my morning, lol

Sigh

Dogs are dirty though clumsymum (I'll admit that even though I like them). They love eating cow pats etc when I am out walking them

Oh, and I think using anti-bacterial sprays etc in cleaning the kitchen/bathroom is a mistake, never buy them as I think we all need to develop our own immune systems properly.
Clean with hot water, Flash, stardrops, cream cleaner, the occaisional flush of bleach down the sink, fine, but it really isn't necessary to anti-bac everywhere.

DS has NEVER had a tummy bug since starting school 3 yrs ago, (only one I think in his life), which I believe is because he has been able to build up good resistance to the common bugs.

handlemecarefully

Give your dog brewers yeast tablets. If it's eating cow pats, it wants a vitamin b boost.

They love eating cow pats

See, maybe its just me, but an animal that eats other animals shit

Nooooooooooo

Wow, never knew about brewers yeast tablets, mine tends to prefer horseshit is that the same? - clumsymum, girl after my own heart xx

Rofl at this thread, especially the idea of taking dog poo bedding to the laundrette, sitting here imagining Dot Cotton's face when HMC drops off the washing

Yep Wisteria, same thing.

All domestic dogs fed on commercial dog foods are likely to benefit from brewers yeast to supplement, and stop them eating such things.

My old dog used to love cowpats. I used to call them Spinone ice cream! Wish I'd known then about the brewers' yeast.

My 12wk old kitten has the trots atm.

Thankfully he is a good at using his litter tray. Unfortunately he hasn't quite mastered the art of cleaning himself up properly... Cue NDP chasing him around with a handful of wet wipes all day.

Grim