Cleaning and Sanitizing the Puppy Playpen
Whether you bought a used puppy playpen in need of a good scrub, or your new one is getting a case of the puppy scrunge – playpens are usually very easy to clean and sanitize.
Personally - I prefer the vinyl covered puppy playpen versions over cloth covered baby play pens, as they are easier to keep clean and disinfect.
Those that fold straight through in the middle with the sturdier permanent floors are preferable over a pack'n play, but they are harder to find these days.
While they do not fold down quite as compactly as the later, the floorboards are solid, and can be easily covered with stick-on vinyl for easier cleaning, and there are less chances for the pup to get stuck in the sides if the removable floor shifts. They pull up in the middle and are easily carried that way with all the beds, toys, etc, [minus the litter box, food dishes and pup, of course] inside, and just as easily set up elsewhere.
Personally - I prefer the vinyl covered puppy playpen versions over cloth covered baby play pens, as they are easier to keep clean and disinfect.
Those that fold straight through in the middle with the sturdier permanent floors are preferable over a pack'n play, but they are harder to find these days.
While they do not fold down quite as compactly as the later, the floorboards are solid, and can be easily covered with stick-on vinyl for easier cleaning, and there are less chances for the pup to get stuck in the sides if the removable floor shifts. They pull up in the middle and are easily carried that way with all the beds, toys, etc, [minus the litter box, food dishes and pup, of course] inside, and just as easily set up elsewhere.
"Regular" Cleaning & Maintenance
Tidy-ing up is very uncomplicated – sweep or vacuum out any food kibbles or litter spilled from the litter box that got into the sides and wipe the floorboard with a moist sponge or a few baby wipes. Put a clean bath rug down, shake out [or vacuum/launder] and replace bedding. Once or twice a week of this is all that is needed for a well behaved pup, that is doing good with potty training.
You should pick out the BMs daily from the litter box and dispose of them. Do leave the actual litter base intact, as it will help to “fix” the potty location in your puppy's mind. When you use a good quality litter [visit the potty training section for more details], you may only need to change the actual litter once every 7-10 days – subject to the size of pup and the litter box. Of course if you're paper training or using pee pads, you will need to change these daily or several times a day, as needed.
You should pick out the BMs daily from the litter box and dispose of them. Do leave the actual litter base intact, as it will help to “fix” the potty location in your puppy's mind. When you use a good quality litter [visit the potty training section for more details], you may only need to change the actual litter once every 7-10 days – subject to the size of pup and the litter box. Of course if you're paper training or using pee pads, you will need to change these daily or several times a day, as needed.
Deep Cleaning & Disinfecting the Playpen
Whether your using a second hand model and you're cleaning it for the first time, or your regular playpen is really getting yucky, or if the pup has been decorating the netting with brown paw prints while in the early stages of potty training - for deep cleaning - simply take it outside to your garden hose.
A good hosing off will usually get the worst of the dirt off, then spray with a solution of regular bleach and dish detergent if it is a plastic covered pen, or with laundry detergent if it is a cloth covered pen. Let sit and soak for a bit and if needed take a sponge or scrub brush to it. Hose off thoroughly, turn upside down to drip dry and air out.
On a cloth covered pen you might want to use a disinfectant spray such as Lysol aerosol, as you usually can't bleach those without ruining the fabric. Done! Takes all but 5 [10 minutes for a very yucky one] to get clean if you keep up with it. I like for mine to air dry in the sun for an hour or so – sunlight is a natural germ/virus killer and they smell great afterward and are ready for use as soon as dry.
A good hosing off will usually get the worst of the dirt off, then spray with a solution of regular bleach and dish detergent if it is a plastic covered pen, or with laundry detergent if it is a cloth covered pen. Let sit and soak for a bit and if needed take a sponge or scrub brush to it. Hose off thoroughly, turn upside down to drip dry and air out.
On a cloth covered pen you might want to use a disinfectant spray such as Lysol aerosol, as you usually can't bleach those without ruining the fabric. Done! Takes all but 5 [10 minutes for a very yucky one] to get clean if you keep up with it. I like for mine to air dry in the sun for an hour or so – sunlight is a natural germ/virus killer and they smell great afterward and are ready for use as soon as dry.
Second Hand Playpens...
You should treat any second hand playpen or one that has been in storage or not used for a while, with the more thorough cleansing method, and some disinfectant spray. You don't want to expose your new teacup puppy to whatever unknown germs, bacteria or hibernating insects and spiders.
If you are buying a second hand playpen from a garage sale or in used condition, please be sure to thoroughly disinfect it after cleaning. You do not know if it has been used for another pup [one that might have been ill???] and you do not want to take the risk to pass on a potentially lethal disease to your new puppy!!!
I suggest doing a thorough cleaning routine like this at least once every 2-3 weeks, even if the pup is doing well with potty training and keeps its place fairly clean. This will assure that you don't have a mildew problem developing or bacterial build up due to water spills, dropped kibbles, food or litter that gets into the nooks and crannies. Plus it keeps your pup's place smelling and looking neat and fresh.
If you are buying a second hand playpen from a garage sale or in used condition, please be sure to thoroughly disinfect it after cleaning. You do not know if it has been used for another pup [one that might have been ill???] and you do not want to take the risk to pass on a potentially lethal disease to your new puppy!!!
I suggest doing a thorough cleaning routine like this at least once every 2-3 weeks, even if the pup is doing well with potty training and keeps its place fairly clean. This will assure that you don't have a mildew problem developing or bacterial build up due to water spills, dropped kibbles, food or litter that gets into the nooks and crannies. Plus it keeps your pup's place smelling and looking neat and fresh.
Preserving your Playpen
In order to prolong the life of my play pens, I like to use good quality bath rugs with rubber bottoms on the floor of them.
That way any spills get soaked up before they soak into the floorboard of the playpen or the flooring underneath. They are easily dropped into the washer and dryer for cleaning – and your playpen always looks nice and clean and neat. The better quality bath rugs will last you forever [or close to it], and can be used for additional bedding later on, once you no longer need the playpen.
As an alternative, you can buy carpet remnants at a home improvement or carpet store and cut them to size to cover the floor of your playpen, or you can use a thick padded blanket. If you find your puppy is spilling its water dish a lot, you can put a folded pee pad or towel underneath the water dish in order to keep the bottom layers dry and cleaner. You might also want to see if using a water bottle works better for your puppy.
That way any spills get soaked up before they soak into the floorboard of the playpen or the flooring underneath. They are easily dropped into the washer and dryer for cleaning – and your playpen always looks nice and clean and neat. The better quality bath rugs will last you forever [or close to it], and can be used for additional bedding later on, once you no longer need the playpen.
As an alternative, you can buy carpet remnants at a home improvement or carpet store and cut them to size to cover the floor of your playpen, or you can use a thick padded blanket. If you find your puppy is spilling its water dish a lot, you can put a folded pee pad or towel underneath the water dish in order to keep the bottom layers dry and cleaner. You might also want to see if using a water bottle works better for your puppy.