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Entry 813Filed under Breeding

How to Keep a Dog Safe Around a Washing Machine and Laundry Room

Secure laundry products in dog-inaccessible storage, restrict room access if needed, and contact a veterinary professional promptly after suspected exposure.
3-minute read By Animalso Team
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Keep laundry products—including detergent pods, liquid detergent, bleach, fabric softener, and dryer sheets—in a locked or otherwise dog-inaccessible cabinet. If your dog can reach or open the storage, block access to the laundry room. If you suspect your dog has mouthed or swallowed a laundry product, contact a veterinarian or animal poison-control service promptly; detergent pods can cause serious vomiting and breathing complications.

Which laundry-room items can harm dogs?

Detergents, bleach, fabric softeners, and dryer sheets can irritate a dog’s skin, eyes, mouth, digestive tract, or respiratory tract. Some products can cause corrosive injury. The risk depends on the product and how the dog was exposed, so do not assume an item is safe based only on its name. Pet Poison Helpline’s utility-room guidance and ASPCA Poison Control’s household-product guidance describe these hazards.

Detergent pods

Pods need especially secure storage. Their concentrated liquid can be forcefully released when bitten. The liquid may coat the back of the mouth; irritation and vomiting can create a risk that detergent is inhaled into the lungs. The MSD Veterinary Manual’s review, last updated June 2025, describes pod exposures as more concerning than traditional laundry-detergent exposures because of profuse vomiting and aspiration-pneumonia risk. Read the MSD Veterinary Manual review.

Fabric softener and dryer sheets

Some fabric softeners and many dryer sheets contain cationic detergents that can cause severe chemical burns and ulcers in the mouth, esophagus, and stomach. A swallowed dryer sheet may also cause a gastrointestinal obstruction. Keep both used and unused sheets out of reach. ASPCA Poison Control explains these risks.

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How should you store laundry products?

Choose a barrier your particular dog cannot defeat. A high shelf may be enough for one dog, but it is not a reliable solution if your dog can reach it by jumping or climbing. Pet Poison Helpline recommends keeping hazardous items up high, using locked or difficult-to-open cabinets, or preventing access to the room.

  • Put pods, detergent bottles, bleach, softener, and dryer sheets in a closed cabinet your dog cannot open.
  • If a cabinet is easy for your dog to open, consider a cabinet safety lock or a different secure storage location. Locks are an implementation of the storage advice, not a guarantee against every dog.
  • Keep products and packaging off the floor and away from the washer or dryer when loading or putting supplies away.
  • If storage alone does not keep your dog out, close the laundry-room door or use another barrier to restrict room access.

These are practical ways to apply Pet Poison Helpline’s access and storage recommendations; choose based on what your dog can actually reach or open.

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What should you do if your dog may have been exposed?

Contact your veterinarian or an animal poison-control service promptly for advice tailored to the product, amount, route of exposure, and your dog’s symptoms. Have the product packaging available if possible. Do not wait for symptoms to become severe before seeking guidance. ASPCA Poison Control advises prompt contact after a possible toxic exposure.

If a detergent pod was bitten or leaked

Pet Poison Helpline advises rinsing detergent from an exposed mouth, skin, or eyes to dilute it, and consulting a veterinary professional after pod-content ingestion or severe symptoms. Persistent vomiting or any breathing or other respiratory signs need veterinary assessment. Follow case-specific professional instructions rather than relying on a general home-treatment routine. See Pet Poison Helpline’s detergent-pod guidance.

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Can you wash dog bedding and supplies in the washing machine?

Yes. The CDC says pet items may be machine-washed with regular household laundry. If your dog has sensitive skin, detergent without dyes and fragrance may be a better choice; that is a consideration for sensitive pets, not a claim that every scented or dyed detergent will harm every dog. CDC guidance on cleaning pet supplies.

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What is established about the washer and dryer themselves?

The cited guidance supports focusing on chemical storage and preventing access to laundry products. It does not establish a specific dog-proofing requirement for washer or dryer components. The practical priority is to keep hazardous supplies inaccessible and secure the room if your dog can get to them.

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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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