Cats are lovable, cute, quirky, funny, and just adorable, but they do bring that cat smell into the home, whether you want it or not. We love our funny felines, but it is also to keep the house smelling fresh—and we don’t mean by dousing the entire house with air fresheners.
There are several areas of the house that need to be part of your plan of action if the cat smell is to be eliminated completely. Let’s start with the most obvious:
The Litter Box – Keep it Clean!
It is obvious why this should be your first area of concern. To deal with the smell of the litter box it is important to scoop and clean as often as possible (the more the better), and try to dispose of the waste outside of the house instead of just dumping it in the garbage can.
While keeping the litter clean it is important to change the litter frequently, and do make sure you do not use scented litter as that merely covers up the odor which just ends up creating a mesh of smells that is not pleasant anyway. There are a couple of other steps you can take, each time you change the litter, to be even more thorough: wash the litter box with each litter change, and also line the bottom of the box with baking soda (it works as a deodorizer).
Lastly, no matter how clean you keep the litter box, since it is made of plastic, some of the odor will just sink into the material, so it is important to change the litter box at least once per year.
Keep Your House Clean!
Cats love to explore, so they are going to find their way into every nook and cranny sooner or later, so it is important to keep a clean house. Vacuuming is especially helpful since it will help get rid of the shedding hair that will inevitably be all over your home.
Vacuum everything! Don’t just vacuum the floor—vacuum carpets, draperies, rugs, couches, chairs, and any other surface that the cat has access to (and that lends itself to vacuuming).
Groom Your Cat
Regular grooming, whether done at home or by a professional groomer can help reduce pet smell. This was obvious, but needs mentioning.
HVAC Filters & Purifiers
Odors travel through the air, so it is important to keep the air inside your house clean, and you can accomplish this by changing your HVAC filter on a regular basis (every 2 to 3 months). Additionally, adding an air purifier to the mix will not only help keep the air in your home clean but also reduce the burden on the HVAC filter.
Odds & Ends
Aside from keeping a clean house, it can also be helpful to wash linens, bed covers, couch throws, pillows, and any other washable surface clean. This will contribute greatly to reducing the cat smell throughout your home.
It is also important to keep the area where your cat eats and drinks clean. Keep the feeing area clean, and don’t leave out the food bowl (of course, wash it before putting it away). The water should be changed daily and the water bowl should be washed with soap at least a few times a week.
All these efforts can help contribute to reducing the cat smell in your home. It is almost impossible to eliminate the odor completely, but with great effort you can come close.
