One asian thing I will never let go of is taking off my shoes in the house, but when we got pups, we ran into a problem. Unless we put shoes on them, which we considered, Sato and Ada bring in so much outside debris and of course the first thing they go for when they are back inside is either the very white rug or jump up on us. We bought dog cleaning wipes for the first few months, but we went through them so quickly especially if there was a particularly muddy day. I wanted a more effective and sustainable way to clean their paws when they came back inside that was also gentle, so I decided to make my own.

I bought 2 packs of the KRAMA washcloths from Ikea and 2 of the Ikea 365+ 112oz glass jars with bamboo lids. I wanted clear jars, so I knew when we were out and had to do a wash. This cost me about $30.

The two jars of them meant I have easy access to them whichever door I come in from with the pups.

It wasn’t necessarily enough to last a whole week without washing, but I wanted to test the formula and whether this worked well or not before getting more wash cloths.

My plan was to use Castile soap, water and some essential oils for scent. My first attempt, I realised pretty quickly that I used a few too many drops of the essential oil and the smell overwhelmed my pups. They would desperately go and try to rub off the smell on the carpet. Since then I have been careful to use only a few drops and also let some of the essential oil evaporate before caping it off the jar and my pups are no longer bothered by it anymore.

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At the end of the week I like to dump all the used towels into a mesh laundry bag so I can easily fish them out from the laundry and put them directly back into use. Because you are soaking them in the mixture anyways, you can save on the drying and therefore also need to use less water in the mixture.

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Supplies:

• Ikea 365+ 112 oz glass jar with bamboo lid – $8.99
• Damp hand towels (skip the dryer)
  • Ikea Krama washcloths are (pack of 10) – $5.99

Mixture ingredients

• 1 cup water (2 cups if using dry towels)
• 1 tablespoon Castile soap
• 2 – 3 drops of your favourite essential oil

One thing I will note, is if you get white towels, they probably won’t stay nice and white unless you use bleach, but it also helps to show how much dirt you are wiping off your dogs paws.

Love to hear if any of you have tried this or do any other things to keep your pets clean.