Service Dogs working in public come into contact with a wide variety of surfaces. Some examples include floors, the sides of counters and checkout stands, and the underside of chairs or benches. As such, your Service Dog's equipment can pick up all kinds of germs. Keep reading to learn how to sanitize your Service Dog's gear. Service Dogs need a wide variety of equipment and gear. At a minimum, almost every Service Dog wears some kind of jacket or harness, collar or head collar, and leash. Many also wear boots, tags, sweaters, or other clothing. At home, most dogs have bowls, toys, beds, brushes, and other supplies. Keeping your Service Dog's stuff sanitized might reduce the number of germs passed back and forth from your hands to the gear and back. It also keeps you from picking up the germs the equipment carries home from everything it touches in public. You'll sanitize different kinds of gear in different ways. Some gear will prove easier to clean than others. A few items might not be able to be sanitized. Depending on how important sanitization is to you, you may have to get rid of some of your Service Dog's gear or switch it out for stuff that's more easily cleanable. Lots of gear contains multiple materials. Leashes are often leather or nylon with a metal snap. Kennels often contain plastic and metal components. Some toys might be rubber and fabric. You'll have to sanitize each piece of the item appropriately for the best results. It's important to note that cleaning is different from sanitizing. Sanitizing kills bacteria and germs. Cleaning removes visible dirt. Simply cleaning items won't kill germs. How Does Sanitizing Work? When you sanitize something, you kill the germs on it. This reduces the risk of getting sick. Sanitizing something generally requires either high heat for an extended period or a sanitizing solution like a bleach mixture or Simple Green. Certain types of UV light kills microbes on some surfaces and might be useful for soft surfaces like dog beds. Most households don't have the ability to sanitize properly via heat. Noncommercial washing machines and dishwashers typically don't get hot enough to kill bacteria and other germs. Boiling water can be used to sanitize but the items must be completely submerged. Commercial sanitizing solutions like Lysol and Clorox disinfectants work well to sanitize dog equipment. However, the instructions must be properly followed in order for these