I have a confession to make. Guilty as charged: yes, we let our dogs sleep in our bed.
We used to have a strict 'no dogs in the bed' rule when we had our first shepherd Sadie, but after we lost her, somewhere along the way, we softened up and loosened the regulations and now we have dogs in our bed.
Often during the day Bella, our German Shepherd, would sneak in to curl up and take a nap on the bed, but Winston, our corgi, has somehow claimed his nightly spot at the foot of the bed.
Now don't let these cute faces fool you - these aren't fluffy lap dogs who get bathed and pampered by a groomer.
Oh no, these are two rough and tumble farm dogs.
They romp in the pasture and run through the woods, they explore the field next door and yes, they even roll in horse manure and deer poop.
They swim in the creek and sit in the dirt. Sure, they get bathed and hosed off and we try to be sure they're clean before bedtime, but still....they're dogs and you all know what wet dog smells like!
They don't have fleas, but we do find ticks on them pretty regularly (I mean, we live in the woods of Maine so that's a given). So what is one to do?
Our sheets do tend to smell a bit "doggy" at times.
Well, in our case, I mix up a batch of all natural linen mist and spray the sheets and pillows, as well as the comforter, each morning and spritz again just before bedtime.
The mist does double duty, it not only helps keep any bugs the dogs might have dragged in out of our bed, it also smells nice and helps us drift off to sleep.
I love the combination of rosewater and lemon. The rose acts as a calming agent, sedative and eases tension, while lemon smells clean and fresh while elevating the mood and reducing stress. Adding a bit of vodka helps the mist evaporate more quickly and also makes the oils and water mix better.
Other nice combinations are: cardamom/orange, peppermint/vanilla and lavender. Feel free to experiment to see which you prefer.
You can also use this mist when you're ironing to make your clothes smell nice, and on linens before storing them for the off-season. It also makes a pretty darned effective natural bug spray for both you and your dogs!
Lemon Rose Linen Mist
Pour the water into the spray bottle. Add the vodka and essential oils, then a splash of rose water Screw on the top and shake to mix thoroughly. Spray as needed, shaking the bottle just prior to each use to redistribute the contents.
Note: you can also use rubbing alcohol or witch hazel instead of the vodka and you can steep fresh or dried lavender buds with some lemon peel instead of using the essential oils.
So, anyone else out there whose dogs insist on sleeping in the bed with you - you can thank me later! You're gonna love this spray! Now if I could just figure out how to get all the dog hair out of the bed.....
