How to Sanitize a Cat Box

Keeping your cat's litter box clean and fresh is not just important for her good health, she prefers it that way. Cats, according to the Humane Society of the United States, are loath to use their boxes if they are dirty or foul-smelling. Sanitizing your cat's litter box is a quick and simple task, as long as you keep in mind that--in line with the finicky nature of cats--there is a very particular way you must do so.

Things You'll Need

  • Rubber gloves
  • Plastic garbage bag
  • Hot water
  • Mild, unscented dish-washing liquid
  • Chlorhexidine-based disinfectant
  • Clean dish towel
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Instructions

    • 1

      Sanitize the cat box every time you change the litter. How often you change the litter depends on how many cats you have, how many litter boxes they have access to and what type of litter you use.

    • 2

      Put on a pair of disposable rubber gloves.

    • 3

      Pour the litter into a plastic garbage bag. Pour slowly, so as not to create plumes of dust and foul odors. Seal the bag and place it in an outdoor receptacle.

    • 4

      Wash the cat box in hot water and mild, unscented dish-washing liquid. If you have a covered cat box, be sure to wash the top as well. Do not use soaps that contain essential oils (like orange oil). Not only are cats often repelled by the scent, some essential oils are toxic to cats.

    • 5

      Sanitize the cat box with a chlorhexidine-based disinfectant. Do not use chlorine bleach. Again, cats dislike the smell, and bleach, combined with the ammonia in cat urine, forms toxic fumes.

    • 6

      Rinse again in hot water and dry thoroughly with a clean dish towel.