I created these litter box cleaning hacks after working as a cat sitter and scooping hundreds of boxes. This cleaning routine is easy and actually keeps the smell out!
I’ve tested every type of litter, have seen every type of litter box setup, and tested many cleaning routines.
This is the best litter box cleaning routine. I only spend about 10 minutes a week cleaning the litter box. We live in a small apartment, and the litter box doesn’t stink!
Here are the best litter box cleaning hacks that keep the smell out:
- Use a stainless steel litter box
- Replace plastic litter scoops with metal
- Use a large litter mat for track litter
- Make a DIY litter genie for litter waste
- Use naturally clumping unscented cat litter
- Feed your cat a species-appropriate diet
- Scoop the litter box daily
- Clean the litter box completely weekly
- Don’t fill the litter box all the way
- Don’t use a litter box liner
- Remove the litter box cover
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1. Use a stainless steel litter box
Plastic traps bacteria. Even with regular washing.
You will have to replace the plastic litter box at least once yearly. IF you are cleaning it out completely weekly.
But a stainless steel box is a one-time investment.
Better for your cat. Better for your wallet. And better for the environment.
Buy a stainless steel box on Amazon and Chewy.
Tip: Remember, cats are sensitive to changes. Set up the stainless steel box next to your cat’s current box. Slowly transition over to the stainless steel box. Only remove the current box when your cat is using the new box.
The stainless steel litter box hack will keep the box cleaner longer. Plastic traps bacteria. That means the plastic litter box will never get completely clean. No matter how many times you clean it.
2. Replace plastic litter scoops with metal
Again, plastic traps bacteria. You’ll have to replace plastic scoops frequently as well. Especially if you aren’t cleaning them regularly.
Instead, use a metal or melamine litter scoop. Technically, melamine is a form of plastic. But it is much more durable and can stay cleaner more easily with regular washing.
This is another one-time investment. It will stay clean as long as you clean the scoop weekly.
I’ve used the same litter scoop since 2017. I actually think my scoop pictured above is melamine, which is a form of plastic. But it’s much sturdier. And I clean it every week.
Ditch plastic. Clean it weekly.
Buy a metal litter scoop on Amazon and Chewy.
This hack will keep your litter box scoop cleaner for much longer. Plus, it’s also easier to keep clean.
3. Use a large litter mat for track litter
All litter tracks. There’s no getting around it. But a litter mat can help keep the litter in the litter box area.
I used to use a double-layer litter mat. Then I used the Ripple Rug bottom only. Now I have a 100% cotton rug.
But a large double-layer litter mat can keep the litter box area clean.
For the double-layer litter mat, the track litter falls through the layers. Then you can easily dump the track litter into the trash.
The mesh-looking mats do a good job at trapping litter. But it’s very difficult to get that litter out of the mat.
That means you’ll have bacteria buildup, and it won’t stay clean.
Buy a large litter mat on Amazon.
Or buy the Ripple Rug bottom only. That’s what I upgraded to from the double-layer litter mat.
But now I use a cotton rug from Hook & Loom. I like this option the best because it’s organic cotton. I vacuum it daily, and I can put it in the wash when I need to clean it.
This litter mat hack will keep the litter box area clean from track litter. This makes cleaning the litter area much easier.
4. Make a DIY litter genie for litter waste
The litter genie is a great invention. It’s a small garbage bin that goes next to the litter box.
It holds the waste, and it keeps the smell contained. But it’s made out of plastic.

My DIY litter genie is much more sanitary. And it’s easier to clean.
Supplies needed (Amazon):
Make sure the jug or garbage bin that you buy is wide enough for your litter scoop.
Also, I’ve tried plant-based garbage bags, but they didn’t work. The urine clumps burn holes through them. So you will have to use plastic bags. But the litter genie uses plastic bags anyway.
Make sure you buy unscented bags because that’s what cats prefer. Most of the scented bags are far too strongly scented for our cats.
This DIY litter genie hack is much more sanitary than the real thing. This makes keeping the litter area clean much easier.
5. Use naturally clumping unscented cat litter
Cats are extremely sensitive to scents. Their noses are about 14x stronger than ours. So cats prefer unscented litter. Cats also prefer naturally clumping litter.
Naturally clumping litter doesn’t contain harsh ingredients. And it allows you to remove clumps from the box daily.
Cats don’t want to step on and dig around pee and poop clumps. So it’s much better to remove waste from the litter box daily. This also makes weekly cleanup much easier.
I’ve tested 11 different types of clumping cat litter. I’m still on the hunt for the 100% absolute best.
Right now, I’m using walnut cat litter. It isn’t perfect, but I think it’s the best option we have. You can buy it on Amazon and Chewy.
Unscented, naturally clumping cat litter is what your cat prefers and deserves. It also makes cleaning the litter box much easier when you remove clumps daily.
6. Feed your cat a species-appropriate diet
A BARF diet is a species-appropriate diet for cats. Cats are not designed to eat dry food only.

Dry food is very high in carbohydrates aka nutrition that cats cannot use. This leads to a lot of stinky waste in the litter box.
However, a proper raw diet provides fresh, easy-to-digest nutrients that cats can use. So the waste is less bulky and less frequent. It also doesn’t have a strong knock-you-on-your-feet stench!
This diet is healthy for cats, but also makes litter cleanup easy for you!
The smell of dry/wet food-fed cat waste is enough to knock you on the floor. I remember walking into my client’s home saying, “Whew someone just used the box.”
But Jericho eats a raw diet. And his poops are small, hard, and well-formed. There is also no horrendous stench!
My best friend was sitting on the couch next to his box one day. Jericho pooped so I told her I was going to take a second to clean it. She said, “Oh wow. I didn’t even know he pooped!”
Tip: Check out my guide on how to switch from kibble to raw if you need help. You can also use this guide to switch to a lightly cooked fresh wet food. That’s still a million times better than dry and canned food.
Feeding your cat a species-appropriate fresh food diet makes litter box cleaning much easier because the poops are less bulky and don’t have a horrendous stench.
7. Scoop the litter box daily
We should scoop the litter box daily, at a minimum. Ideally, we should scoop the litter box after the cat uses it. Every time he uses it.
For example, Jericho pees twice daily, and he poops once daily or every other day. So I scoop the box two to three times a day.
Did you know that cats don’t like stepping on and digging around pee and poop?
Scooping the litter box daily will also make cleanup easier for you. It only takes a few seconds to scoop each day. Then you won’t have as much waste to collect when you clean it out weekly
Keeping the litter box clean daily can also prevent health and behavior issues.
This is the best litter box cleaning hack because it makes cleanup faster and easier for you. And it’s what your cat prefers which can prevent health and behavior issues.
8. Clean the litter box completely weekly
If you didn’t know by now, cats prefer (and deserve) a clean litter box. So we should clean the litter box out completely every week.
Wash the stainless steel box with hot water and unscented soap. Remember, cats are sensitive to scents.
Cleaning out the litter box will only take you about 5 minutes since you scooped all the waste daily.
I’ve scooped hundreds of boxes working as a cat sitter for 3 years. Unfortunately, many people overlook the importance of keeping the litter box clean.
I had to do a deep clean on one litter box that took 30 minutes to clean. The litter clumps were basically glued to the bottom of the box. I felt like I was mining but not for gold! The ammonia smell was very strong as well.
Basically, the longer you let it sit, the longer it will take you to clean it.
It truly pays off to scoop daily and clean out the box weekly. Especially if you want quicker cleaning routines, and you want your cat to use the box every time.
Cleaning the litter box weekly is a great hack because it makes cleanup quicker in the long-run.
9. Don’t fill the litter box all the way
You might be thinking, but if I clean the box every week, I’ll waste so much litter.

Don’t fill the box all the way to the top.
- Fill approximately 4 inches in a pyramid shape in the middle of the box
- Leave the front and back of the litter box litter-free
- Reshape the mound after you scoop
- Refill as necessary
Create a pile of litter in the center of the box instead of using the entire bag to fill the box. Most cats don’t like the feel of cat litter on their paws anyway.
No more using the entire bag and then dumping it once a month.
Use about 1/4 of the bag and dump it once a week. The same bag will still last you a month. Except now, your cat has fresh litter every week. Instead of the same pee-pee and poopy clumpy litter all month.
Using fresh, clean litter every week will keep the litter box cleaner for longer. Filling the box in a pyramid shape will still make the bag of litter last a month.
10. Don’t use a litter box liner
Other litter box hack posts will say to use a litter box liner. But remember, cats dig when they use the litter box.
That means your cat’s claws will catch on the litter box liner and rip it.
Now the litter is going to dump out into the box anyway. And you’ll have shreds of the liner throughout the box.
This happened to one of my clients who used a litter box liner. All of the litter poured out through the shreds. I still had to use another bag to collect all the litter when I cleaned it out.
This makes cleanup much more difficult, and you still have to use an additional bag to clean up.
Litter box liners actually make more of a mess and make cleanup much more difficult because cats can shred through the liner making litter pour into the box anyway.
11. Remove the litter box cover
Cats prefer no cover on the litter box for a few reasons.
- Covers traps smells
- Too confining
- No clear view of surroundings
Cats have a much stronger sense of smell than us. So they prefer a wide-open space around their litter box.
They also prefer a wide-open space to turn around while they dig and bury their business.
And they like to know what’s going on around them.
An open space around the litter box won’t trap smells and will keep your cat happy.
Final thoughts on litter box cleaning hacks
These litter box cleaning hacks are based on years of experience scooping hundreds of boxes. I’ve seen all types of products and cleaning routines.
This cleaning routine actually works and keeps the smell out. And it only takes about 10 minutes a week!
Remember, the more you keep the litter clean, the easier it is to clean up. Use sanitary litter box supplies, scoop the box daily, and clean it out weekly.
I know it seems like a big chore. But once it’s a routine, you’ll keep the litter box clean without even thinking about it!
Need help with other cleaning routines? Check out how I keep my apartment clean next.





