The litter box has changed our lives for the better. The daily scooping of multiple litter boxes is all over and now we let our Litter Robot do all the dirty work for us. We have several cats and over the years they have really done a number on our Litter Robot. Not to worry thought there is a solution for everything! Yes, even when your Litter Robot smells and makes you question what happened in the box. Here are our top tips for what to do when your Litter Robot is smelly!
Why Does the Litter Robot Smell?
After owning two of these machines for over 5 years I can say all the times the boxes have started to smell is from when we lacked on proper care of our Litter Robot. Just because these litter boxes are self cleaning that doesn’t mean they are truly able to clean themselves.
Litter Robot does a fantastic job of collection your cats pee and poop for you but it does need proper care and maintenance over its lifetime. Odds are if your Litter Robot is starting to smell funky or like cat urine you need to take care of some upkeep items.
How to Get Rid of Litter Robot Smells
Empty out the Waste Bin
Ever find yourself seeing the flashing blue light and think, I just don’t feel like taking this out to the rubbish bin right now? Yeah, same, I admit that I have shuffled the bin, pressed the reset button and hoped that it would last the cats over night. Don’t be me. Don’t be lazy. If things are smelling a full bin of poo is normally to blame.
As soon as you see the blue flashing light appears on the box it’s time to swap out the bag. Bonus tip you can get lightly scented garage bag to help with the smell. Nothing too overpowering though as cats do not like strong fragrances. Trust me you don’t want to do anything to deter them from the litter box.
Time To Vacuum
I dunno about you but our cats are fans of kicking and in general making lots of messes. Sometimes when things are starting smell in the litter box area it’s because it’s time to do a deep vacuuming. This doesn’t mean simply just vacuuming around the litter box. I will completely remove the litter robot and vacuum underneath.
If you have a litter mat in front of your box I highly recommend taking time to give it a soak and a scrub. I will simply fill the tub with a couple inch of hot water and some dawn soap and let it soak for up 20-30 minutes. I have a scrubbing brush and I just make sure to rinse off all the soak and gunk with hot water at the end.
And lastly, don’t forget to vacuum inside the catch drawer. I find over time litter spills when we are replacing bags. That gunk builds up and can cause some unpleasant smells.
Replace Your Litter
The Litter Robot is constantly cleaning your box out and it can make it easy to forget that you need to completely dump the litter and replace it every so often. I find it varies depending on the litter, some brands you can stretch further. Also, the number of cats and litter boxes would be a contributing factor.
A general rule of thumb if you aren’t sure is to replace your litter completely every 2-3 weeks. This of course is a clumping litter, the only kind that is compatible with your Litter Robot. I wanted to mention this just in case you have any other kind of litter in your house.
While you are checking on your litter in your Litter Robot be sure to check on the litter level as well. You will want to make sure that the litter is filled to the line indicated inside the globe. If the litter is low, besides your cat probably won’t be a fan, it can make it so your cat can’t properly cover their business which makes for some not so fun smells.
Check Your Carbon Filter
The carbon filter is located right in the collection drawer. Carbon is a key tool for odor control. Again, like the litter we mentioned above the frequency you need to change the carbon will depend on the number of cats and frequency of use. The general guideline is to replace the carbon strip every few months or when you start to notice that the drawer smells when changing the litter bag.
I recommend saving yourself some money and get generic carbon filters and just trim them down yourself. A standard pair of scissors can cut right through the carbon filter.
Replace the Seal Strips
Did you know that your Litter Robot has seal strips inside of it? These seals sit between the globe and the base of the litter robot. Over time they wear and are often overlooked. It took us a few years to find this out the hard way.
The manufacture recommends replacing the seal strips when you notice they are worn flat or peeling up. You can make them last longer by trimming loose edges between replacements.
Check the Base Teeth
There is a set of teeth that your globe sits on that actually makes your litter robot spin. Over time things can get in these teeth. Remove your globe and check these teeth. Wipe off anything you find with a damp cloth. Do not apply lots of liquid to this location. Remember to rotate the teeth wheel to make sure you have removed any particles that may be lingering in this area.
Deep Clean Your Litter Robot
Of course, this is the most time intensive solution so that’s why I saved it for last on my list. If all else fails it’s time for a through cleaning of your Litter Robot. This means disassembling your entire unit and cleaning all the parts. Note: some can’t get wet so be sure to read instructions before you break out any water.
If you are looking for a shortcut on cleaning out your Litter Robot you can sometimes get away with using wipes on the inside of globes and steps to clean off that yucky gunk. We are big users of Nature’s Miracle for all our pet messes and have loved their litter box wipes.
Conclusion On Litter Robot Smells
That wraps up our top tips on getting rid of those nasty Litter Robot smells that can appear. We hope this helps you get the cat smells out of your house. If you want to avoid facing Litter Robot smells we highly recommend staying on top of routine litter box maintenance and cleaning. This includes regularly changing out the collection bin and doing a deep clean of your Litter Robot once or twice a year.