Even if you scoop every time your cat uses the litter box, you're bound to miss some. And even a tiny bit gets stinky over time. To combat this, regularly dump out the litter, wash the box with soap and warm water (not ammonia-based cleaners — ammonia can make the smell worse), dry it and put fresh litter in.

How do you keep a litter box from smelling?

Do covered litter boxes smell less?

It's not that fresh litter itself controls the odor; it's just that it provides the right amount of material for the cat to use when covering her own urine and feces. Covered waste has less odor than uncovered waste.