How to Clean a Litter Box the Right Way

To clean a litter box, all you need is warm water, a mild, unscented dish soap and a brush. Chlorine bleach, ammonia-based cleaners and strongly scented products are off-limits. Here's how to get the litter box clean step by step, when disinfecting makes sense and what helps if it still smells.

How to clean a litter box: step by step

1. Empty the litter. Dump all the litter into a trash bag.
2. Rinse. Rinse the box with warm water and add a few drops of mild dish soap.
3. Scrub. Clean the bottom, corners and rim with a brush you use only for the litter box. For covered boxes, clean the lid and flap too.
4. Rinse with clean water. Rinse thoroughly with clean water so no cleaner residue is left behind.
5. Let it dry. The box needs to be completely dry, or fresh litter will stick to the bottom.
6. Refill. With TOFU cat litter, 3–5 cm (1–2 in) is enough. Mix in a handful of the old, clean litter. The familiar scent tells your cat it's still their box.

What to clean a litter box with – and what to avoid

Safe to use: warm water, mild unscented dish soap or liquid castile soap, diluted vinegar. Rinse everything well.

Avoid: chlorine bleach, ammonia-based cleaners, strongly scented cleaners and phenol-based disinfectants. Cats have a much keener sense of smell than we do. Ammonia reminds them of urine and can lead to marking, strong scents keep them away from the litter box, and phenols are toxic to cats.

Disinfecting the litter box: when is it necessary?

For everyday care, a thorough cleaning is enough. Disinfect when your cat is sick, for example with diarrhea or parasites, or when your vet recommends it. Use a product that is specifically labeled as safe for pets, follow the contact time and rinse thoroughly with clean water afterward.

Litter box smells: what helps?

• Scoop clumps daily. The most common cause of odor is not cleaning often enough.
• Use a litter with good odor control. Clumping litter that binds urine firmly holds odors better. TOFU binds urine odor with enzymes.
• Replace scratched plastic boxes. Urine and bacteria settle into fine scratches, and the smell won't fully go away, even after cleaning.
• Ventilate instead of using air freshener. A well-ventilated spot helps. Air freshener right next to the box is more likely to bother your cat.

Plastic or stainless steel: which is easier to clean?

Stainless steel litter boxes have a smooth, non-porous surface. Urine and feces barely stick, they don't absorb odors and they don't scratch like plastic. You simply wipe them out or rinse them off, and they last for many years. Our stainless steel litter box STEELOO is made for exactly that.

How often should you clean the litter box?

Scoop clumps every day, and clean the whole box each time you replace all the litter, which is about every 1 to 4 weeks depending on the litter. You'll find the exact schedule for one or two cats and for kittens in our article How often should you change cat litter?.