How to Eliminate Litter Box Odor In Your Home

Whether you have one cat or multiple cats, eliminating litter box odor can be a difficult issue for pet owners. Not only can this odor make the litter box smell bad, but it can permeate into the room the box is placed in. Also, if the ammonia smell becomes too severe, your cat or cats will refuse to eliminate in the litter box - creating a whole new issue for you. By following the steps below, you can have a fresh smelling litter box and home.

Things You'll Need

• baking soda

Instructions

1. Clean the litter box daily, more is possible - especially if you have more than one cat, and remove the waste from your home if possible. If you can not remove the waste immediately seal the waste in a grocery or Ziploc bag. Sprinkle baking soda in the bottom of your garbage can if you can not take the litter box waste out daily.

2. Wash the litter box with mild detergent - the key to eliminating litter box odor is to start with a clean smelling box. Before you add litter make sure the surface of the litter box is completely dry.

3. Before you add litter sprinkle a layer of baking soda in the litter box pan. The baking soda will help absorb some of the odors.

4. Stay away from generic cat litter. Granted, they are less expensive and can be a way to save money but they are not nearly as effective as brand name litters when it comes to eliminating litter box odor.

5. Invest in an air purifier. This will keep air circulating in the room and will remove any ammonia smell the dirty litter is putting into the air.

6. Choose an odor neutralizing room freshener. Do not use an air freshener that contains perfumes - they will actually increase the smell of waste in the room, and not decrease it.

7. Sprinkle a light layer of baking soda on the carpet and allow it to sit for 15 minutes before you vacuum. Baking soda is cheaper to use than brand name carpet cleaners and is equally effective at eliminating litter box odor.

8. Consider purchasing a self cleaning litter box. They clean up pet waste immediately after the litter box is used, and put it in a container. All you have to do is remove the used litter from the container daily.

9. Change the litter often. At minimum it should be changed once a week, but it should be changed before it needs to be (roughly every 3 days.) By the time the litter box looks like it "needs to be" changed ammonia smell is already being released into the room, and smelling up your house.

Tips & Warnings

• Replace your cat's litter box at least once a year. The ammonia odor from excrement will eventually embed in the plastic, and you will not be able to clean it out.