You love having cats at home and don’t know how to clean a litter box with bleach properly. Let’s find out what you need to do with our ultimate guidelines below!
Litter boxes are necessary for domesticated cats: Source: Aspca.org
How to clean a litter box with bleach properly? Well, if you are using Clorox bleach to contain your kitty’s litter as well as urine, you’d better learn the answer to this question.
Cats, like us humans, use their toilets every single day. So, using a scoop to remove their waste twice a day is recommended. Also, it would be best if you clean the litter box at least once a week to keep the bacteria (and other nasty things normal eyes fail to see) from growing there. In case you want to know more about ways to choose cat litter or litter boxes for multiple cats, check out catpicky.com for more helpful and practical tricks. – April R. Natal, Founder of this site said.
As you might have known, cats are sensitive to smell and odor. They tend to stay in places that have a familiar scent and avoid objects with strange smells.
Therefore, if the litter box has a strange pungent smell, cats will most likely pee outside the litter box and even on your favorite carpet!
Knowing how to clean a litter box with bleach correctly will help your pet feel more comfortable and save you from outside-tray incidents.
Contents
Is It Safe To Clean A Litter Box With Bleach?
Source: rover.com
Bleach is an effective chemical in household products specialized in removing colors on fabric and cleaning your house objects. It is inexpensive and can kill viruses, bacteria, and fungi. However, bleach can be dangerous if mixed with specific chemical substances.
The main component which helps bleach do its job is Sodium Hypochlorite, which can react with ammonia, drain cleaners, and other acids.
Bleach is an effective chemical in household products Source: Homeinthefingerlakes.com
Now you may wonder how it is related to your cat’s litter box. It is actually all about your cats’ natural instinct.
One of the substances in cat urine is urea, which is an intensive nitrogenous waste. Urea is not a dangerous substance until it is broken down and produces amines which are derived from ammonia.
Thus, when bleach meets ammonia, it creates a dangerous reaction called chloramine gas that can cause nausea, shortness of breath, irritation to eyes, and noses to both humans and animals.
Sounds dangerous? Yes, but can it be prevented? Also yes!
Before and after bleach usage, you need to rinse your object with water and soap to ensure no urine is left.
When using bleach, you must mix it with water first with a ratio of 1:30, which is 1-part bleach to 30-part water.
Make sure that you follow these steps carefully when cleaning the litter box to avoid dangerous accidents and retain a safe environment for your feline friend.
How To Clean A Litter Box With Bleach
Source: clorox.com
Cleaning litter boxes is a necessary step when taking care of your beloved pet. A clean litter box enhances your cat’s life and keeps your living space clean and fresh.
Cleaning litter boxes is a necessary step Source: Cf.ltkcdn.net
There are many products you can use to clean, such as baking soda and vinegar. But the most effective way is using diluted chlorine bleach to clean. Here are famous bleach brands that you can find in the supermarket:
- Clorox Regular Bleach 2
- Harpic White and Shine Bleach
- White King Premium Bleach
After getting your bleach ready, let’s start to clean your litter box:
- Step 1: Wear hand gloves to avoid chemical burns.
- Step 2: Empty the used litter into a disposable bag and brush all dirt left in the litter box. Then tie the bag and throw it into the trash bin.
- Step 3: Wash the litter box with water and mild soap. This step helps to clear out any urine left before bleaching the box.
- Step 4: Mix ¾ cup of bleach per gallon of water and fill the litter box with the bleach solution for 5 minutes.
- Step 5: Rinse the box again to ensure that all bleach or soap is washed away.
- Step 6: Dry the box by air-drying it or wiping it with a paper towel. It is important that the box is completely dry before the next litter as litter can stick to the box if it’s wet.
- Step 7: Eliminate the strong odor of bleach by using baking soda before adding litter. This will prevent cats from urinating outside the litter box because of the strange smell.
- Step 8: Finally refill the box with litter and let your pet use it.
How Often Do You Clean A Litter Box With Bleach?
Cleaning litter boxes can be a pain in the neck to some cat owners due to the stinky and irritating smell. However, litter boxes are part of cats’ living space and therefore, need to be cleaned and sanitized regularly just as your toilet rooms.
As cats are sensitive to intense smells and love to groom themselves constantly, they also can be irritated by the smell and may choose your household furniture as the alternative litter box.
Furthermore, dirty litter boxes can cause serious medical problems such as feline lower urinary tract disease or even feline urethral obstruction.
So how many times do you clean a litter box?
Source: dailypaws.com
We recommend that you scoop the urine and solid waste out of the litter box daily to prevent the smell. In addition, litter boxes should be cleaned with bleach and soap twice weekly for non-clumping litter and monthly for clumping litter.
Conclusion
Clean litter boxes regularly to keep your cats healthy Source: Cleantechloops.com
Cats are playful and adorable pets that many people want to have in their homes. However, having a cat needs more responsibility than you think.
One of the most important tasks of cat owners is to take care of their felines’ physical and mental health.
Knowing how to clean a litter box with bleach can improve your cat’s health and helps you to keep your living environment clean without any stinky smell.
