How to Clean Food and Water Bowls

Sure they eat their food on the floor, but that doesn’t mean they want to eat out of a dirty bowl. A dirty pet dish can attract bacteria, bugs and mold if it’s not cleaned regularly. It’s not likely your dog or cat, or hamster, or guinea pig for that matter, will quit eating if you don’t clean his dishes, but it’s better for his health and for your peace of mind that you do so. Luckily, pet bowls are simple to clean.

Gravity-fed food dishes and water bottles

If you use a gravity-fed food or water dish for your pet, you should be able to detach the dish from the bottle or canister and follow the directions below. You may also want to empty and clean the storage container every two weeks or so. You may need to invest in a bottle brush to scrub the interior of a gravity-fed water bowl if the opening is not large enough to accommodate your hand.

If your pet uses a water bottle, simply clean it as below every time you refill it. You may wish to purchase a special brush to scrub it out thoroughly. These are available at most pet supply stores.

Using the dishwasher

For most pet dishes, unless yours is especially delicate (perhaps hand painted by Great Aunt Mildred), you can simply put them in the dishwasher. Just remember, if the bowl is plastic, to place it on the top rack so that it doesn’t melt. Run the dishes through the entire cycle as normal. You can run them in the same load as the rest of your dishes; no need to wash them separately.

Washing the bowls by hand

If you’d prefer to wash your pet’s dishes by hand, just bring them to the kitchen sink, grab a clean sponge and get to scrubbing. Run warm or hot water as you wash the bowls (though not so hot that you risk burning yourself!) and add a squirt or two of nontoxic dish soap made for hand-washing. If you pet bowl is made of glass, make sure it is warm (at least room temperature) before you run hot water in it or you could risk breakage.

Washing the food dish

The pet food should come off of the dish fairly easily. If it doesn’t, you can always use a steel wool pad for light scrubbing. Just be careful, especially if the dish is ceramic, stainless steel or glass. If you scrub too hard, you risk scratching the surface of the bowl.

Once you’ve scrubbed the bowl clean, rinse it with cold water and dry it with a dish towel or paper towel.

Washing the water dish

You can wash the water dish the same way that you wash the food dish. The important thing to remember here is to rinse very well. Although dish soap is not particularly toxic, if the bowl’s not thoroughly rinsed out the water will at least taste funny to your pet. Worst case scenario, it is possible it could make him sick.

If you have a sprayer nozzle on your sink, this can aid you in rinsing the bowl well. You can also get out any remaining residue by wiping the bowl thoroughly with the dish towel or paper towel while you dry it.

After the cleaning

Once your pet’s bowls are clean and dry, you can either replace them on the floor or in the cage or store them on the counter or in the cabinet until the next time they’re needed. Just remember to have water available to your pet at all times. If you’re not going to refill this water dish yet, be sure another one is available. You don’t want Rover to head to the toilet as his next option.

Some people clean their pet’s bowls every day, but a couple times a week should be enough, as long as you give the food bowl a quick rinse after each meal and wipe out the water bowl with a clean paper towel prior to each time you refill it.

Preventing unwanted visitors

As long as you keep your pet’s bowls rinsed after every use, you shouldn’t have a problem with insects congregating around your pet’s feeding area. Also, clean up any water or food spills on the floor with a mop or broom as soon as you notice them.

And remember to store your pet’s food in a sealed container with a lid. Not only will this prevent insects or rodents from getting inside the food, it can help to keep the pet food tasting fresh.