How to Wash a Dog Harness, Collar and Leash by Hand or Machine

Before you wash: check the care label

The care label, or the listing if the label has worn away, beats any general advice, ours included. Lupine Pet’s care instructions, for example, allow machine or hand washing in warm, not hot, water with mild soap, rule out bleach, brighteners and whiteners, and say to air dry only, never in the dryer.

Then check the material, which sets the method:

Material	Clean it	Dry it	Watch for
Nylon or polyester webbing	Hand wash; machine in a bag if labeled	Hang in the shade	Hot water can make dye run
Padded harness	Hand wash; machine only if labeled	Lay flat, often overnight	Padding holds water and odor
Leather	Damp cloth and a soft brush	Naturally, away from heat	Soaking and heat crack it
Coated webbing (such as BioThane)	Wipe with a damp cloth	Air dry	Rarely needs more
Retractable leash	Wipe the line and case	Line fully out, brake on, overnight	Never soak the case
Bag pouch	Empty, wipe, wash as labeled	Air dry, unzipped	Wash after any leak

What you need

• Mild soap or a gentle liquid laundry detergent
• A sink, bucket or basin
• A soft brush, plus an old toothbrush for stitching and buckle slots
• Two old towels
• A mesh laundry bag or a pillowcase you can knot shut, for machine washing
• A lint roller or a damp rubber glove for hair
• An enzymatic pet-odor cleaner or white vinegar, only for gear that smells

Prep: tags off, hair off, settings noted

• Take off everything that isn’t webbing: ID tags, clip-on lights, GPS trackers, a bag dispenser. Tags clank and bend in the machine, and electronics should stay dry unless their maker says otherwise.
• Photograph the strap settings, so you can put sliders back if they shift in the wash.
• Lift off hair and grit with the lint roller, the glove or a dry brush.
• Go gently on reflective trim. Use the soft brush over printed or taped reflective strips; threads woven into the webbing, as on our Lupine collar and no-pull harness, wash with the rest of it.

How to hand wash a dog harness, step by step

Hand washing suits almost any nylon or polyester gear, padded or not, and it is the method to use when the label says hand wash or there is no label at all.

1. Fill a sink or bucket with warm, not hot, water and add a small squeeze of mild soap.
2. Unclip the buckles so the harness lies open and water reaches every strap.
3. Soak it for 10 to 15 minutes to loosen dirt and skin oil.
4. Scrub with the soft brush along the webbing, into the stitching, around the D-rings and through the buckle slots, where grime packs in. Spend the most time on the straps that sit across the chest and behind the front legs.
5. Flush the hardware. Under the water, squeeze each buckle’s release tabs and slide each adjuster back and forth a few times to work out sand and grit.
6. Rinse until no suds appear when you squeeze the webbing and padding under running water. Soap left behind stiffens the straps and sits against your dog’s skin.
7. Press out the water. Roll the harness in a towel and press down on it; don’t wring padded straps.
8. Air dry it as described in the drying section below.

Machine washing, when the label allows it

If the label or listing says machine washable, the machine saves scrubbing; our Lupine Pet Reflective No-Pull Dog Harness, for one, is listed as machine washable, air dry. Keep leather, retractable leashes, anything with built-in lights or electronics, and anything labeled hand wash out of the machine.

1. Do the prep above first.
2. Fasten every buckle and close any zipper so the straps don’t tangle, then put the gear in a mesh laundry bag or a pillowcase knotted shut, so the hardware doesn’t bang around the drum. Lupine’s alternative to a bag is washing gear in with jeans or other sturdy clothes.
3. Choose a gentle or delicate cycle with cool or warm water, a low spin and a small amount of mild liquid detergent. Leave out bleach, brighteners and fabric softener.
4. Keep light colors out of the load, in case new webbing’s dye runs.
5. Take it out as soon as the cycle ends, check that every buckle still clicks shut, and hang it up to dry.

Collars, leashes and leash-clip bag pouches

Collars

A collar sits in the same place all day, so skin oil builds up on the inside. Wash it the same way as a harness, by hand, or in a bag in the machine if the label allows, and use a toothbrush on the stitching beside the D-ring and buckle.

Bath day is a good time to do it: the AKC’s guide to dog collars suggests washing the collar whenever your dog has a bath. Take it off before the bath and put it back only once your dog’s coat and the collar are both dry; Lupine notes that shampoos and treatments containing bleaching agents, clarifiers or medicines can make the dye on gear transfer to fur. While the collar is off, your dog has no ID tags, so keep them indoors or use a spare. Check the skin where the collar sits, too, and ask your veterinarian about redness, sores, thinning hair or a smell there.

Leather collars and leashes

Don’t soak leather or put it in the machine. Wipe it with a damp, well-wrung cloth, work grime out of the stitching with a soft toothbrush and let it dry naturally, away from heaters and direct sun. For anything more, follow the maker’s care instructions; the same AKC guide warns against using leather cleaners meant for furniture or shoes on a collar, because their chemicals can be toxic for dogs.

Leashes, including retractables

A nylon or polyester leash washes like a harness. Focus on the handle loop, which collects grime from your hand, and the clip: work the trigger under water to flush out grit, then check that the gate snaps shut on its own.

A retractable leash winds onto a spring-loaded spool inside its case, so keep the case out of the sink and the machine, and wipe the line and case with a damp cloth instead. Flexi, which makes retractable leashes, says to clear dirt off the line and case before retracting it, and when one gets wet, to pull the line all the way out, lock the brake and let it dry overnight. A frayed or chewed line means a new leash, not a wash.

Leash-clip bag pouches

The pouch that carries full poop bags often needs washing more than anything else on the leash. Empty it, shake out torn bag ends and wipe the inside, then wash it as its label says. Our Yucky Puppy Waterproof Poop Bag Holder is waterproof PUL fabric that wipes clean and is machine washable, and it comes as a set of two, so one can be in the wash while the other is on the leash. Zip it shut for the machine, unzip it to dry, and wash it the same day if a bag leaks inside.

Drying: no dryer, no heater, no direct sun

• Hang it or lay it flat, buckles unclipped. Hang webbing from a D-ring or the leash clip; lay a padded harness flat on a dry towel and turn it over once.
• Keep heat away: no tumble dryer, radiator, space heater or heat vent.
• Choose shade and moving air. Strong direct sun can fade colors; a fan or an open window speeds drying.
• Dry the metal. Towel off D-rings, clips and buckle frames so water doesn’t sit on them.
• Give padding time. Thin webbing dries far faster than a padded harness, which often needs overnight or longer. Squeeze the thickest part of the padding; if it feels cool or damp, wait.

Put the gear back on only once it is completely dry, because damp straps hold moisture against the skin and soon smell musty. Reset the sliders from your photo and redo the fit check: two fingers flat under each strap, snug but not squeezing. Our guide on how to measure a dog for a harness walks through it.

Getting rid of a smell that won’t wash out

Gear that smells again a day after washing usually has odor trapped in the padding or the stitching. Work through these in order:

1. An enzyme pre-soak. Lupine suggests one for heavily soiled or smelly gear. Use a cleaner made for pet odors as its label directs, then wash as usual.
2. A vinegar soak. A common home remedy for nylon or polyester webbing is about 15 minutes in equal parts white vinegar and cool water. Wash and rinse it well afterward so no vinegar is left on the metal parts, and skip this one for leather.
3. Faster drying. Padding that stays damp for a day turns musty, so rewash it and dry it somewhere with moving air.

Skip scented sprays and essential oils. The gear sits against your dog’s coat for hours, and the ASPCA warns that essential oils on a pet’s coat can cause health problems.

If a harness still smells after all three, the odor is in the padding to stay; replace it. If freshly washed gear smells again within a day or two of going back on, the smell may be coming from your dog’s skin or ears; ask your veterinarian.

How often to wash, and signs it’s time to replace the gear

There’s no fixed schedule. Wash gear when it looks grubby or smells, wash the collar on bath days, and don’t wait in these cases:

• After mud, a roll in something foul or a leaked poop bag.
• After a swim in a lake, a river, the ocean or a pool; at the least, rinse the gear in fresh water the same day.

Between washes, wipe the gear with a damp cloth after dirty walks. After an ordinary rainy walk it usually needs drying, not washing; for drying your dog off at the door, see our guide to walking a dog in the rain.

Signs that washing won’t fix

• Fraying, cuts or chew marks in the webbing, or stitching pulling loose where a D-ring or clip is sewn on.
• A cracked buckle, or one that opens when you tug on it.
• A clip that is bent, pitted with rust or slow to snap shut.
• A smell that survives an enzyme soak.

Check reflective trim once the gear is clean and dry: in a dark room, hold a flashlight beside your eyes and shine it at the gear. Working trim lights up brightly; trim that stays dull has stopped doing its job. For a monthly check that covers all of your pet’s gear, from collars and leashes to bowls and beds, see when to replace your pet’s gear.

Troubleshooting after a wash

• A buckle sticks or won’t click shut. Grit is still inside. Hold it under running water, squeeze the release several times, let it dry and test it again; if it still doesn’t lock, retire the gear.
• The webbing feels stiff or tacky. That’s usually soap or too much detergent left behind. Rinse again in plain water, squeezing until no suds appear.
• The dye ran. Wash that piece on its own in cool water from now on. If color has come off on your dog’s fur, keep the gear off after baths and coat treatments until both are completely dry.
• Rust spots on the hardware. Rinse off salt water the same day and towel the metal dry after every wash. Rust that pits or flakes means the piece needs replacing.

Replacing worn gear: what our listings say about washing

These picks are limited to the walking gear in our own walking and training range, and the listings differ on care. Two say machine washable; the other two give no care method, so follow the label that comes with them.

• 

  Lupine Pet

  Reflective No-Pull Dog Harness, Choose size & design

  $41.95 – $45.95Price range: $41.95 through $45.95

  Why it fits: Listed as machine washable, air dry, so it can go in a mesh bag on a gentle cycle. For medium and large dogs only, 16 to 38 in girth, and it clips to the flat collar your dog already wears.

  Choose size & design

• 

  Yucky Puppy

  Waterproof Poop Bag Holder, Choose size

  $23.95 – $24.95Price range: $23.95 through $24.95

  Why it fits: Waterproof PUL that wipes clean between washes and is listed as machine washable. A set of two, so one can dry while the other rides on the leash; the XL size is about 6.75 × 9.25 in.

  Choose size

• 

  Mr. Peanut’s

  PetTrek Padded Harness and Leash Set, Choose size & color

  $24.95 – $26.95Price range: $24.95 through $26.95

  Why it fits: Padded oxford nylon with reflective stitching on both harness and leash. Our listing gives no care method, so follow its label. Sizes XS to Large; check the size chart before ordering.

  Choose size & color

• 

  Lupine Pet

  Reflective Dog Collar, Choose size & design

  $22.95 – $28.95Price range: $22.95 through $28.95

  Why it fits: Reflective threads woven into the webbing rather than printed on top. Our listing gives no care method, so follow its label. Adjustable neck ranges run from 6–9 in up to 25–31 in.

  Choose size & design

For the rest of what belongs on a walk, see our list of dog walking essentials.