Quick answer: In an apartment, the best donut bed is the one your washer and drying space can handle. A DIY bed with a zip-off cover and a separate fill insert usually wins: the cover goes in any compact machine and dries overnight, while a one-piece store bed often needs a large drum and a day or more to dry.
Most donut bed comparisons assume a house with a full-size washer, a tumble dryer and a garden for airing things out. Apartment life is different. You may have a stacked compact machine, a shared basement laundry room with coin slots, or no machine at all and a laundromat two blocks away. Those limits decide how often the bed really gets washed, and washing is what decides how long it lasts.
This guide compares homemade and store-bought donut beds through that lens. I am Sebastian Frank, founder of CozeCats, and the cat furniture we make has to survive small homes, so the questions here are the ones apartment owners send us most: will it fit the drum, will it dry, and what does it cost to keep clean?
What Wash Day Looks Like in an Apartment
Before choosing a bed, write down your laundry reality. Three facts matter: the size of the drum you can use, whether you have a dryer, and how much floor or rail space you have for drying. A bed that only fits a large front-loader at the laundromat will be washed far less often than one that fits the machine down the hall.
| Apartment setup | What fits | Main risk |
|---|---|---|
| In-unit compact washer, no dryer | Covers and thin inserts | Thick fill stays damp for a long time |
| Stacked washer-dryer | Most covers, small one-piece beds | Over-stuffed drum, uneven drying |
| Shared coin laundry | Anything that fits a standard drum | Cost per load adds up |
| Laundromat only | Large beds in big machines | Washing gets skipped |
The last row is the one to plan against. If washing a bed means a trip, it will happen less often, so pick a design that lets you wash the dirtiest part at home.
How a Store Donut Bed Is Built
Most shop-bought donut beds are one piece: a round shell of faux fur or plush, a raised rim packed with polyester fibre, and a softer centre cushion, all stitched together. That shape is what cats like, because the rim supports the head and the curl hides the body. It is also what makes the bed awkward to wash.
The fibre in the rim soaks up water and holds it. In a compact drum the bed barely tumbles, so detergent does not rinse out evenly. After spinning, the rim is still heavy and damp, and without a dryer it can take a day or more to dry right through. Fibre that is washed and dried slowly tends to clump, and clumped fill is the usual reason a store bed goes flat and lumpy.
How a DIY Donut Bed Changes the Equation
A homemade donut bed does not have to copy the one-piece design. The apartment-friendly version splits it into parts: a zip-off outer cover, a rim made from a fibre-filled tube or rolled fleece, and a flat base cushion. Only the cover needs frequent washing, and it is thin enough for any machine and dries quickly on a rack.
- Cover: fleece, cotton canvas or upholstery-weight cotton, with a zip at the base where the cat will not chew it.
- Rim: a sewn tube filled with fibre, or an old fleece blanket rolled tightly and stitched shut, so it can be washed on its own when needed.
- Base: a folded towel or a thin foam pad in a washable sleeve.
- Liner: an optional thin waterproof layer between base and cover for kittens or older cats.
Our budget cat bed guide shows how cheaply these parts can be pulled together from what is already in the cupboard, and the cat beds, caves and comfort hub links the other bed builds if you want a different shape.
Wash Cycles and Drying Time Side by Side
Here is how the two types usually compare over a typical wash. Times are rough guides for an indoor apartment with no dryer and normal heating, not lab results.
| Step | One-piece store donut bed | DIY bed with removable cover |
|---|---|---|
| Fits a compact drum | Often tight | Yes, cover only |
| Wash setting | Gentle, cool, per label | Normal cycle for the fabric |
| Air drying | A day or more for thick fill | Overnight for the cover |
| Bed out of use | Until fully dry | Swap in a spare cover |
| Wear point | Fill clumps, seams strain | Zip and cover seams |
The spare cover is the trick that changes everything. With two covers, the bed is never out of action, and the cat keeps its familiar rim and base while one cover is drying.
Counting the Cost of Clean in Shared Laundry
In a building with coin machines, washing a cat bed has a price. Suppose a wash and dry costs $5 together and you clean the bed every two weeks. That is 26 loads a year, or $130, if the bed needs its own load each time.
A thin DIY cover changes the sum because it can go in with a normal load of towels or bedding. You still wash it every two weeks, but you are not paying for an extra load. If the rim and base need a deeper clean once a quarter, that is four extra loads, or $20 a year at the same price. Your own prices will differ, so run the numbers with your building's rates.
Longevity: How Many Washes Before the Bed Gives Up
Every bed wears out. What matters is which part fails and whether you can replace just that part. A one-piece donut bed is finished when the fill clumps or a rim seam splits, because you cannot easily open and refill it. If such a bed copes with about 20 washes and you clean it every two weeks, it lasts roughly 40 weeks before it looks tired.
In a DIY bed, the cover takes most of the wear and is the cheapest part to remake. When the rim tube flattens, you can open the end, tease out or top up the fibre and stitch it shut again. That repairability is the strongest argument for making your own.
Choosing a Donut Bed for Your Apartment
- If you have no dryer, choose or make a bed with a removable cover and a separate insert.
- If you only have a laundromat, keep two covers so you can wash one at home in the sink if needed.
- If you have a stacked washer-dryer, a small store bed can work, but check the label for tumble drying before you buy.
- If your cat sheds heavily in winter, add a fleece throw on top that can be shaken out daily.
Cats spend a large part of the day asleep, as our piece on how many hours cats sleep explains, so a bed that is regularly clean and dry is worth a little planning. For heat and cold, see the cooling bed for hot apartments and the safe heated bed cover.
Placing the Bed So It Stays Cleaner
Where the bed lives affects how often it needs washing. A bed by the front door collects grit from shoes; a bed by the litter area picks up dust and odour. Raise it slightly off a cold floor, keep it out of the walkway and put it where the cat can see the room. International Cat Care's guide to a cat-friendly home notes that cats like resting places that feel safe and slightly elevated.
Shake the bed out over the bin or on a balcony every few days, and run a lint roller over the cover between washes. Our cleaning and odour care hub has a weekly routine that fits around other household chores.
Detergent, Scent and Your Cat
Cats rely heavily on scent, and a bed that smells of strong perfume can feel unfamiliar. Use a fragrance-free detergent where you can, skip scented fabric softener and rinse well. If your cat ignores a freshly washed bed, put a worn t-shirt or the unwashed spare cover on top for a day so the bed smells like home again.
For more on what indoor cats need from their surroundings, Ohio State's Indoor Pet Initiative is a good, practical reference.
Donut Bed Washing Questions From Apartment Owners
Can I put a store-bought donut bed in a compact washing machine?
Sometimes, but check two things first. The bed should fit loosely enough to move in the drum, and the label should allow machine washing. If it is packed tight, it will not rinse properly and the fill may clump. A large machine at a laundromat, or hand washing in the bath, is usually safer.
How long does a donut bed take to dry without a dryer?
A one-piece bed with a thick fibre rim can take a day or more to dry indoors, depending on heating and airflow. A thin removable cover usually dries overnight on a rack. Never put a damp bed back in use, because trapped moisture can cause smells and mildew inside the fill.
How often should I wash my cat's donut bed?
Every two weeks suits most indoor cats, with a weekly wash for kittens, older cats or heavy shedders. Shake the bed out and lint-roll the cover between washes. If you keep a spare cover, you can stick to this schedule easily, because the bed never has to sit empty while one cover dries.
Is a DIY donut bed cheaper to keep clean?
In shared laundry it usually is. A thin cover can share a load with towels, so you avoid paying for a separate cycle. At an example price of $5 per wash and dry, washing a whole bed every two weeks costs $130 a year, while quarterly deep cleans of the insert add only $20.
Why does my cat avoid the bed after washing?
The bed no longer smells familiar. Strong detergent or fabric softener can make it even less appealing. Use a fragrance-free product, rinse well, and lay a worn t-shirt or an unwashed spare cover on top for a day or two. Most cats return once the bed carries their own scent again.
