How to clean your cat's litter tray step by step

We teach you how to clean your cat's litter tray so it smells and looks pleasant. Look after your pet and enjoy living together.

Keeping the cat litter tray in perfect condition is fundamental when it comes to living with a cat because one of the many fascinating things about them is that they are scrupulous animals. Therefore, if their space isn't clean...they may leave you a “present” anywhere in the house! In addition, anyone who has a pet wants them to feel healthy, safe, happy and satisfied in their home. Below, we tell you how to clean your cat's litter tray and how often you should do it.

Cat litter tray cleaning routine

When establishing a cleaning routine for your cat's litter tray, you should know about the different types of cat litter that are available, since this will dictate the frequency and depth of cleaning the litter tray.

What types of cat litter are available?

Although nowadays there are many types of cat litter, we can generally classify them all into two groups:

• Clumping cat litter: like most cat litters, clumping litter is made up of minerals, mainly bentonite. This material makes the litter clump together when it comes into contact with liquids. That way, apart from the faeces, the cat’s urine can be removed with a scoop with holes in it since the dirty litter separates itself from the clean and the tray stays cleaner for longer. Other advantages of using clumping litter is that it emits less of an odour and the cat litter can be used for longer, until it needs to be changed completely and the litter tray needs a deep clean.
• Absorbent cat litter: this is a mineral litter mainly consisting of clay, which is known for absorbing liquid well. Although this type of cat litter is one of the most natural, the main problem with this type of material is that the urine stagnates in the tray and only the excrement can be removed easily. That’s why you have to clean it regularly to prevent unpleasant odours and bacteria. Plus, clay raises more dust when the cat hides its urine or excrement.

Cleaning a cat litter tray: step by step

What do you need to clean the cat litter tray?

• Rubbish bags.
• A special litter scoop to clean the cat litter tray: these accessories already come with holes in them to enable the clean litter, in other words, the litter that isn’t clumped together or with excrement in it, to fall back into the tray.
• Hot water.
• Mild liquid soap, preferably without any strong aromas. For example, washing-up liquid would be fine.
• A scouring sponge or oval-shaped dish brush to clean the dirt that is stuck to the tray.
• A microfibre cloth or kitchen paper to dry the cat litter tray thoroughly, since it's vital it doesn’t get damp.
• Latex gloves for those who are more scrupulous.

How to clean a cat litter tray and disinfect it completely

• Place the rubbish bag on the floor and empty the litter inside it, use a litter scoop to scrape all the dirt from the litter tray.
• Once empty, pour hot water into the tray with a few drops of soap and scrub the litter tray with the brush to remove all the remaining dirt. Rinse with plenty of cold water to remove the soap. Also remember to clean the top of closed litter trays or those with hoods.
• Dry all corners of the litter tray so it doesn't get damp. 

How often to clean a cat litter tray

• In the case of clumping litter: remove the excrement and urine twice a week, completely empty the litter once a week and deep clean it every two weeks.
• In the case of absorbent litter: remove the excrement each day, empty the litter and deep clean the litter tray each week.