The best way to wash your pet's bowl: the way to keep it perfectly clean and sanitized

The dishes of pets – cats, dogs, and others – can get very dirty. Not only food traces remain on them, but also saliva, hair, and even paw prints if the animal was very hungry. Therefore, the bowls need to be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.

However, using the wrong products can be just as harmful to the animal as dirt and germs. Ordinary dish gel won't cut it here, you need something to thoroughly clean and get rid of microorganisms. Experts say that one simple and affordable tool can help. OBOZ.UA has collected their tips.

So, a product that will clean a cat's or dog's bowl well from any food residues and kill bacteria at the same time is ordinary vinegar. The acid in its base safely disinfects by killing microorganisms that can lead to pet illness. This powerful all-purpose cleaner also has antifungal properties. That means vinegar will prevent mold from growing, which is especially important when you're cleaning a water bowl. It will also easily remove limescale from it.

Start by washing your pet's bowls in hot water with dishwashing detergent. Then soak them in vinegar for about 15 minutes. During this time, it will have time to properly disinfect the entire surface.

If necessary, after soaking, scrub the bowl with a sponge or brush to remove mechanical dirt and stains. After that, don't forget to rinse the bowl thoroughly with hot water, as animals don't like the smell of vinegar and need to get rid of it completely before pouring food and water into the bowl again.

Vinegar cleaning can be done once a week. This regularity will be enough to keep the bowl hygienically clean. Of course, provided you wash it every day. And not only dishwashing detergent but also baking soda is good for daily care.

Why should you clean your pet's bowls with vinegar? The thing is that other disinfectants, such as ammonia, chlorine, bleaches, formaldehyde, glycol ethers, and even fragrances, including essential oils, are toxic to animals.

Even this generally safe product should be used with caution. Distilled white vinegar, which is a universal cleaner, or apple cider vinegar are the best choices for cleaning your pet's dishes. And do not forget about a thorough rinse.

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