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Every cat owner loathes the litter box. It smells, it’s not attractive, and you need to have multiple of them around your house.If you are wondering how to kee
p a litter box from smelling, here are 5 simple tips that can help.
We all love our cats, but the litter box issue is definitely one of the downsides.(That’s not to say that it definitely doesn’t have its pros, like it’s nice not having to let a cat out to use the bathroom!)
Here are a few ways to help eliminate smells from your cat litter box
1. Clean Daily
One of the most important steps to take in keeping your cat litter box from stinking up the house is to simply keep it clean. Litter should be scooped once per day if you’re using a clumping cat litter, but 2x per day is best especially if you have multiple cats.
For non-clumping litters, this might not be practical since you have to change the entire batch of litter with each cleaning. Most people simply wait til it’s full and clean once or twice per week in this case, but it may be harder to keep ordors down this way. You’ll want to change as often as possib le to help with strong odors, at least 2 times per week.
2. Consider a Cat Genie (or plastic pail)
If you’re cleaning the cat box often, you’ll need somewhere to put all the waste. If you simply throw it in a garbage, it won’t get rid of the odor.
A solution would be to try a product like the Litter Genie. They’re just like a diaper genie, only you put your cat crap in them instead. In fact, you could probably use a diaper genie for this very thing if you have one sitting around. This helps contain odors from the cat poop/pee you scoop out.until you can dispose of it properly.
Another trick, use a covered tupperwear and keep it next to the cat box. You could even use one of those 5 gallon ice cream pails, then just dump in the trash when it gets full. This is a more environmentally friendly route, since you don’t have to use a waste bag or plastic shopping bag with each scooping!
3. Use an odor absorbing cat litter
There are a ton of different varieties of cat litter out there and some work better than others at keeping smells at bay.Arm and Hammer Clump and Seal and Fresh Step Clumping Extreme with Febreeze are 2 of the best odor controlling clumping cat litters on the market that I’ve personally tried (and I’ve tried several).
This won’t prevent the need for frequent cleanings, but it can help control it.
Fresh Step also has an “extreme” version of non-clumping litter that helps with odor as well.
However, if you have a cat that doesn’t like to cover their poop, that’s another story!
4. Use Clumping cat litter
If your cat doesn’t mind, make sure you’re using a clumping cat litter. This turns the cat’s pee into clumps that you can easily scoop out, so the litter stays clean without having to replace the whole tub each time. This way, you can fully clean the pan once or twice per day without switching the entire litter for a new bag.
This can really help eliminate odors if you keep it freshly scooped.
The non-clumping is less pricey, but the clumping litter lasts a lot longer.
If your cat refuses to use clumping litter, the next two tips may help.
4. Cat Litter Deodorizor / Room air freshener
Using a simple deodorizor spray for your litter box is another way you can keep the smell down. After each cleaning, spray the litter box area with a mist and it’ll stay fresh longer.
You could also get one of those plug-in air fresheners and place it in the room(s) with litter boxes. This can cover up smells, although it won’t get rid of them.
5. Keep it covered, or out of sight
Keeping the litter box space covered is another idea that can help keep the cat box smell down. While they sell covered litter boxes, another idea is to get some hidden litter box furniture. This not only helps keep your litter boxes hidden, but also will help to contain any smells since it’s not exposed directly to the outside air.
This won’t prevent the oh so hard-hitting stench once you open the door, but at least it’ll contain it from the surrounding areas! (just don’t breath through your nose!)
If you’re handy, you can even do a DIY hidden litter box!.
If your furry friend(s) don’t mind entering a “cave” to do their business, you may find it to be the greatest idea ever.
You can check out some creative ways to keep your cat’s litter box hidden here.
Conclusion
Common sense tells us the number one way to keep your cat litter box from smelling really bad is to keep it clean, but that isn’t always possible. Keeping it covered, as well as using a good odor controlling litter and deodorizor can help minimize smells from urine and feces.
All cats are different, and prefer different things. Some cats won’t be picky about their litter type, or where the boxes are located, but others will. The most important thing is you do what works for your cat, and just do the best you can for controlling the smells.
If you can’t use clumping litter because your cat hates it, or maybe you hate it, that’s fine. Just make sure to keep it cleaned as frequently as possible, or at least keep it hidden if you want to keep the smell down.
We all love our cats, just not the litter box!
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