What’s That Smell? How to Make Your Home Not Smell Like Cat Litter

“Do you smell that?”

Yeah, we all have.

There’s something very distinct about the smell of a cat’s litter box. It’s a special kind of odor that can linger no matter how many rooms away you go.

Luckily, there are ways that you can reduce the stench and keep your home smelling great. 

Trust me—this is coming from someone who has a litter box within feet of her bed. 

Easy Ways to Keep Your Home Odor Free When You Have Cats

Scoop Regularly

This is at the top of the list—and it’s something you should be prioritizing regardless of how bad your kitty’s box smells. While you don’t have to dig for the scooper every time your cat relieves herself, you should make a point to scoop it as regularly as possible. I’m talking every couple of days at the absolute minimum. 

A good rule of thumb is to scoop your cat’s litter whenever you start to see piles. Cats are experts at burying their waste, so if you can see clumps, that means there’s too much in her box. Plus, the more often you scoop, the less waste there is to stink up the space. It’s a win for you and your kitty.

Get Another Litter Box

I know, I know, why would you want to get another litter box when you’re already worried about your home stinking? Adding another litter box will actually help cut down on the overall stench in your home. Crazy, right? But it’s true. 

Try adding another litter box in a room other than where the original one is. This will help spread the love stink out and make it less concentrated. Have more than one cat? The best setup is to have one litter box per cat plus one extra. 

Try Using Baking Soda

You know that old trick about keeping an open box of baking soda in your fridge to absorb any weird smells? It works for litter boxes, too! 

Place an open box of baking soda in the same vicinity as your cat’s litter box (but safely out of your cat’s reach) to help it absorb some of that odor. If you have Litter-Robot automatic litter boxes in your house like we do, you can simply slide the baking soda box into the front of the waste drawer by the filter. It’s like an odor control backup plan. 

Bonus Tip: If you’re using automated litter boxes, make sure you’re swapping out those filters as directed. It really does make a huge difference.

Deep Clean Their Litter Boxes

It isn’t enough to scoop and run—you’ve gotta completely dump out your cat’s litter boxes, scrub them with soap and water, and refill them with new litter on a regular basis. Ideally, this would be once per week.

This makes a drastic difference in the stink factor coming out of their boxes and is one of the best ways you can prevent your cat from getting sick. That’s right—cats can get sick from using dirty litter boxes thanks to all of that bacteria…yuck.

Turn to Nature’s Miracle

Face it, cats have accidents and sometimes they may miss their litter box while trying to use it. One of my cats is extremely long and on occasion will innocently turn around and pee out of the front of her litter box. It happens. This can make the litter box area stink like you wouldn’t believe. When that happens, I use the best pet-friendly carpet cleaner for around her litter box, Nature’s Miracle.

It can take a few applications (and some patience) to work, but once it does, you’d never even know that a cat had peed there. It’s like the name says—a real miracle.

Know When to Seek Medical Attention for a Smelly Litter Box

We all know that litter boxes can stink—that’s just a fact that comes with having cats. But if you notice your cat’s litter box starts to smell worse than usual, or if your cat is using it with more or less frequency, get her to your trusted veterinarian ASAP. Your kitty may be facing some serious health issues, and she needs to be evaluated by her care team.