Tips for Keeping Your High-Sided Litter Box Clean and Fresh
Keeping your cat’s litter box clean helps reduce odors in your home, and your cat will be more likely to use it than go somewhere else in your house when it’s fresh. Choosing a box with high sides makes it easier to keep kitty litter from ending up on the floor. Now, all you have to do is follow these simple tips to keep the litter box clean and fresh, no matter how many cats use the space.
Scoop Out the Clumps Daily
Most odors from a litter box occur from fresh waste, and the smell just worsens the longer it sits. This issue is easily eliminated by removing clumps as soon as possible. While you can always remove them as soon as they happen, you’ll want to make at least sure you are doing this on a daily basis.
Keeping a scoop on the side of the litter box makes it easy to remove waste and move on with your day quickly. If you still notice an odor despite cleaning the clumps out regularly, consider using an additive designed to be mixed into the litter. An additive made from activated charcoal is fragrance-free, but it helps to neutralize odors while inhibiting bacterial growth.
Use Reusable Liners
Reusable liners are a game changer for cat lovers. In the past, you might have had to take the entire box and hose it down while scrubbing away at bits of hardened litter and dried-up waste. With reusable liners, you simply remove them when it’s time and wash them. Ideally, you should have several liners on hand, which allow you to put a new one in while you wash the other one. Most people will need to wash the liner around once a month or whenever they swap out the litter.
Wipe Down the Sides as Needed
One of the best parts about having a high sided litter box is that it stops cat urine and spray from landing on the areas surrounding their favorite restroom spot. But this means you’ll want to wipe down those tall sides fairly often to keep odors low. If you have a cat that tends to spray a lot, you can easily spot-clean the sides without doing a full litter change.
Simply use your preferred cleaning spray to spritz the sides and wipe them down. If your litter box has a clip-on splash guard, you can also remove it without stopping your cat from using the space they need while you clean.
Do a Full Clean Out Monthly
Even with regular daily clump scooping, there comes a point where the litter is spent. Plus, waste can still make it down to the bottom of the box, contributing to foul smells when allowed to sit for too long. A full clean-out is easy with an efficient litter box system.
All you have to do is remove the splash guard and remove the reusable liner to dispose of the used litter. As long as the reusable liner is in good condition, you shouldn’t have to wash out of the box much. If you need to spot-clean the inside of the box or the splashguard, then use a mild detergent such as dish soap to prevent using anything irritating or toxic to your cat.
Clean More Often for Multiple Cats
While these steps will all keep a tall litter box clean, you’ll want to remember to adjust the timing of your cleanings according to how many cats you care for in your home. Naturally, multiple cats might require you to do a full clean-out more often, which may be as much as every two to three weeks. Over time, you’ll develop a litter box cleaning routine that works for you, which helps to eliminate odors before they get a chance to start.
Keeping a litter box clean is easy when you use all of the tools that you have available. From mixing in an odor-reducing additive to using reusable liners, you can turn this chore into one of the easiest ones you do all month.
