Most cat owners get used to the litter box smell. Guests don’t. The good news is that a litter box shouldn’t smell much at all when it’s set up and cleaned the right way. If you can smell it from across the house, one of the things below is usually the reason.
The Fixes That Make the Biggest Difference
- Scoop at least once a day, twice with more than one cat. Urine clumps are the main source of that ammonia smell.
- Dump all the litter and wash the box regularly, about once a week for clumping litter. Use warm water and mild, unscented dish soap. Skip bleach and strong-smelling cleaners, and never use anything with ammonia.
- Use enough litter, about 2 to 3 inches deep, so urine doesn’t pool on the bottom of the box.
- Pick a good clumping, unscented litter. Many cats avoid heavily scented litter, and perfume mixed with urine smell doesn’t help.
- Replace an old plastic box every year or so. Scratches in the plastic hold urine smell no matter how much you scrub.
- Have enough boxes. A common rule is one box per cat, plus one. Overused boxes smell faster.
- Bag and remove the waste daily, not into a kitchen trash can that sits for days.
Where to Put the Litter Box
Pick a spot with airflow, away from the kitchen and away from the AC return vent, which can pull the smell into the system and blow it through every room. Avoid small closed closets and the AC closet. A laundry room or a bathroom with the exhaust fan running works well. Put a washable mat under the box and clean the floor around it often, since stray urine and litter on the floor add to the smell.
If the Smell Is Coming From Outside the Box
If your cat is going outside the box, the smell is probably in carpet, rugs, baseboards or furniture. Use an enzyme cleaner deep enough to reach the carpet pad. See how to get rid of dog and cat urine smell. A cat that suddenly stops using the box can have a medical problem, so check with your veterinarian. A sharp ammonia smell that isn’t near the box can also have other causes: see why your house smells like ammonia.
Apartments and Small Spaces
In a small unit, the box is never far from where you live and sleep, so scooping twice a day and keeping the bathroom fan running make a big difference. Change the AC filter often, since cat hair and litter dust clog it fast. Moving out? Landlords take cat odor seriously; see getting rid of odors between tenants.
When the Whole House Smells Like Cat
After months or years, cat odor settles into carpet, furniture, walls and the AC system. Clean or replace urine-soaked carpet pad first. Then our whole-home odor removal treatment treats the air throughout the entire home, including one AC system and an attached garage. Everyone, including pets, needs to be out for about 8 hours. It’s an odor treatment only, so soaked materials still have to be cleaned or replaced. See also how to get a smell out of carpet and a couch. Smell something different? See our smell-by-smell guide.
Whole-Home Odor Removal in South Florida: $997
Our Whole-Home Odor Removal Treatment is $997 and includes one AC system ($550 for each additional AC unit). You can buy and schedule it online, or call 877-224-2532 to request a free visual inspection. We answer 24/7; when you call, we’ll tell you honestly when a technician can be there based on that day’s schedule. Hablamos español.
About the author: James Rice-Peña is the owner of FL Cleanup and a Florida-licensed Mold Assessor (MRSA4035) and Mold Remediator (MRSR4158). He has worked in property restoration in South Florida since 2012, and FL Cleanup has earned 200+ five-star Google reviews.
