Heavy cleaning of cleaning litter boxes

[papa cat]

I clean solids out every day and change the litter about every five days, but beyond that I don't do anything.
Yesterday I realised that a heavy clean was necessary as they had become badly soiled.
I managed to remove the soiling that was on the sides and base with Flash all purpose cleaner then used a disinfectant specifically intended for litter boxes.
However a hard white scale still remains on the base (it looks like Limescale ) I have tried Viakal and a toilet cleaner claimed to remove Limescale, both without hardly any success. My next thoughts are to use either another brand of toilet cleaner or even caustic soda.
Can anyone make any other suggestions please ?

[booktigger]

Depending on how old the litter trays are, you might want to replace and then clean regularly

[Ruth B]

I would also think that it might be time to replace the trays if they won't come clean, anything like the residue you describe is prime breeding ground for bacteria.

If it is something like limescale then caustic soda won't do anything as both are alkaline, you want something acidic to dissolve limescale (my personal favourite for dissolving limescale on anything food related is citric acid, bought in powder form for wine making, dissolved in water it works a treat and as it is meant for wine making it is food grade so safe).

I use a clumping deep litter option and clean any solids and lumps out once or twice a day depending on use. Approximately every 10 -14 days they get fully emptied and soaked with bleach, before being refilled with clean litter. I have had the trays for about 10 years one of which has been in almost constant use and neither has any residue like you describe on it.

[Kay]

the recent findings on the dangers of using bleach and disinfectants might mean having a rethink, Ruth

and I have that white deposit on my litter box, but as I use a white clay litter, I have always assumed its just the dust from that getting embedded in the scratching that the cats leave on the base of the tray, and not anything to worry about

[Janey]

I use clumping litter and clean out when my cat has been, that’s once a day usually. I do a full empty and clean about every 1-2 weeks.

and I have that white deposit on my litter box, but as I use a white clay litter, I have always assumed its just the dust from that getting embedded in the scratching that the cats leave on the base of the tray, and not anything to worry about

Yep I’ve always had that at the bottom of my litter trays too, over time. It shows up more if the trays are dark coloured.

[bobbys girl]

I use wood pellets and have never had that problem. The trays get a thorough clean once a week. I use Ecover toilet cleaner, sometimes citric acid or lemon juice/oil.

[Marla]

I think what you're describing might be damage from urine and doesn't wash away.

We disinfectant weekly with Safe 4 disinfectant (I like the clear version), leave it for 10 minutes and then rinse and dry.

[Ruth B]

I haven't heard of any problems regarding cats and bleach (except when using to clean where you don't want them to pee), any chance of giving a quick summary of the problem or better still a link to it, its certainly something I would like to know more about.

I always make sure the trays are well rinsed and dried before I refill them so hopefully that has minimised the risk of any problem.

[Kay]

https://inews.co.uk/essentials/news/hea ... g-disease/

it might not do pets any harm, of course, but I personally avoid stuff like bleach on environmental grounds, and clean with very hot water and washing up liquid

[booktigger]

https://inews.co.uk/essentials/news/hea ... g-disease/

it might not do pets any harm, of course, but I personally avoid stuff like bleach on environmental grounds, and clean with very hot water and washing up liquid

I think that would only affect people who have prolonged contact in possibly not well ventilated places - I don't use it as it flares my asthma up

[Red wine lady]

I am obviously in the minority but I change litter daily! Frankly my large beautiful boy poo's more than a horse and wee's as if he has been on the beer all night!!! Sometimes I may get away with every other day but never any more. My cat litter bill is high.

Ps...The Range have got large Catstan on offer at £7.95 xx

[Ruth B]

Reading that I don't think a once a week soak and rinse is going to do much harm, particularly as the litter tray is left to soak in a room with the window open and the door shut. It sounds like it is mainly about people who are using bleach most of the day at work and constantly breathing the fumes in.

Unfortunately most chemicals have a detrimental effect on the environment in large enough quantities whether they are bleach, washing up liquid or just plain milk. There is even a safety data sheet for purified or distilled water with details of what to do in the event of a spill (wash down with copious amounts of water, and no, I'm not joking) Boiling water s a good option, but then you have to take into account the energy used to boil the water and where that energy comes from.

Having done an Environmental Science Degree it has left me with a very jaded view of things.

[Kay]

I must be honest here and admit my main motivation in giving up bleach had little to do with health and the environment, and quite a bit to do with the white patches that kept appearing on my trousers

[MarySkater]

I must be honest here and admit my main motivation in giving up bleach had little to do with health and the environment, and quite a bit to do with the white patches that kept appearing on my trousers

You should have worn white trousers for the job!

[don1976]

I think what you're describing might be damage from urine and doesn't wash away.

We disinfectant weekly with Safe 4 disinfectant (I like the clear version), leave it for 10 minutes and then rinse and dry.

I'm pretty sure it'll be from the urine. It will be a type of 'scaling' where we have seen something similar with hamster toilets. Granted our past experience has only been with hamsters, but the best way to clear it was to scrape it off.

[papa cat]

I managed to get it all off using Domestos Zero Limescale remover. It took quite a few applications over a number of days!
I also bought a new litter box as well.

[bobbys girl]

Reading that I don't think a once a week soak and rinse is going to do much harm, particularly as the litter tray is left to soak in a room with the window open and the door shut. It sounds like it is mainly about people who are using bleach most of the day at work and constantly breathing the fumes in.

Unfortunately most chemicals have a detrimental effect on the environment in large enough quantities whether they are bleach, washing up liquid or just plain milk. There is even a safety data sheet for purified or distilled water with details of what to do in the event of a spill (wash down with copious amounts of water, and no, I'm not joking) Boiling water s a good option, but then you have to take into account the energy used to boil the water and where that energy comes from.

Having done an Environmental Science Degree it has left me with a very jaded view of things.

As an aside to this thread, I find it really strange that clothes are labelled 'if it's not dirty, wash at 30'. Surely if it's not dirty - why are you washing it at all???

In the rush to be kind to the environment we seem to be missing something. In the past year I have switched all my cleaning products (including soaps and shampoos) to more natural, less petrochemical cleaners. I find liquid castille soap and a higher temperature (40 °) does the job just fine. OK I'm using a tiny bit more power BUT not filling the rivers with endocrine disrupting chemicals. It also costs less than the cupboard full of cxxp that I used to use. Also cats have stopped sneezing when I put a wash on.

[don1976]

Reading that I don't think a once a week soak and rinse is going to do much harm, particularly as the litter tray is left to soak in a room with the window open and the door shut. It sounds like it is mainly about people who are using bleach most of the day at work and constantly breathing the fumes in.

Unfortunately most chemicals have a detrimental effect on the environment in large enough quantities whether they are bleach, washing up liquid or just plain milk. There is even a safety data sheet for purified or distilled water with details of what to do in the event of a spill (wash down with copious amounts of water, and no, I'm not joking) Boiling water s a good option, but then you have to take into account the energy used to boil the water and where that energy comes from.

Having done an Environmental Science Degree it has left me with a very jaded view of things.

As an aside to this thread, I find it really strange that clothes are labelled 'if it's not dirty, wash at 30'. Surely if it's not dirty - why are you washing it at all???

In the rush to be kind to the environment we seem to be missing something. In the past year I have switched all my cleaning products (including soaps and shampoos) to more natural, less petrochemical cleaners. I find liquid castille soap and a higher temperature (40 °) does the job just fine. OK I'm using a tiny bit more power BUT not filling the rivers with endocrine disrupting chemicals. It also costs less than the cupboard full of cxxp that I used to use. Also cats have stopped sneezing when I put a wash on.

I know what you mean about the laundry. The Wash at 30 thing is a catchy slogan, but the laundry industry is probably pushing things as far as it can with squeezing the utility consumptions nowadays. A washing machine needs certain things to wash the laundry. Time, Temperature, Mechanical action (including water) & Chemical action. Generally, if you're going to reduce one of these parts of the equation, you need to balance it by increasing something else in order to achieve an adequate wash quality. That's why washing machine cycles tend to take so much longer than they used to do. Water levels have reduced, so contact time has had to increase.