You’ll do anything for your little furry cat—including cleaning the litter box! The furry little cat cuddled up in your lap is as loved as every other member of the family. They provide love and comfort to their owners every single day. Unfortunately cleaning the kitty box is likely the worst part of being a kitty lover. The smell of the litter box alone is enough to deter some people from owning a cat at all. It is very important though to keep that kitty box cleaned on a regular basis otherwise you will end up with a stinky house and potentially a sick kitty. Unless you have an awesome maid service that will clean it for you, you will have to take on the task of cleaning it yourself.
Tools Required to Clean a Litter Box
The feces and urine in can be harmful to the person cleaning it. You’ll need some tools on hand.
- Rubber Gloves
- Dust Mask
- Litter Scoop
- Disinfecting Soap
- Scrub Brush/Sponge
- Clean Towel
- Litter Box Liner (if you use one)
- New Cat Litter
These tools will help reduce the risk of toxoplasmosis which is a dangerous virus that can be transmitted through cat feces. This virus is especially dangerous to pregnant women. If you are pregnant, consider asking your maid service (or better yet your husband) to take care of the cat box for you while you are pregnant.
How to Clean a Litter Box
Daily cleaning of the cat box will help avoid a buildup of feces and urine and cut back on the smell. This involves using the scoop to remove the feces and wet litter. Once a week, it will need a little more attention and a deep scrub.
There are a few basic steps to deep clean a litter box. The first is to throw out the old litter. If you use a liner for your cat box, you can just pull the liner out and place the entire contents in a garbage bag. If you don’t have a liner, just dump the entire contents of the box into the trash bag. You may have to scrape off the dried litter stuck to the bottom of the box. You can use the litter scoop to help scrape it off. Make sure you open the trash bag wide enough for everything to fall inside. Litter on the floor is so hard to clean up! Make sure you wear that mask during this step because it will be dusty.
The second step is to scrub the litter box. Make sure that you use a disinfecting soap. Dish detergents work well. With your gloves on, wash the box inside and out using a brush or sponge. Clean the lid if you have one and the scooper as well. Don’t use an overly harsh cleaner as it may harm your cat. Avoid using the kitchen or bathroom for this scrubbing task. It is best to take the kitty box outside and perform the cleaning there. After you scrub, rinse thoroughly. You can repeat the scrubbing if required. Dry the box with a clean towel or allow the box to air dry outside. Once the litter box is completely dry, refill with brand new litter and put it back in the same spot for your kitty to use again.
Cleaning Tips
Unless you have a great maid service that will scrub down your kitty box, you’ll have to perform this task yourself. There are a few products that make it a little easier. Use a mat outside the kitty box for the cat to walk on after leaving the litter box. This will collect the litter from your cat’s feet so it doesn’t end up all over your house.
Self-clumping litter makes daily removal of feces and urine easy. There are now even self-cleaning litter boxes on the market available for purchase. These boxes scoop the litter each time it senses the cat in the box and puts the dirty litter into a receptacle that you can empty. How great is that? You will still need to empty the receptacle often and perform the full scrubbing on a periodic basis. By keeping your litter boxes clean, they won’t the smell up your house. Read How to Clean Up After Cats.
Related post: Celebrating and Cleaning on International Cat Day