How to stop a litter box from making your house smell funky

Your furry friend has done their bit – they’ve managed to avoid pooping on the floor and done their business in the litter box… finally. Result. But now you’ve got another stinky problem – a smelly litter box!  

Whether you’ve just bought your new kitty home or have had yours for years, smelly cat litter is a fact of life. But that’s OK because, with a few cat litter hacks, it’s easy to sort out. So, take the peg off your nose and don’t worry about the gagging, we’re going to show you how to stop litter tray smelling funky. 

Litter box smell hacks 

It hits you hard – that throat-retching feeling you get when there’s a gross cat poop smell in house. But no matter how much it hurts – you love your cats, and you’re not ready to write them off just because they really do stink. After all, we’ve all left the bathroom holding our nose as a result of a stink we’ve made (yep, we’ve all been there). A little empathy goes a long way. 

Now you’re on the same page as your fluffy ball of stink. It really isn’t their fault the cat litter smells so bad, it’s natural! So it’s a case of reducing the stench, emptying and changing litter frequently, and getting in there to wipe away the misses. That last bit… gross? Yes. Really necessary? Yes, REALLY necessary! The following cat litter hacks will help you get the job done. 

How to stop cat litter from smelling in the immediate 

First up, let’s deal with that foul stench. It’s part and parcel of cat ownership, but there are things you can do to dilute the scent of cat litter smells – like acting quickly when it’s an especially stinky one. Leave it and it will fester. Bleurgh. So out the poop goes, and fast. 

Opening a window will also help. The temptation is to stick the cat litter in a dark corner of the house, away from everywhere, so that the stink of poop doesn’t fill the house on a regular basis. But all that’ll do is trap the scent, and then it’ll gently waft back into the house. 

One sniff… is that poop? Two sniffs… I’m sure that’s poop. Three sniffs… too late. Place your cat litter in a ventilated area and you’ve got a much better chance of that smelly litter box scent not becoming your new home fragrance. 

That’s a couple of easy litter box smell hacks that’ll help control the stench. Temporarily. But, if you really want to know how to stop cat litter from smelling, maintenance is key. 

Getting rid of smelly cat litter on the regular 

We’ve talked about acting quickly when the scent of fresh, steaming brown stuff starts leaking out, and that’s 100% the right thing to do. However, it’s not enough on its own. You probably won’t get it all anyway. It’s very hard to focus when the stink is making your eyes water. 

The trick is regular scooping and emptying. Sometimes the cat poop smell in house won’t be stomach churning immediately, and the litter won’t seem to smell that bad. But give it a day without scooping and that original ‘mustiness’ will start to really pong. So, along with jumping into action when you know there’s a fresh one, give the litter a good scooping at the end of every day. And replace it fully at least twice a week.  

Wiping out a smelly litter box  

Finally, and there’s no getting away from this, wipe away any misses. Hopefully your cat’s done it by accident and it’s not some kind of dirty protest. Either way, the box can be as much to blame for the pong as the litter itself.  

Again, act quickly when you see that brown smear and you’ll have less of a problem. And when you’re changing the litter completely it’s definitely worth wiping the box down thoroughly. Or at least once a week.  

Tip: You want something strong when wet to wipe away the cat pee and poo on a weekly basis, and Plenty Flexisheets is more than up to the job. It’s strong when wet and will get all the mess off without breaking down – perfect for keeping your actual hands away from the gross stuff.     

And there you have it, how to stop litter tray smelling. Remember, you really do love each other, and no pong can stand between you. Put these hacks into play and enjoy sweeter-smelling cat litter… or at least less foul-smelling cat litter. Expectation vs reality, and all that.