My Top 6 Cat Litter Must-Haves

These six products will help you maintain a clean and tidy cat litter area, no matter how big or small the space is.

I am a proud fur mama of one dog and four cats. Yes, I said four. And while these felines give me all kinds of cuteness overload, they also sling a LOT of litter. I just finished up our newly renovated laundry room and I wanted to hop on and share the unsexy part of the space. The litter area.

We are able to keep our laundry room clean, smelling fresh, and litter off our bare feet by using these six handy tools paired with a diligent routine. Today I’m taking you behind the scenes of my kitties’ powder room and dishing all my secrets on keeping it clean for them and me.

My 6 Litter Area Heroes

1. Litter Genie. I’m mentioning this first because it has totally changed my life. We are trying to live a less wasteful lifestyle as a family, and that includes ditching single-use plastic bags. I searched for alternatives to bagging up daily litter in grocery bags, and came upon the Litter Genie by the one and only Cat Daddy, Jackson Galaxy. It has totally changed the game and I owe Jackson a Valentine’s Day card for creating it.

Tip: I leave a dryer sheet inside the lid for maximum freshness. I just take it out when I dispose litter, then put it back afterward.

2. Metal Litter Scoop. If you are still using a plastic scooper, stop it right now. They’re flimsy, hard to clean, and dried up crusty pee sticks to it like a magnet. Seriously! Get a metal scoop! They work so much better, you can wash it in the sink, and the clumps just slide right off.

Tip: I wash my metal litter scoop once a month. I have a recurring reminder set in my phone. I also wipe down the litter boxes with Clorox wipes at the same time.

3. Big Booda Litter Box. This is the mack daddy of litter boxes. I’ve seen the cool robot ones that scoop themselves, but two out of four of my cats are stereotypical Frady-Cats and a sound coming from their toilet would freak them out. I love the Big Booda because it’s covered, it’s big enough for our 20lb big fella Anakin, and the ramp catches a lot of stray litter.

Tip: Don’t bother buying plastic liners. If you use a good litter (we use Arm And Hammer Slide) the clumps won’t stick. We empty and wash our litter box every other month.

4. Small Broom & Dustpan. Breaking out the big broom and dustpan is really annoying, especially since we scoop the litter boxes 3 times a day. I keep a small broom and dustpan right at the door of our laundry room. As I’m walking in, I sweep up any stray litter before I even start scooping. That way my feet don’t touch the litter, and the room is always swept clean.

Tip: Keep a small trash can in the room for dumping your dust pan so you don’t have to trek through the house and risk dropping it on the carpet.

5. Double Layer Litter Mat. To cut down on litter tracking all over your house, swap your cheap Target Dollar Spot placemat for a double layered litter mat instead. These trap litter underneath a honeycomb top piece, so stray litter never makes it past one foot of the box. Bonus points, because you can pick it up and pour it back in the box, which cuts down on waste.

Tip: I wash my litter mats in the shower once a month using dish detergent to clear away dirty germs. Kitties don’t want gross paws like we don’t want gross feet.

6. Solar Powered Night Light. Sure, cats can see better than humans in the dark, but they can’t see perfectly. And if you’ve ever tried to pee in a dim bathroom, you know it’s less than desirable. We keep plug-in nightlights in the nearest outlet of our litter area so our cats (especially our 14 year old senior) can see a little better while they’re doing their biz-nass.

Tip: Buy a multipack of these nightlights and put some in your bathrooms, too! Turning on a bathroom light at night totally kills your sleepy vibe and makes it hard to get back to your Zzzz’s.

Show Me Your Litter Area!

Here’s your chance to strut your litter area stuff! First, ask your cats if it’s ok that you share their private bathroom quarters publicly online. You’ll probably have to bribe them with treats, so be prepared.

Then post a photo of your kitties’ organized litter area on Instagram via Stories or DM and tag me @lelaburris and use #lelaimorganizedish. I would love to see your space and shout you out for being a good kitty mama. And if you don’t have Instagram, you can always email it to me or send via Facebook Messenger.

And while you’re at it, be an even better fur mama by updating your pet first aid kit using this checklist.