Simple Solution Washable Dog Pads

A washable pad changes the arithmetic on training pads completely. Disposables are a running cost and a bin problem; these go through the machine and come back, and the two-pack exists precisely so one can be in the wash while the other is down.

Each pad is 86 x 91cm — a large area, enough to cover the base of a crate or the corner of a room — built in four layers. The core is what Simple Solution call InstaShield, an absorbent quick-dry fabric intended to stop tracking and control odour, and the backing is waterproof to protect the floor or furniture underneath. They are machine washable, and Simple Solution list them for use well beyond puppy training: in crates and carriers, in the car, and under an older or unwell dog.

• Two pads per pack
• 86 x 91cm each
• Four-layer construction with a quick-dry absorbent core
• Waterproof backing to protect floors and furniture
• Machine washable and reusable
• Also for crates, carriers, cars and older dogs

Washable is not the same as bottomless. A pad still needs washing promptly rather than being left, and the quick-dry core only helps if it gets the chance to dry — two pads is the minimum sensible number for that reason rather than a bundle offer. Simple Solution publish no washing temperature or drying instructions to us, so follow whatever is printed on the pad itself. And as with any pad, teaching a puppy that indoors is acceptable is something you have to unteach later; use them as a safety net alongside going outside.

Who it's for: puppy owners tired of buying disposables, anyone nursing an older or incontinent dog, and households where a pad lives permanently in a crate or a car boot.