Updated 04/12/2024 – Anyone who owns a dog knows that dogs can get dirty quickly. Especially during the muddy season. For these days, having a dog wash station at home is what some people dream of.
While it might seem out of reach, adding a dog wash station, or as some people call them a dog bath or dog shower, in your home is easier than you think. Especially if you already have a mudroom with either laundry or a sink in it.
Join us, as we show you dog wash station ideas for your home. These projects are sure to inspire you to create your own beautiful and functional dog wash. We will also go over some things you need to think about before deciding to build one in your home.
In this post you will find:
- Should you add a dog wash station to your home?
- Cost to add a Dog Wash to your Home
- Planning your Dog Washing Station
Should you add a Dog Wash Station to your home?
Before you start to design your new dog washing station, you should determine what your main goals are for the dog bath. In our case, we wanted a place to wash off the mud and snow Molly, our English Springer Spaniel, would track into the house.
Her long, coarse hair was a magnet for bits of leaves, small twigs and dirt which would drop from her fur once she was inside. In the snowy season, the warmth of her body would quickly create mini snowballs that attached to her long fur. Getting them off required a blow dryer, which was slow going, or a warm bath to melt off the snow.
Since our bathtub and shower are on the second floor, bathing her meant bringing her through the house and up the stairs. Which as you can imagine, resulted in a trail of water and dirt from the back door to the bathroom.
So, when we decided to create a mudroom from an underutilized area near the back door, we also decided to add a small dog shower. You can see a picture of it below.
We created our dog washing station as a DIY project. But we have been doing DIY projects for years. If you have never worked on a DIY project that involved plumbing you should hire a plumber to make sure it is done correctly.
Another way to keep your home and yard clean is with a designated Dog Potty Area – You can find out more at our post Dog Potty Area Guide: Tips and Ideas
How much does a Dog Wash Station at Home Cost?
A DIY Dog Wash Station in your home can cost $2,500 to $5,500 depending on what needs to be done. This assumes you are not adding an addition on your home. If you need to add on the costs will be much higher.
A DIY Dog Wash that reuses existing plumbing will cost much less than one that needs all new plumbing. Your choice of materials and location will also greatly impact the cost of your pet wash station.
Having a professional build a Dog Wash station in your home can cost $3,000 and up. Much more if you need to add on to your house.
How to create a Dog Washing Station for under $500?
If you don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on a dog wash station, you may be able to turn a laundry room or mudroom sink into a DIY dog bath. You just need to replace your faucet with one that has a pull-out hose. You can find these types of faucets for under $500. Of course, your dog needs to be small enough to fit into the sink.
Tip: Choose a faucet with a high arch and long hose.
Even though we have a dog wash station, it’s easier to bathe our current pup, Bella, in the mudroom sink since she is small. All we needed to do was add a pullout hose.
Planning Your Dog Washing Station
Before you begin construction, you need to decide on a few things, like where to locate the dog bath, what else it may be used for, should it be elevated, how big should it be and if you should install a dog bath or a dog shower. Here we will provide you with ideas on where to place your dog bath along with many inspirational photos.
1. Mudroom
This is probably the most common place to build one. It can be in a mudroom you already have or like us you can create a mudroom from space you borrow from another room.
Mudrooms are a popular choice since they are generally located by an outside door and near a kitchen providing access to plumbing.
In the inspirational photo below, the homeowners opted for a dog door that went straight into the dog shower.
Here is another picture of the same dog shower with the doggy door closed. If you decide to include a dog door in your home make sure you can secure the door when it’s not in use. Criminals have been known to break into homes using the doggy door.
This stable turned into a home (pictured below) features a mudroom that gives a nod towards the building’s origins while providing a functional space to bathe the dog. I love the dog towel rack.
2. Laundry Room
The laundry room is also a popular choice for a pet washing station since it has easy access to plumbing. In some cases, your laundry room and mudroom might be in the same space.
Here is an example of a mudroom/laundry room with a dog bath. As you can see from the next two projects it doesn’t need to be elaborate to be functional.
This next dog shower utilized a small space in the laundry room. This compact design with a fold up counter allows the area to be used when the dog bath is not in use.
The project below consists of a laundry room, mudroom and dog shower.
3. Hallway
If your hallway is wide enough you might be able to squeeze in a dog bath near the backdoor. In the photo below a large dog washing station is tucked in behind the half bath near the back entry. The dog shower is extra-large to accommodate the homeowner’s St. Bernard.
4. Closet
Even a coat closet can be turned into a dog wash station. Especially if it is near a bathroom or laundry room that already has plumbing to tap into.
This next dog washing station has a stainless-steel counter and sink that tucks neatly behind frosted glass rolling barn doors hiding it away from the rest of the kitchen.
5. Spare room
If you have an underutilized room in the house, this may also be a good candidate for a dog wash station. Especially if it’s located near plumbing.
In the next project we will look at, the homeowners had an extra-large half bath. To make their mudroom/ laundry room more functional they got rid of the oversized powder room to open the space up and allow for a dog wash station.
However, you should think twice before getting rid of a bedroom or bathroom. Bedrooms and bathrooms generally add more value than a dog bath.
6. Basement
Don’t overlook your basement as a space for your dog wash, especially if you have a walkout basement. Here are two examples of well-done basement dog washing stations.
7. Garage
The garage might not be the first place that comes to mind for a dog washing station, but if there is access to plumbing it might work for you.
8. Half bathroom
If you have extra space in a power room you can add a dog shower there too. Here is an example of a homeowner that did just that. The raised dog shower is tucked in next to the sink.
Here is another example of the dog shower that is located in a bathroom.
You can also turn a half bathroom into a full bathroom by adding a shower. If done right, the shower can double as a dog wash station.
We did this in our previous home. The half bath was located near an entrance to the backyard which made it the perfect spot to wash off muddy paws after playtime in the yard. Just remember to install a spray hose with an extra-long hose or install it lower to the ground.
Here is a photo of a large shower with a water sprayer that is located in a convenient spot to use while washing a dog.
9. An addition to your home
If you have the budget you may want to consider a home addition. This will allow you to have more room and to customize the space to your needs.
The dog shower below is part of a garage addition that included a mud room. As you can see they tucked the shower in an alcove next to the stairs that lead into the home.
This next dog room addition is highly customized for the homeowner’s five dogs. Beneath the dog bath are pull out stairs for easy access into the tub. Next to it, is a food prep area.
There are also five built-in food bowels and a water bowl with a convenient water faucet above it. Four of the bowels are on the other side of the room, along with a storage cabinet and a place to hang their leashes.
10. In an existing bathroom
If you can’t find space anywhere else you might want to at least make washing your dog in your shower easier. That is what the next homeowner did. The picture below shows part of a larger shower that has a lower water sprayer and controls.
Here you can see the bathroom and full shower. To the left is a shower head and controls for people and on the right is the handheld shower hose that is lower.
11. Convert a sink
If you already have a sink in either a mudroom or laundry room, you could convert the sink to a large sink with either a pull-out hose or wall mount sprayer next to the regular faucet.
In the picture below the sink is located in a mud/laundry room. This sink can do double duty as a pet wash and regular sink for soaking clothes or cleaning up a mess.
Here is another example of a large sink that can easily double as a pet wash with its pull-out sprayer. It is set at a lower height to make it easy to wash a medium sized dog.
Here is one more example of a farm sink that does double duty as a dog bath. In this case the farm sink is set below the normal counter height to allow easy washing of their pup.
12. Create a shower outside
If you live in a warm climate, you could build a pet shower outside of your home. In the photo below the homeowners had a raised platform built to make washing their two large dogs easier.
13. Under the stairs
Where you can place a pet washing station is really only limited to your imagination and ability to get plumbing to the area. Here is a small pet wash that is located in a cubby hole in a garage. It appears it is tucked under a staircase.
For more dog bath inspiration check out our posts on 8 Reasons to add a Dog Wash Station to your home and 10 Things to Consider with a Home Dog Wash Station.
Even if you can’t build a dog wash in your home you can still bathe your dog in comfort at a self-serve dog wash business near you. To learn more, check out our post on Self Serve Dog Washing Station – Where to find one near you.
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The Best Dog Wash Station Ideas for Home
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