Deep Cleaning for Dogs: Does Laundry Stripping Really Work?

One of the biggest challenges Marlee and I are currently facing is her persistent skin issues. If you’re a fellow bully parent, I’m sure you can relate—skin allergies in our sweet pups can be absolutely relentless. While I’ll share more about the steps we’re taking to manage these issues in another post, today, I want to talk about something simple but surprisingly impactful: blankets.

Marlee loves her blankets. If there’s one anywhere in the house, she’ll find it and claim it as her own. It doesn’t matter if it’s neatly folded or tossed on the floor—if there’s a blanket, Marlee’s on it. In addition to the random blankets scattered around, Marlee has her three go-to favorites: one on the couch and two on her bed.

These blankets are her safe haven, but they’re also magnets for debris, dog hair, and who-knows-what-else. Washing them weekly has become part of my routine, but despite all the cycles through the washing machine, I couldn’t help but feel like they weren’t getting the deep clean they needed.

That’s when I stumbled across the idea of laundry stripping. It immediately caught my attention—after all, I’ve never given these blankets the chance to really soak and detox from all the buildup. I decided to give it a try, hoping it might make a difference for Marlee’s allergies.

Here’s how it went:

Here’s What You’ll Need:

• A bathtub or a top-loading washing machine with a soak option

• 1 cup of Laundry Detergent

• ¼ cup of Washing Soda

• ¼ cup of Borax

  
  

Preparation:

1. I used a bathtub for this process and started by filling it with hot water. Then, I added the detergent, washing soda, and borax, stirring to ensure everything dissolved.

2. Next, I placed the blankets into the tub. Almost immediately, I noticed the water begin to change color—a sign that the initial dirt and grime were coming off.

The blankets immediately after being submerged

Hourly Breakdown:

Hour One:

When I checked on the blankets, the water had turned quite murky. I swished the blankets around to help dislodge more dirt and debris.

Hour Two:

The water remained very murky, but there wasn’t much noticeable difference from the first hour.

Hour Three:

Again, no significant change in the water’s appearance, but the blankets were still soaking.

Hour Four:

At this point, I drained the tub and wrung out as much water as possible to make transportation to the laundry room easier. To avoid making a mess, I used my mop bucket to carry the soaked blankets without dripping water everywhere.

Final Steps:

1. I ran the blankets through the washing machine without adding any detergent, allowing the rinse cycle to complete the cleaning process.

2. Finally, I dried the blankets in the dryer.

At the end of the day, I have to admit it was incredibly satisfying (and a little gross) to see just how much dirt came out of Marlee’s blankets. However, when comparing laundry stripping to a regular wash cycle, the difference wasn’t as significant as I’d hoped. From what I’ve read, laundry stripping tends to be more effective if you frequently use fabric softener, which I don’t—so that might have played a role.

That said, Marlee’s blankets are in constant use, so they’ll be due for another wash by the end of the week anyway. I’m considering making this deep-cleaning routine a monthly thing to see if it has any noticeable impact on her skin issues over time.

If your pup doesn’t deal with skin allergies but their blankets tend to trap a heavy “doggy” smell, this might still be worth a try!

Have you given laundry stripping a shot? If so, I’d love to hear about your experience and whether it worked for you!