How to Clean Your Cat's Litter Box (Everything You Need to Know)

If you have an indoor cat, you’re going to have to clean the litter box. This video aims to help new and experienced cat guardians alike learn how to clean their cat’s litter box efficiently, effectively, and while having a little bit of fun in the process.

Use the video navigation to jump from section to section and explore all of the tips and ideas in the video.

0:00 Introduction
0:29 Why Cleaning the Litter Box Matters
2:07 Supplies You’ll Need + Preparation
2:15 Litter Box
3:16 Cat Litter
3:45 Litter Scoop
4:25 Trash Receptacle
5:19 Cleaning Supplies
5:48 Litter Mat
6:02 Broom, Dustpan, and Vacuum
6:52 Daily Cleaning
8:18 How to Scoop Clumping Litter
10:55 How to Clean Non-Clumping Litter
11:16 How to Discard Waste From a Self-Cleaning Litter Box
11:29 How to Clean a Sifting Litter Box
11:43 Deep Cleaning the Litter Box
13:24 Litter Box Deodorizers
13:56 Tips and Tricks
15:59 Conclusion

Products Shown/Mentioned In This Video:

Kitty Sift disposable sifting litter box:

Dr. Elsey’s Precious Cat Ultra cat litter:

Litter Lifter litter scoop:

Litter Genie:

Gorilla Grip litter mat:

Carbon-based litter deodorizer:

Best Cat Litter Boxes:
Best Cat Litter:
Best Cat Litter Mats:

[AllAboutCatsYT]

How do you clean your cat's litter box? Do you have any tips or tricks to share with the community? Please let us know about them in the comments!

[localchumb]

my cat watches over me as i do it and i swear she's like, "yea, you clean that nice and well. Heathen.."

[cabot]

I plan to make the cats watch this video as often as it takes until they do a proper cleaning job!

[joelleannaliese]

Doggie waste bags are great for daily scooping! They’re easy to store nearby and also help mask the scent. I use a corn based clumping litter, as the clay litters seem to get me sneezing. I currently have 3 boxes for my 2 cats, and it’s pretty interesting how they have designated different boxes for different bathroom types. For my deep clean: I use a mix of half alcohol & vinegar with some water. Kills everything I want it to without messing with their delicate kitty scent marking.

[feedwinnie]

Using a brillo pad or steel wool will only add scratches to the plastic which in turn will capture more urine odor and damage your litter box. There are non-scratch cleaning pads available. That's what I use when I do my deep cleaning of the box, when I dump it all. Usually I let the box soak first with just plain detergent or something like this. I never use bleach unless there's an infectious situation going on. 50/50 white vinegar and water solution works very well for daily cleaning the box behind scooping. This keeps odor down very well. (And keep your box topped off sufficiently.)Tilt the box to one side and scoop from there... tilt the other direction repeat, spraying with the solution and wiping dry with paper towels. Be sure use a very a good scooper and get all the little broken pieces, don't leave any behind and your litter box should stay fresh and clean until it's time to completely dump it all. I used to use the enzyme cleaners for years but they made it stink worse. This is best and doesn't react with the urine at all. Be sure to wipe your litter scooper and in front on the box where the cat steps out. You can use this solution on vomit, on the carpet, etc.

[blackbeanburger]

i'm surprised about the uproar about wearing gloves... i thought it was pretty normal not to

[DeehH]

Litterbox maintenance has gotten a bit more challenging after our cat developed chronic kidney disease & IBD. Her output has increased significantly so I clean several times a day and do an overall change about once a week. I keep sheets all around the room & down the hallway because after she has a bowel movement she sprints down the hall until it detached and drops on the floor. She also wipes on the bed or floor so that’s when I need to wash her tail & bottom. It’s not easy getting older but we are thankful to still have our 18 year old Jazzy.

[kittylola]

Love your video, but I wanted to share some information about Toxoplasma Gondii.

A lot of people who are pregnant are afraid of contracting toxoplasmosis from cleaning their cat's/cats' litter box. However, keep in mind that if you don't have mice in your house and your cat is indoor only then they almost definitely don't have toxoplasma gondi to begin with. Cats get the parasite from eating mice, birds, and etc that have the parasite. They shed the virus in their feces for up to two weeks. However, the CDC also says the infected feces aren't infectious until it has been out of the body for for over a day, so daily cleaning will also prevent transmission of the parasite.

How does the parasite enter your body? You consume it. How can you prevent this? You can prevent that by washing your hands after cleaning the litter box.

If you are worried about toxoplasmosis, I would worry less about your litter box and more about cleaning your produce properly, cooking meat all the through (pigs, lamb, wild game), washing your hands after gardening, and drinking clean water.

[christinas]

I've been cleaning my cats'litter boxes for years and years and for some reason it never occurred to me that using the hose and cleaning the boxes outside would be way easier than hauling them up and down the stairs to the bathroom tub 😅😅😅 So thank you for saving me some time!

[lynnsmaltino]

I wash and sanitize my litter boxes in the bathtub. I scoop twice a day. And I couldn’t live without the litter genie.

[aprilwargo]

I brought a Litter Robot and never scoop again, and I have three cats. Expensive but worth every penny.

[ilovegoodsax]

I use a clumping litter as well, and use paper lunch bags to collect the waste. The lunch bags are cheap, convenient and easy to dispose of. Additionally, I also don't wear gloves when I do the daily cleaning of the litter box. I do thoroughly wash my hands immediately after the task, which is good enough. However, for those that have a problem with washing their hands in general, then I would suggest you are the ones who should invest in a box of disposable gloves, which are also cheap. 😉

[alicekelly]

Arm & Hammer Slide litter is great, finally a litter that delivers its promise. Nothing sticks to the bottom of my kitties litter boxes.

[msdew]

I use pine pellets in two boxes for my feline friend. I scoop out solids daily. Twice a week, I sift out the sawdust from remaining pellets into the second set of clean boxes. I deep clean by rinsing dust out, spray down with biological cleaner, let it sit, spray simple green, wipe with paper towel, rinse, and then air dry.

[liveyouryoga]

Litter scoops make a difference. Quite often the scoops have slots on them that are too wide.

[Casmige]

I don’t get why anyone in their right mind would THUMB a video like this “down”.

[dottiemathews]

beleive me this was VERY VERY HELPFUL TO ME! i adopted 2 adorable stray kitties (they are about 3 months old and growing! ) and i have two litter boxes. i got to get another one because one of them is too small. i keep these babies in my very large bathroom. i keep their litter boxes next to the toilet and they use it which is great for me. i make it a point to clean their litter boxes everyday when i clean the bathroom. i also want to get a better scooper too. but i like that procedure of how to tilt the litter box then scoop out the clumps! very good info!

[ShrtEe]

You are so awesome for providing such thorough and informative content for cat owners. Keep up the great work!

[karenterry]

Husband is highly immune compromised so I am the only one that cleans the litter box. You mentioned if someone is pregnant they should not clean the box but I strongly suggest if immune compromised, they should not either.

[BryanSolo_]

I’m hoping to adopt some cats soon but don’t really know what I’m doing with all this stuff! This was really helpful! Thank you for making this!