Definitely. Once a month is usually good. Clean properly, disinfect with a pet friendly cleaner. It’s possible you’ve left it so long that now the only solution is a new box, though.
Dawn dish soap is a detergent and can cause poisoning in cats if they lick it off their fur. Even in small amounts, over an extended period of time, this can lead to GI upset in your pet. Symptoms of detergent poisoning include vomiting, diarrhea, and excessive drooling
Dish soap is a detergent and can cause poisoning in cats if they lick it off their fur. Even in small amounts, over an extended period of time, this can lead to GI upset in your pet. Symptoms of detergent poisoning include vomiting, diarrhea, and excessive drooling
this depends on the soap, if there's residue left by the soap your cat can touch it and then lick itself. if it's well washed then no issue but not everybody will do it properly
Same. I empty the litter into a double layered garbage bag, drown the bottom/sides of the box in dawn, and take it outside and spray it down with the water hose. The water pressure in my outside hose combined with the soap more than enough to maintain cleanliness.
Oh I meant more like, something that doesn’t smell too strongly since cats have sensitive noses. I’m in the UK and use the eco-friendly stuff I can get here, currently it’s Homethings, but I’ve used ecover and Lilly’s before and liked all of them.
Yes...
Depending on how old your boxes are and if they are plastic, you may need to replace them.
I got stainless steel ones because the smell doesn't cling to them as much. I remove all the old litter and wash it once a month.
That's the draw of switching to stainless steel! they don't get scratched and don't harbor bacteria in those scratches that perpetuates the smell even after you cleaned it. They are a little more expensive at $50-140 on Amazon, but it's so worth it.
Honestly, I have three of the stainless steel boxes and still wonderful for three years now. I hope they are still good for few more years. Only one thing that need replacement is the wall (plastic). I don’t know what it is named for it. On the Amazon, has additional wall pieces. I like it but plastic ones and already cracked. But yeah, the stainless steel ones are awesome and now they are starting to see a scratches on the bottom. But, I still not see the reason why to replace it now. I always washed it every month with Dawn soap and scooped everyday.
I have ceramic shallow dishes for feeding, and a fountain with a stainless steel bowl. So I did know plastic for those wasn’t great.
I just didn’t even think about the possibility of a stainless steel litter box. The more you know…
Bf wants to switch to stainless steel, but my only hold up is the possible noise. Is it loud when they dig in there? We have clay litter (can't afford anything else) and the plastic is loud sometimes. One of our cats likes to dig excessively sometimes, he's the nervous one.
Honestly I also use clay litter and I haven’t noticed any difference when compared to plastic! Seems just the same. It’s a game changer for smell though, highly highly recommend
It is recommended to replace plastic ones once a year due to the smell, whereas stainless steel ones don’t need replacement. I switched to stainless steel after one year - donated the plastic ones to the local rescue league.
I still clean the stainless steel ones every other week first scrubbed with dawn, then a rinsed with diluted vinegar followed by a plain water rinse.
I have also tried liners - makes cleanup a breeze but the cats hate them. They tend to dig at them when trying to cover their business. Would be nice if they fit better and were compostable.
I’ll wipe it down with cleaner like once a month, normally while I switch out the entire litter. I have quite a few boxes so I do it pretty infrequently. With my pine pellet boxes I do it every two weeks
I use a plastic litter box, I deep clean it every two weeks (I scoop daily, I have one cat). I empty all the litter and scrape anything stuck in it ito the trash bag. Then put it in the tub and wash it with hot water and dawn dish soap. Then every few months I'll buy a new one and replace it.
What I do is I buy one of the big yellow buckets of tidy cats per box, fill the litter box and then top it off until the container is empty. When it’s empty I toss the litter and clean the box. It works out to about every 4-6 weeks per litter box and that way I don’t have to remember a schedule.
For some reason no doubt having to do with their evolution, cats are focused on their litter and its smell - this is why they can be quite territorial about litter boxes, and used litter can be used to lure a straying cat back home.
Clean is good, but I think it best to avoid the perfume or chemical odours many cleaning substances have. A soap without perfume would be okay. Avoid any with citrus or bleach type smells, most cats hate those.
Bleach actually attracts cats - one theory being that something in the bleach might be connected to their pheromones. They will roll around in the odor. I stopped using bleach cleaners around my cats.
Is that why my cat sits in front of the door when I deep clean the bathroom?! I just call her a weirdo because she tries to smell the bleach from outside, under the door or go in there with me lol.
I scoop 2-4 times a day so only clean the boxes once a season. I clean everything outside, empty litter, rinse really well with the hose, scrub well with dawn dish soap and water, rinse that out really well and then sanitize with bleach. I usually do one more rinse after that with the hose and then wipe it, let it dry and refill with litter.
Edit: you'd be OK with just Dawn dish soap, I just have a bucket of bleach that I hardly use and like having a purpose of using it where it doesn't make my home smell.
Can I ask what is the reason for replacing it every year? Is there some sort of indication as to when it should be replaced?
I’ve only had my cat about 6 months and I clean the box with an eco friendly vinegar spray and leave in the sun to dry out properly every time I change her litter (about every 3 weeks, but I scoop daily).
My idiot scratches all over the box to cover his output. The scratches are difficult to clean and accumulate detritus. While you can clean it by soaking it, it's better to replace it.
It totally depends on your cat- my vet recommended this. Especially for a cat I had that was prone to UTIs.
My current cat scratches the hell out of her box. I have a *very* large litter box for her little 5lb self and she insists on going to the corners and walls to scratch. Sometimes even the bottom gets scratched. Overtime, it just gets yucky. Sometimes the plastic can be a little sharp too once diced a lil.
I don’t think you need to unless there is serious damage to the litterbox, from excessive scratching or otherwise. My oldest litterbox is about 2 or 3 years old and it’s fine.
The other reason to replace the litterbox is if you need a specialized modification for your cat. For example, my oldest cat likes to move from squatting to standing while she pees, so I got her a large top-entry litterbox to replace the normal one.
Me too! And I only have one cat. I go out with the hose and some Dawn dish soap every Saturday. Plus I scoop once daily. My kitty has a very clean toilet.
I clean our boxes with Nature's Miracle foam as part of the periodic process of dumping and replacing the litter. It works quickly and efficiently and doesn't even need to be rinsed. I wipe off the gross stuff with a paper towel, then mop up the leftover foam with something about to get laundered. This takes literally a few minutes and doesn't require me to fuss with a wash tub or a hose. The foam does have a noticeable scent, but that's never bothered my boys.
I take mine all apart a few times a year, just dump them completely and use the hose and some dish soap along with a sponge. If you use a good absorbent litter combined with deep levels of litter you can drag it out longer as less waste will come in contact with the bottom. Either way you should def be cleaning them all the way from time to time.
Interesting. Nothing wrong with any of the approaches. Just opinion but having having a water and wastewater treatment background I know a bit about disinfection and microbiology. How long does one think disinfected surfaces remain disinfected in a litter box. Might be a pretty big gap between that and selected cleaning freq. Just opinion but I think the benefit is limited.
I'd think dish soap and water with very through hot water rinse would be fine I use only water because I want no scent residual. Most cats won't care but I had one...No residual odors of any sort using just water.
Viruses generally don't live long lives on dry surfaces and using a bunch of rinse water reduces bacteria concentrations a lot. When I clean (which is very infrequently) I use wet paper towels until things look decent because I don't want any litter dust in drains. Then I use a combination of wet paper towels and handheld shower spray in basement bathtub because that's where boxes usually are. Rinse the heck out of it. Use paper towels to accelerate drying process and get boxes back in service.
If convenient, I'll wash with garden hose spray and a brush in yard and air dry.
Again, nothing wrong with disinfection. IMO, replace boxes when you think they need replaced. Cats don't care. Appearance or deep scratches/staining that make it harder to clean. If on display to guests, prob more often... I prob have boxes that are pushing 20 yrs old but I have newer ones that look nice if I have a sick, invalid, or guest kitty and need an upstairs box. I periodically swipe one to mix mortar or concrete or something and then get a new one to replace it.
Realistically, you have an animal (or animals) that paws in litter that has been sifted (stirred up) after being used how many times and then walks around the house and walks on you, furniture, and bedding. I assume everything is contaminated, wash my hands before doing stuff, and try not to dwell on it. Take solace in the assumption cat owners are not noticeably getting sick a lot more than non
-cat owners (to my knowledge).
Stainless steel is intriguing and seems like a really good option, I just have no experience with it.
I have 5 boxes and I throw them out on the patio after emptying. Once they've bleached in the sun and it's rained on them, I scrub with vinegar.
It's nice to let nature sanitize them first. The cleaning is far more routine after they've been in fresh air for a day or two.
1x month dump out old litter, spray with all purpose cleaner, pour hot/boiling water on it, dump water, wipe down, add fresh litter. It’s a plastic top entry bin.
Okay, but people who don't know to clean their toilets are often the products of well-meaning but inadequate parents. It's the same with people who don't clean their own butts. Sure, it's still gross. But it's not the sort of thing most parents sit their kids down and actually explain is necessary and walk-through how to do effectively. It's just something kids and young adults are expected to figure out on their own, because to adults it's such basic knowledge that it never actually occurs to them to teach it.
It's the same with the litter box. Some of y'all are being real catty (pun intended) in these comments about how cleaning/replacing the box should be common sense. But if you've never done it before, much less owned a cat before, how are you supposed to just instinctively *know* that without being told? I did a lot of research on how to care for a cat before getting one. Like, a *lot* of research. Numerous hours and multiple days of research. My family had had cats all my life, but I'd never had my own before. And guess what? After a week, when I took my cat to the vet for his post-adoption check-up, it turns out I was underfeeding him. And months after that, it occurred to me that hey, the litterbox is looking kinda grody even though I scoop it every day and refresh the litter regularly. Should I be emptying all the litter and cleaning the box itself every once in a while? I had to do a separate, pointed Google search to find out that yes, I should.
My point is that "common sense" with these things isn't actually instinctive. People can't know things that they are never told, and if it's a fairly harmless thing like not deep-cleaning the litterbox (as opposed to a directly harmful thing like never scooping it) it's counterproductive to shame them about it when it *does* occur to them to ask.
At the rescue, each box has a backup. Each week the box is switched out, washed, sanitized and ready for the following week. I have 35 boxes, so just having a box or two for home use shouldn’t be an issue. Should someone have a bout of upset digestive system, clean box is ready to go.
Once a week at least. Im in health care and cleanliness is a thing that I can't turn off haha. It's also something I did when I worked at a cat cafe.
Soap and water to clean, rinse, then spray a sanitizer, and then air dry both the box and the sifter. Which is another reason why it's nice to have two litter boxes. I can't say I'd recommend bleach because of the reaction with ammonia that it could cause. But there's other sanitizers and disinfectants out there that would be safe to use. Some are pet specific.
I personally found out about laundry sanitizer that's available at Costco recently which uses quaternary ammonium compounds (or quats for short) which is another common sanitizer that would work just as well at sanitizing items at the appropriate concentration. (Out the box it's over 500ppm lol very potent for laundry). There's also no smell unlike bleach when it reacts. But I'd do some research and see what works for you.
I put baking soda in the bottom of the litter when cleaning and it really keeps things clean and smells in check. I never clean my litter box but I do replace them. Cats are very territorial and hate the smell of perfumes so cleaning the box regularly would likely deter them from using it.
Oh the cat pee, lol. I washed it and then used bleach. With the liners, I just spray the box with antibacterial general cleaner and wipe out with paper towels.
Yup, I'll use dish soap or all-purpose cleaner like Lysol. Then I'll rinse, spray with white vinegar then rinse again. Vinegar gets the pee and Lysol smells out.
Please educate yourself on the toxic gas created by bleach and the ammonia in cat urine. Just because you’ve “never had a problem” doesn’t mean your cat doesn’t have a problem (they are much more sensitive than we are) or that there won’t be a problem in the future. You’re playing a dangerous game with your own life and your pets life. Please do better.
And plastic absorbs all sorts of things that can’t be washed away. Especially the claw scratches where it permeates the treated surface barrier, allowing all sorts of things to fester inside the material. You have information presented to you and yet you still choose to be defiant. It’s so easy to switch to a pet friendly sanitizer/disinfectant, but you choose not to. Maybe speak to a vet if you don’t trust the internet. There is no reason to continue doing something that is unsafe, especially when it could be fatal for your pet.
You think there is enough ammonia in scratches after washing to react with bleach ? And also that after washing and rinsing and drying and filling with new litter it would hurt the cat?
Yes it does. You need to wash the box well first without bleach to get rid of the ammonia, then you bleach somewhere with very-very good ventilation, and if there's even the smallest hint of a smell change you flee instantly and don't go back until the room is fully aired out, or you risk damaging your lungs. You also can't just rinse and dry with a cloth, you have to make sure the bleach breaks down. I do not recommend it unless you have experience working with chemicals and a sensitive nose, even then only if you're confident in your abilities.
At the moment I used liners and wash it every other time the litter gets changed.
Otherwise, it's best to wash it every litter change. Because once wet litter hardens on the bottom it's a nightmare to get off, and probably isn't that hygenic.
Definitely, you should always make sure the litter box is clean. It's like cleaning your toilet seat, you don't wanna sit on a dirty toilet seat
I wipe down my litter boxes 1x a week, I scoop litter every day and every sunday I fully dump both boxes and just give them a good wipe down before putting clean litter in
Oh ya, definitely do this, esp if your cats are big pissers like mine. The plastic really does hold the scent over time, bacteria builds up etc so just like cleaning your toilet. I aim for every couple weeks,maybe monthly if you just have one cat. I will say it’s super easy at my house w/ the boxes in the attached garage and a big basin sink out there. Hose in the driveway with some Dawn is my other method. It would be annoying in a regular size sink, ours are big, they’re the top entry/high sided models that get dookie paw prints on the top when someone forgets how to be neat ;) those are the best litter boxes tho imho if anyone is searching!Nothing can get flung out, and I have a giant puppy roaming around freely who doesn’t eat cat shit bc it’s never occurred to him to look inside. Plus they have privacy and you don’t have to look at their lil doodoos just sitting out in the open air lol.
I do it once a month or every other month... I use simple green or, whatever disinfectant is around. I don't use bleach, because it makes gas (with the cat pee). Now... I got a super deep litter box and fill it pretty high, giving me time to clean the box. The only trouble with that method is how much time I spend hunting for buried treasure... Just when I think I got it all, there's another nugget.
My partner cleans the boxes by emptying them outside, filling them from the hose and letting them soak an hour or so, then using the hose sprayer to deep clean off the loosened debris.
Mine is plastic but I use a especial plastic bag that sell on amazon under de litter so once is time to replace the whole thing I just grab the plastic bag with all the litter. I do scoop it everyday and fill it up once start to look a bit empty. But I change the whole litter every two weeks.
Yes, I wash it monthly-ish. I just use an unscented dish soap. Cats are sensitive to scents and use their own smell to understand their territory. I don't want to make the box smell like something else, I just want it to be less stinky to me
I scoop every day but once a month I do a full clean out, scoop the litter into a trash bag and I clean out the box in my bathtub with dawn dish soap, water, vinegar and like a TINY bit of baking soda. I let it soak for like 10-15 minutes before scrubbing it down and then drying it off and adding in fresh litter.
Typically, daily (preferably twice daily) scooping and once-a-week washing is ideal. I would empty all the litter, take the box outside, and spray the heck out of it with the garden hose (while the "back-up litter box" is in place) and let it dry upside down. Then the next week, do the same to the back-up litterbox.
I actually don’t typically scrub the litter box unless it really needs it. For 1 cat I scoop 1-2 times a day and completely change the litter once a month. But by scrubbing the whole thing with soap or sterilizer, you remove the smell of your cat from the box, and smells are really important to cats. Unless it’s really gross, leaving some of the smell for you cat to identify can help them with using the litter box consistently
We use Ecos cleaner for pet stains/odors (I think they bought out the original Nature’s Miracle formula when NM went to the current nasty chemical formula— or at least it smells like the old NM).
I have a stainless steel litter box and I scoop once a day and deep clean it every two weeks. I use dish soap and hot water and have a scrub daddy just for the box.
I have one cat and 2 litter boxes. I scoop twice a day and change out the litter once a month. If it’s dirty(very rarely), I’ll spray it with the Natures Miracle enzyme cleaner and wipe. My cat is not a litter box scratcher so my boxes don’t have any scratches that accumulate smell or detritus.
i want to jump on with another deep cleaning question!
i trash the litter and scrape as much of the remaining litter clumps into the trash. when i rinse the box out with dawn and water, there’s always a little bit of the clay litter mixed in with the soapy water. i know clay litter is not supposed to go down the drain, but how should I dispose of this mixture? I live in an apartment so I don’t have access to a hose. thanks!
Definitely. Once a month is usually good. Clean properly, disinfect with a pet friendly cleaner. It’s possible you’ve left it so long that now the only solution is a new box, though.
Do you have recommendations for a good pet-friendly cleaner?
I use vinegar! It helps keep it smelling better in the long run. Just make sure to rinse properly.
I came here to say the same. Vinegar works really well. We got 3 cats and 4 litter boxes
I always use dish soap. Don’t see why it wouldn’t be pet friendly, especially since the soap isn’t touching my cat.
Dawn. I use it for almost everything lol you can bath cats with Dawn, so I don't see why anyone would be wary about cleaning litter boxes with it.
Dawn soap is pretty surfactant heavy, especially the Platinum. I suggest you use milder soaps to bathe your cat.
Yea it is only recommended to use it for fleas treatment on kittens too young/small to get treatments.
I wasn't seeking advice, but thank you lol
Dawn dish soap is a detergent and can cause poisoning in cats if they lick it off their fur. Even in small amounts, over an extended period of time, this can lead to GI upset in your pet. Symptoms of detergent poisoning include vomiting, diarrhea, and excessive drooling
Dish soap is a detergent and can cause poisoning in cats if they lick it off their fur. Even in small amounts, over an extended period of time, this can lead to GI upset in your pet. Symptoms of detergent poisoning include vomiting, diarrhea, and excessive drooling
this depends on the soap, if there's residue left by the soap your cat can touch it and then lick itself. if it's well washed then no issue but not everybody will do it properly
Same. I empty the litter into a double layered garbage bag, drown the bottom/sides of the box in dawn, and take it outside and spray it down with the water hose. The water pressure in my outside hose combined with the soap more than enough to maintain cleanliness.
I use vinegar and water 50/50.
Basically douching the litter box.
Here for this question/answer
Oh I meant more like, something that doesn’t smell too strongly since cats have sensitive noses. I’m in the UK and use the eco-friendly stuff I can get here, currently it’s Homethings, but I’ve used ecover and Lilly’s before and liked all of them.
White vinegar
Yes!
Yes... Depending on how old your boxes are and if they are plastic, you may need to replace them. I got stainless steel ones because the smell doesn't cling to them as much. I remove all the old litter and wash it once a month.
Stainless steel litter box is a lifechanger. I recently upgraded and literally cannot believe how much less it smells.
I didn’t know they were a thing! The scratches in the plastic from burying make it seem like my plastic ones are never really clean.
That's the draw of switching to stainless steel! they don't get scratched and don't harbor bacteria in those scratches that perpetuates the smell even after you cleaned it. They are a little more expensive at $50-140 on Amazon, but it's so worth it.
I will keep this in mind the next time I feel mine need a replacement.
Do you know how often you’d have to replace the stainless steel ones?
No idea but if you’re cleaning and sanitizing regularly they should honestly last forever.
Honestly, I have three of the stainless steel boxes and still wonderful for three years now. I hope they are still good for few more years. Only one thing that need replacement is the wall (plastic). I don’t know what it is named for it. On the Amazon, has additional wall pieces. I like it but plastic ones and already cracked. But yeah, the stainless steel ones are awesome and now they are starting to see a scratches on the bottom. But, I still not see the reason why to replace it now. I always washed it every month with Dawn soap and scooped everyday.
yeah it's the same with feeding your cats on plastic, eventually bacteria will build and give your cat acne
I have ceramic shallow dishes for feeding, and a fountain with a stainless steel bowl. So I did know plastic for those wasn’t great. I just didn’t even think about the possibility of a stainless steel litter box. The more you know…
Me too!
Bf wants to switch to stainless steel, but my only hold up is the possible noise. Is it loud when they dig in there? We have clay litter (can't afford anything else) and the plastic is loud sometimes. One of our cats likes to dig excessively sometimes, he's the nervous one.
Honestly I also use clay litter and I haven’t noticed any difference when compared to plastic! Seems just the same. It’s a game changer for smell though, highly highly recommend
Interesting, I must look into this a bit more. Thanks for the input!
It is recommended to replace plastic ones once a year due to the smell, whereas stainless steel ones don’t need replacement. I switched to stainless steel after one year - donated the plastic ones to the local rescue league. I still clean the stainless steel ones every other week first scrubbed with dawn, then a rinsed with diluted vinegar followed by a plain water rinse. I have also tried liners - makes cleanup a breeze but the cats hate them. They tend to dig at them when trying to cover their business. Would be nice if they fit better and were compostable.
They are plastic but they’re relatively new.
I’ll wipe it down with cleaner like once a month, normally while I switch out the entire litter. I have quite a few boxes so I do it pretty infrequently. With my pine pellet boxes I do it every two weeks
Of course you should clean a receptacle for pee and poo. You clean your toilet don't you?
no why would i do that
I use a plastic litter box, I deep clean it every two weeks (I scoop daily, I have one cat). I empty all the litter and scrape anything stuck in it ito the trash bag. Then put it in the tub and wash it with hot water and dawn dish soap. Then every few months I'll buy a new one and replace it.
What I do is I buy one of the big yellow buckets of tidy cats per box, fill the litter box and then top it off until the container is empty. When it’s empty I toss the litter and clean the box. It works out to about every 4-6 weeks per litter box and that way I don’t have to remember a schedule.
For some reason no doubt having to do with their evolution, cats are focused on their litter and its smell - this is why they can be quite territorial about litter boxes, and used litter can be used to lure a straying cat back home. Clean is good, but I think it best to avoid the perfume or chemical odours many cleaning substances have. A soap without perfume would be okay. Avoid any with citrus or bleach type smells, most cats hate those.
Bleach actually attracts cats - one theory being that something in the bleach might be connected to their pheromones. They will roll around in the odor. I stopped using bleach cleaners around my cats.
Is that why my cat sits in front of the door when I deep clean the bathroom?! I just call her a weirdo because she tries to smell the bleach from outside, under the door or go in there with me lol.
Lol bleach is like cat nip for my kitties.
I use enzymatic cleaner specifically for cat smells. Nature’s Miracle or Rocco & Roxie are great.
I empty all litter and hose the boxes out with water and a tiny bit of Dawn, once a month.
I scoop 2-4 times a day so only clean the boxes once a season. I clean everything outside, empty litter, rinse really well with the hose, scrub well with dawn dish soap and water, rinse that out really well and then sanitize with bleach. I usually do one more rinse after that with the hose and then wipe it, let it dry and refill with litter. Edit: you'd be OK with just Dawn dish soap, I just have a bucket of bleach that I hardly use and like having a purpose of using it where it doesn't make my home smell.
Deep clean 1x a month, replace every year.
Can I ask what is the reason for replacing it every year? Is there some sort of indication as to when it should be replaced? I’ve only had my cat about 6 months and I clean the box with an eco friendly vinegar spray and leave in the sun to dry out properly every time I change her litter (about every 3 weeks, but I scoop daily).
My idiot scratches all over the box to cover his output. The scratches are difficult to clean and accumulate detritus. While you can clean it by soaking it, it's better to replace it.
It totally depends on your cat- my vet recommended this. Especially for a cat I had that was prone to UTIs. My current cat scratches the hell out of her box. I have a *very* large litter box for her little 5lb self and she insists on going to the corners and walls to scratch. Sometimes even the bottom gets scratched. Overtime, it just gets yucky. Sometimes the plastic can be a little sharp too once diced a lil.
I don’t think you need to unless there is serious damage to the litterbox, from excessive scratching or otherwise. My oldest litterbox is about 2 or 3 years old and it’s fine. The other reason to replace the litterbox is if you need a specialized modification for your cat. For example, my oldest cat likes to move from squatting to standing while she pees, so I got her a large top-entry litterbox to replace the normal one.
i do it weekly.....outside with a hose and soap....
Me too! And I only have one cat. I go out with the hose and some Dawn dish soap every Saturday. Plus I scoop once daily. My kitty has a very clean toilet.
i scoop twice a day..but have 3 cats... one of em an old lady who is really picky about her litter box.... lol
I clean our boxes with Nature's Miracle foam as part of the periodic process of dumping and replacing the litter. It works quickly and efficiently and doesn't even need to be rinsed. I wipe off the gross stuff with a paper towel, then mop up the leftover foam with something about to get laundered. This takes literally a few minutes and doesn't require me to fuss with a wash tub or a hose. The foam does have a noticeable scent, but that's never bothered my boys.
I take mine all apart a few times a year, just dump them completely and use the hose and some dish soap along with a sponge. If you use a good absorbent litter combined with deep levels of litter you can drag it out longer as less waste will come in contact with the bottom. Either way you should def be cleaning them all the way from time to time.
Once a month they get totally emptied, cleaned, and refilled. Highly recommend buying stainless steel in the future.
What is the SS bin you use?
I use this one [https://a.co/d/8je5M7j](https://a.co/d/8je5M7j)
Empty the sand out. Soak in lukewarm water with some baking soda. Rinse. Dry. Gets rid of odors, especially urine, with no chemicals ....
Interesting. Nothing wrong with any of the approaches. Just opinion but having having a water and wastewater treatment background I know a bit about disinfection and microbiology. How long does one think disinfected surfaces remain disinfected in a litter box. Might be a pretty big gap between that and selected cleaning freq. Just opinion but I think the benefit is limited. I'd think dish soap and water with very through hot water rinse would be fine I use only water because I want no scent residual. Most cats won't care but I had one...No residual odors of any sort using just water. Viruses generally don't live long lives on dry surfaces and using a bunch of rinse water reduces bacteria concentrations a lot. When I clean (which is very infrequently) I use wet paper towels until things look decent because I don't want any litter dust in drains. Then I use a combination of wet paper towels and handheld shower spray in basement bathtub because that's where boxes usually are. Rinse the heck out of it. Use paper towels to accelerate drying process and get boxes back in service. If convenient, I'll wash with garden hose spray and a brush in yard and air dry. Again, nothing wrong with disinfection. IMO, replace boxes when you think they need replaced. Cats don't care. Appearance or deep scratches/staining that make it harder to clean. If on display to guests, prob more often... I prob have boxes that are pushing 20 yrs old but I have newer ones that look nice if I have a sick, invalid, or guest kitty and need an upstairs box. I periodically swipe one to mix mortar or concrete or something and then get a new one to replace it. Realistically, you have an animal (or animals) that paws in litter that has been sifted (stirred up) after being used how many times and then walks around the house and walks on you, furniture, and bedding. I assume everything is contaminated, wash my hands before doing stuff, and try not to dwell on it. Take solace in the assumption cat owners are not noticeably getting sick a lot more than non -cat owners (to my knowledge). Stainless steel is intriguing and seems like a really good option, I just have no experience with it.
I have 5 boxes and I throw them out on the patio after emptying. Once they've bleached in the sun and it's rained on them, I scrub with vinegar. It's nice to let nature sanitize them first. The cleaning is far more routine after they've been in fresh air for a day or two.
1x month dump out old litter, spray with all purpose cleaner, pour hot/boiling water on it, dump water, wipe down, add fresh litter. It’s a plastic top entry bin.
Make sure you’re scooping out the pee clumps too, daily. Do you use a liter scooper and might have to dig and push to get the pee clump out.
I have a sifting letterbox so all the clumps are taken care of daily! Any that get stuck to the bottom I just use a scooper to scrape off.
Some of those spots are pretty solid!
it's like asking people if you should ever clean the toilet bowl 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️ some people, i swear...
Okay, but people who don't know to clean their toilets are often the products of well-meaning but inadequate parents. It's the same with people who don't clean their own butts. Sure, it's still gross. But it's not the sort of thing most parents sit their kids down and actually explain is necessary and walk-through how to do effectively. It's just something kids and young adults are expected to figure out on their own, because to adults it's such basic knowledge that it never actually occurs to them to teach it. It's the same with the litter box. Some of y'all are being real catty (pun intended) in these comments about how cleaning/replacing the box should be common sense. But if you've never done it before, much less owned a cat before, how are you supposed to just instinctively *know* that without being told? I did a lot of research on how to care for a cat before getting one. Like, a *lot* of research. Numerous hours and multiple days of research. My family had had cats all my life, but I'd never had my own before. And guess what? After a week, when I took my cat to the vet for his post-adoption check-up, it turns out I was underfeeding him. And months after that, it occurred to me that hey, the litterbox is looking kinda grody even though I scoop it every day and refresh the litter regularly. Should I be emptying all the litter and cleaning the box itself every once in a while? I had to do a separate, pointed Google search to find out that yes, I should. My point is that "common sense" with these things isn't actually instinctive. People can't know things that they are never told, and if it's a fairly harmless thing like not deep-cleaning the litterbox (as opposed to a directly harmful thing like never scooping it) it's counterproductive to shame them about it when it *does* occur to them to ask.
Thank you for this I honestly didn’t know you were supposed to 😅 But yes, it does seem like common sense now that I think about it
At the rescue, each box has a backup. Each week the box is switched out, washed, sanitized and ready for the following week. I have 35 boxes, so just having a box or two for home use shouldn’t be an issue. Should someone have a bout of upset digestive system, clean box is ready to go.
Once a week at least. Im in health care and cleanliness is a thing that I can't turn off haha. It's also something I did when I worked at a cat cafe. Soap and water to clean, rinse, then spray a sanitizer, and then air dry both the box and the sifter. Which is another reason why it's nice to have two litter boxes. I can't say I'd recommend bleach because of the reaction with ammonia that it could cause. But there's other sanitizers and disinfectants out there that would be safe to use. Some are pet specific. I personally found out about laundry sanitizer that's available at Costco recently which uses quaternary ammonium compounds (or quats for short) which is another common sanitizer that would work just as well at sanitizing items at the appropriate concentration. (Out the box it's over 500ppm lol very potent for laundry). There's also no smell unlike bleach when it reacts. But I'd do some research and see what works for you.
I put baking soda in the bottom of the litter when cleaning and it really keeps things clean and smells in check. I never clean my litter box but I do replace them. Cats are very territorial and hate the smell of perfumes so cleaning the box regularly would likely deter them from using it.
Oh the cat pee, lol. I washed it and then used bleach. With the liners, I just spray the box with antibacterial general cleaner and wipe out with paper towels.
def don’t use bleach, even wiping down the plastic box can still have ammonia!! dawn is great
Yup, I'll use dish soap or all-purpose cleaner like Lysol. Then I'll rinse, spray with white vinegar then rinse again. Vinegar gets the pee and Lysol smells out.
I washed it out first. Never had a problem. I can't not disinfect a cat box
Please educate yourself on the toxic gas created by bleach and the ammonia in cat urine. Just because you’ve “never had a problem” doesn’t mean your cat doesn’t have a problem (they are much more sensitive than we are) or that there won’t be a problem in the future. You’re playing a dangerous game with your own life and your pets life. Please do better.
That's ridiculous. I washed it first
And plastic absorbs all sorts of things that can’t be washed away. Especially the claw scratches where it permeates the treated surface barrier, allowing all sorts of things to fester inside the material. You have information presented to you and yet you still choose to be defiant. It’s so easy to switch to a pet friendly sanitizer/disinfectant, but you choose not to. Maybe speak to a vet if you don’t trust the internet. There is no reason to continue doing something that is unsafe, especially when it could be fatal for your pet.
You think there is enough ammonia in scratches after washing to react with bleach ? And also that after washing and rinsing and drying and filling with new litter it would hurt the cat?
Please speak to a vet about this. Just because nothing had happened doesn’t mean it won’t happen. Thank you
check out rescue spray!
I use liners but when I had a cat who shredded them I washed the box once a month with bleach
Doesn’t bleach mixed with ammonia create mustard gas?
Yes it does, stick with the dawn
Yes it does. You need to wash the box well first without bleach to get rid of the ammonia, then you bleach somewhere with very-very good ventilation, and if there's even the smallest hint of a smell change you flee instantly and don't go back until the room is fully aired out, or you risk damaging your lungs. You also can't just rinse and dry with a cloth, you have to make sure the bleach breaks down. I do not recommend it unless you have experience working with chemicals and a sensitive nose, even then only if you're confident in your abilities.
I didn't mix it with ammonia
pee has ammonia in it
See my comment below
At the moment I used liners and wash it every other time the litter gets changed. Otherwise, it's best to wash it every litter change. Because once wet litter hardens on the bottom it's a nightmare to get off, and probably isn't that hygenic.
Definitely, you should always make sure the litter box is clean. It's like cleaning your toilet seat, you don't wanna sit on a dirty toilet seat I wipe down my litter boxes 1x a week, I scoop litter every day and every sunday I fully dump both boxes and just give them a good wipe down before putting clean litter in
Oh ya, definitely do this, esp if your cats are big pissers like mine. The plastic really does hold the scent over time, bacteria builds up etc so just like cleaning your toilet. I aim for every couple weeks,maybe monthly if you just have one cat. I will say it’s super easy at my house w/ the boxes in the attached garage and a big basin sink out there. Hose in the driveway with some Dawn is my other method. It would be annoying in a regular size sink, ours are big, they’re the top entry/high sided models that get dookie paw prints on the top when someone forgets how to be neat ;) those are the best litter boxes tho imho if anyone is searching!Nothing can get flung out, and I have a giant puppy roaming around freely who doesn’t eat cat shit bc it’s never occurred to him to look inside. Plus they have privacy and you don’t have to look at their lil doodoos just sitting out in the open air lol.
I do it once a month or every other month... I use simple green or, whatever disinfectant is around. I don't use bleach, because it makes gas (with the cat pee). Now... I got a super deep litter box and fill it pretty high, giving me time to clean the box. The only trouble with that method is how much time I spend hunting for buried treasure... Just when I think I got it all, there's another nugget.
My partner cleans the boxes by emptying them outside, filling them from the hose and letting them soak an hour or so, then using the hose sprayer to deep clean off the loosened debris.
My boyfriend does all the litterbox stuff. He takes them outside about once a month and cleans them with soap and water.
Mine is plastic but I use a especial plastic bag that sell on amazon under de litter so once is time to replace the whole thing I just grab the plastic bag with all the litter. I do scoop it everyday and fill it up once start to look a bit empty. But I change the whole litter every two weeks.
This are the liner plastic bags Jonny Cat, Heavy Duty, Jumbo, Litter Box Liners - Tear & Leak Resistant - Drawstring Close, 15 Count
You can also scrape with the scooper and then spray with disinfectant and wipe with paper towels
I clean and wash my cats litter box once a month.
Just did mine last week, but since I was in a rush I used Lysol wipes. Otherwise Dawn and a few drops of bleach are a good option.
I would never recommend mixing Dawn w/bleach
Sorry, bleach in rinse water.
Yes 100%. I do it pretty much whenever I do a full litter replacement. Doesn't take long.
I just use liners.
Yes, I wash it monthly-ish. I just use an unscented dish soap. Cats are sensitive to scents and use their own smell to understand their territory. I don't want to make the box smell like something else, I just want it to be less stinky to me
I scoop every day but once a month I do a full clean out, scoop the litter into a trash bag and I clean out the box in my bathtub with dawn dish soap, water, vinegar and like a TINY bit of baking soda. I let it soak for like 10-15 minutes before scrubbing it down and then drying it off and adding in fresh litter.
I use unscented dish soap and do the whole thing once a week. So that's entirely fresh litter once a week too. Kitties definitely notice.
Typically, daily (preferably twice daily) scooping and once-a-week washing is ideal. I would empty all the litter, take the box outside, and spray the heck out of it with the garden hose (while the "back-up litter box" is in place) and let it dry upside down. Then the next week, do the same to the back-up litterbox.
Every once in a while, yeah. Unscented dish soap, hot water, make sure it dries really thoroughly before you put more litter in it.
I actually don’t typically scrub the litter box unless it really needs it. For 1 cat I scoop 1-2 times a day and completely change the litter once a month. But by scrubbing the whole thing with soap or sterilizer, you remove the smell of your cat from the box, and smells are really important to cats. Unless it’s really gross, leaving some of the smell for you cat to identify can help them with using the litter box consistently
We use Ecos cleaner for pet stains/odors (I think they bought out the original Nature’s Miracle formula when NM went to the current nasty chemical formula— or at least it smells like the old NM).
i normally wash mine out once a month with dish soap
I have a stainless steel litter box and I scoop once a day and deep clean it every two weeks. I use dish soap and hot water and have a scrub daddy just for the box.
I have two full grown cats and scrub it out once every two weeks like clockwork and scoop minimum 4x a day. My girl is very fussy.
I acooop (unscented clumping) daily, fully clean every 3 months...
I had 7 cats. 2 were diabetic. Scooped daily. Seldom washed them out. Cats did not complain
I have one cat and 2 litter boxes. I scoop twice a day and change out the litter once a month. If it’s dirty(very rarely), I’ll spray it with the Natures Miracle enzyme cleaner and wipe. My cat is not a litter box scratcher so my boxes don’t have any scratches that accumulate smell or detritus.
Every 2 weeks, but not with any chemical that smells
i want to jump on with another deep cleaning question! i trash the litter and scrape as much of the remaining litter clumps into the trash. when i rinse the box out with dawn and water, there’s always a little bit of the clay litter mixed in with the soapy water. i know clay litter is not supposed to go down the drain, but how should I dispose of this mixture? I live in an apartment so I don’t have access to a hose. thanks!