How often do you replace fabric bedding?

Spaniel

Spaniel

Teenage Guinea Pig
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Replace as in buy new.

Things like washable incontinence pads, bath mats, fleece, vet bed..

How long do you generally get from these before they need replacing?

Thanks :)
 
I’ve had pigs since 2016 and all my original bath mats and fleece items I made or bought are still going strong! I have some vet bedding too but I do think that starts to get scraggy and harder to get the hay out of.
 
Lavinia said:
I’ve had pigs since 2016 and all my original bath mats and fleece items I made or bought are still going strong! I have some vet bedding too but I do think that starts to get scraggy and harder to get the hay out of.
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That’s a lot longer than I’m getting. Do you wash at 60 degrees? Wondering if that’s making them wear out quickly.
 
I only wash at 60 when there’s been a need for it. Like fungal infections or other illnesses.
I guess even though I’ve had a lot of my stuff that long, I’m not necessarily using it all week in week out. Because over time I’ve made or bought more and so now have way more than I need so it all gets rotated I guess.

But this week I’m using a cage liner that I made for my original pigs in 2016 and it’s still perfectly fine.
 
I don’t use fleece a lot, only when my lot come indoors in summer, sometimes in the shed in summer to spread out the use and cost of my disposable bedding but I’ve had my fleeces for 5 years. I only wash at 40.
 
A lot of my items will be coming up to 3 years old and are all still in working order, things like tunnels that are 3D i find how you dry and store them makes a difference I always make sure I reshape them when they are wet. I wash all mine at 40°C
 
I've had some of mine since 2014, they are washed at 40 with washing disinfectant unless I have a sick piggy, they are then washed at 60. The liners are used every week and pee pads changed every 1-2 days. The pee pads are starting to go hard although they don't look worn so I am about to have a sort out and throw them away.
I've got vet bed but it's hard t say how long it lasts as I don't use it all the time now (I used to). I use it for sick piggies or elderly ones that aren't moving around a lot. I've got some of the original green back vet bed that I must have bought around 2005. I bought it for my elderly cat who died around 2007 and it later got used for piggies until I changed to fleece.
 
I’ve been rotating two for 7 years or so. Washed at 40 with a blast at 60 every now and again. It’s a cut up mattress protector covered with blankets, not a fancy sewn affair.
 
I thought everyone washed pet bedding at 60!

Just got some new fleeces and bath mats so I’ll switch to 40 and see if that helps.

Things now feel rough very quickly, usually 2/3 months max.
 
I think 60 is recommended for killing bacteria which is why I use the in wash cleanser disinfectant instead. My machine takes over 2 hours to do a 60 wash not only does it ruin the fleece it costs a fortune in electric and unless I put it on the night before I'm hanging around waiting to peg the fleece out on the line. If I have sick piggies I switch to vetbed which will take a hotter wash with no problems.
 
White vinegar should keep it soft, it works on towels as well!
 
I used to use vinegar but was advised not to use it egularly in the machine by the engineer who tried to fix my last one. It rots the rubber parts.
 
piggieminder said:
I used to use vinegar but was advised not to use it egularly in the machine by the engineer who tried to fix my last one. It rots the rubber parts.
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Oh Gosh does it! I have never heard that before!
 
I don't know @rp1993 but I decided not to risk it, the engineer seemed to know what he was taking about. My fleece doesn't go hard with the cleanser (I use Sainsbury's) and line drying. My original pee pads have gone hard but I made those in 2014!
 
I have owned/fostered guinea pigs for over a decade now and have only had to rebuy once, so basically never. And that was only because I got a boar pair who seemed to enjoy ripping the bobbles off my bobble mats.

Aslong as you are changing them at least once a week, it shouldn't cause any issue.
 
I still use all the fleece beddings. I hand wash with soap then soak them in vinegar water. I use vinegar to clean their cages too.
 
Can anyone reassure my partner that washing at 40 is enough? She gets anxious that things won’t be clean enough, especially because we have to use a natural detergent (allergies)

Apart from the incontinence bed pads which do 4-6 days, nothing else is in the cage for more than 1-2 days so surely it can’t need a longish hot wash?

Can’t use any disinfectant (allergies again) but we do use a small amount of white vinegar in the fabric softener compartment, although my partner likes to rinse this out after.

I feel like things like bath mats should be able to withstand a 60 wash but the vet bed and fleece isn’t faring too well at 60.

Thank you :)
 
is it the green back vet bed,or non slip rubber backing ?green back can stand 90 degrees,ive had my green back ved bed for 7 years.
 
eileen said:
is it the green back vet bed,or non slip rubber backing ?green back can stand 90 degrees,ive had my green back ved bed for 7 years.
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It’s the green back vet bed. Some pieces are the Petlife brand and some are from Soul Destiny. Soul Destiny did say that washing at 60 1-2x a week means they’ll only last a couple of months. They were kind enough to send two free pieces though :)
 
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