Stainless, ceramic or plastic: picking a bowl that stays clean
Stainless, ceramic or plastic: picking a bowl that stays clean
Bowls are the cheapest thing in a pet kitchen and the item people replace most often, usually because the first one was chosen on colour. The three common materials behave very differently over a couple of years of daily use, and the differences are easy to state.
Stainless steel
The default for good reasons. It does not absorb odour, it does not scratch in a way that harbours anything, it survives a dishwasher indefinitely and it cannot be chewed into fragments. The two things it does badly: it is light, so it travels across a floor unless it is weighted or sitting in a stand, and it is noisy on tile. Both are solved by a rubber ring on the base, which most decent bowls now have moulded in.
Grade matters slightly. Food-grade stainless is the norm and is what to look for on the listing; anything that does not say is usually fine but is worth a question.
Ceramic
Heavy, stable, quiet, and available in shapes that stainless cannot easily be pressed into — wide shallow dishes for cats especially. The caveat is the glaze. An intact, food-safe glaze is inert and washes perfectly; a chipped or crazed one is porous and should be retired rather than nursed along. Ceramic also breaks, and it breaks on a hard floor at the worst moment, so it is a poor choice for a household with an enthusiastic large dog.
Plastic
Cheap, light, quiet and the one we stock least. Plastic scratches, and scratches hold a film that survives washing up; over time that is what a persistent smell is. In some animals — cats more often than dogs — chronic contact with a scratched plastic bowl is associated with chin irritation, which resolves when the bowl is changed. It is not a crisis, it is just an avoidable annoyance, and stainless costs very little more.
Where plastic earns its place is as a travel bowl, a collapsible for the car, or a lightweight water dish for a crate. Used and replaced as a consumable, it is entirely sensible.
Shape, depth and speed
Depth changes how fast an animal eats. A deep, narrow bowl encourages large mouthfuls; a wide shallow one slows things down slightly and suits cats far better. Slow-feed bowls with moulded ridges genuinely do extend a meal, which helps with dogs that inhale a portion, though they are also harder to clean properly — check that a brush reaches the bottom of every channel before committing.
Cleaning, honestly
A food bowl needs washing daily and a water bowl needs rinsing and refilling daily, with a proper wash every few days. The slippery film that develops in a water bowl is biofilm, and it comes back fast in a warm kitchen. This is the real argument for stainless: it is the only one of the three that shrugs off a dishwasher cycle forever.
How many bowls
Two per animal, minimum, so one can be in the wash while the other is in use. In a multi-cat household the usual guidance is one water source per cat plus one, placed away from the food, because cats often prefer to drink somewhere other than where they eat.
What that means for our shelf
Most of what we stock is stainless with a non-slip base, plus wide shallow ceramic for cats and a small number of anti-ant and no-spill designs for specific problems. If a bowl cannot go in a dishwasher, it needs a very good reason to be here.
Where this sits in the shop
Everything discussed above comes back to one part of the shop: Pet Bowls and Feeders, which currently holds 6 listings between $16.99 and $45.99. The whole of it is picked and packed at Bark N' Bites, 702 W 35th St, Chicago, IL, during Mon–Fri 10am–7pm, Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 11am–5pm — so anything written here can be checked by phoning the counter on ((312) 265-1205.
From our shelves
- Pets Automatic Gravity Feeder Dogs 2.8L Food & 4L Water Dispenser Set with Stainless Steel — $24.99
- PetLike Ants Away Dog Bowls Pet Food Bowls, No Spill Cat Food Bowl Water Food Feeder Pet — $16.99
- PEIYATA Large Elevated Cat & Dog Bowl Stand,3 inch Height Raised Feeder Compatible with — $25.99
What we get asked about this
How fast are refunds?
We issue the refund within 5–7 business days of the return arriving. Your bank then takes its own one to five days to show it.
Can I cancel an order?
Yes, before it is picked — usually within about 12 hours on a business day. After dispatch it becomes a return.
Read next
- Measuring dog food: why the scoop in the bag is the problem
- Raised bowls: what height and whisker clearance actually change
- Storing kibble: airtight bins, fat oxidation and the open-bag clock
Ordering from Bark N' Bites
Orders of $49.00 or more ship free anywhere in the United States, and a flat $6.99 covers everything below that. Handling takes 1–2 business days and carrier transit is normally 3–7 business days. Unused items can go back within 30 days, and if the mistake was ours we pay the return postage.
Questions about anything above go to [email protected], answered within 1 business day, or call (312) 265-1205. Full detail is on the Shipping Policy and Refund and Returns pages.