How Do I Make My Apartment Smell Amazing?
April 22, 2019 10:16 AM Subscribe
There is nothing like walking into a pleasant smelling home. I just got cats and it smells like them. What are my options?
I just got cats and my apartment smells like them. It is a small 2 bedroom apartment. I keep it clean and try to air it out daily.
I have historically liked candles, but am wondering what other options are out there. I would like something that is pet safe and ideally low maintenance and inexpensive. I am partial to Vanilla.
I know that some people use diffuses or plug ins.
I have a living room, bathroom, kitchen and two bedrooms.
Thank you in advance
I just got cats and my apartment smells like them. It is a small 2 bedroom apartment. I keep it clean and try to air it out daily.
I have historically liked candles, but am wondering what other options are out there. I would like something that is pet safe and ideally low maintenance and inexpensive. I am partial to Vanilla.
I know that some people use diffuses or plug ins.
I have a living room, bathroom, kitchen and two bedrooms.
Thank you in advance
I'd emphasize minimizing the cat smells before trying to cover it up with stronger ones. Your house shouldn't really smell like cats, assuming your cats are healthy and not, uh, thinking outside the box too much. (It can be legitimately difficult if you have a cat that's sick / not feeling well, since it's not uncommon for cats to go outside the box as a way of getting attention.)
Cleaning litter boxes often—as soon after use as possible—makes a huge difference. Cat food can also smell pretty rank; we try to pick up dishes and any uneaten food once the cats have had a few hours' opportunity to pick at it (after that, they won't really touch it anyway).
Beyond that—a nice way to make your house smell good is to boil water with cinnamon sticks in it. This is an old realtor trick that I heard somewhere. It makes your house smell like you've been making cookies or something, but in a pleasant way that you can't screw up (like by making cookies and burning them...). You can achieve the same effect by putting essential oils into a pot of water and heating it, although there are lots of ways to disperse essential oils. Including just putting some on a piece of paper towel and putting it near the intake of your air-handling system (or a fan or an air filter or ... anything that blows air around really).
I also think there's a psychological component to smell, in that people are willing to ignore smells in a place that otherwise appears "clean" but will quickly react to smells if it's in a place that looks "dirty" as confirmation of what they're seeing. So if you keep the place otherwise clean, and devoid of anything that would produce smells (put shoes away, vacuum carpets and soft furniture, etc.), I think people are less primed to notice any remaining odors, or if they do notice, more willing to shrug it off rather than make a general verdict about the cleanliness of your house.
posted by Kadin2048 at 10:41 AM on April 22, 2019 [3 favorites]
Cleaning litter boxes often—as soon after use as possible—makes a huge difference. Cat food can also smell pretty rank; we try to pick up dishes and any uneaten food once the cats have had a few hours' opportunity to pick at it (after that, they won't really touch it anyway).
Beyond that—a nice way to make your house smell good is to boil water with cinnamon sticks in it. This is an old realtor trick that I heard somewhere. It makes your house smell like you've been making cookies or something, but in a pleasant way that you can't screw up (like by making cookies and burning them...). You can achieve the same effect by putting essential oils into a pot of water and heating it, although there are lots of ways to disperse essential oils. Including just putting some on a piece of paper towel and putting it near the intake of your air-handling system (or a fan or an air filter or ... anything that blows air around really).
I also think there's a psychological component to smell, in that people are willing to ignore smells in a place that otherwise appears "clean" but will quickly react to smells if it's in a place that looks "dirty" as confirmation of what they're seeing. So if you keep the place otherwise clean, and devoid of anything that would produce smells (put shoes away, vacuum carpets and soft furniture, etc.), I think people are less primed to notice any remaining odors, or if they do notice, more willing to shrug it off rather than make a general verdict about the cleanliness of your house.
posted by Kadin2048 at 10:41 AM on April 22, 2019 [3 favorites]
Avoid essential oils. Many are toxic to cats.
(I have the same issue, compounded with carpets, so I’m watching this thread for ideas.)
posted by greermahoney at 10:43 AM on April 22, 2019 [5 favorites]
(I have the same issue, compounded with carpets, so I’m watching this thread for ideas.)
posted by greermahoney at 10:43 AM on April 22, 2019 [5 favorites]
Periodically simmer some drops of vanilla extract, a couple sticks of cinnamon, a few orange slices, and a handful of cloves in a saucepan. Vanilla alone is a pleasant scent but I find it takes the cinnamon and cloves to neutralize other scents rather than just sit on top of them.
The pros of this are: no staining, no worries about the cat eating the thing, scent lasts a long time
The cons are: Can't really treat a specific area, have to monitor the stovetop
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 10:43 AM on April 22, 2019 [4 favorites]
The pros of this are: no staining, no worries about the cat eating the thing, scent lasts a long time
The cons are: Can't really treat a specific area, have to monitor the stovetop
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 10:43 AM on April 22, 2019 [4 favorites]
I recently did a lot of research on this and sadly almost every product designed to make your house smell good is at least somewhat harmful to cats. The cinnamon boiling advice above is safe for cats.
If you do go with candles or other scented items, keep them up higher (instead of at cat level), don't use paraffin, and check the particular scent that you are interested in for cat safety.
posted by tofu_crouton at 10:46 AM on April 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
If you do go with candles or other scented items, keep them up higher (instead of at cat level), don't use paraffin, and check the particular scent that you are interested in for cat safety.
posted by tofu_crouton at 10:46 AM on April 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
The electric oil warmers make my asthma go nuts; there is plentiful evidence that they are a health hazard. There's no regulation. Jessamyn's recommendations are quite good. I'll add cedar oil or shavings, which discourages wool moths and has a pleasant, clean smell. I haven't bought it in a while, so I can't link a recommendation. Balsam pillows are filled with balsam pine needles and smell like Christmas or the woods. You can buy lavender locally or online, as bouquets, sachets, or oil. I was given a bunch of rosemary and I sprinkle it before vacuuming, also put it in kitchen cupboards to discourage grain moths.
posted by theora55 at 11:04 AM on April 22, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by theora55 at 11:04 AM on April 22, 2019 [3 favorites]
We have two cats and scoop daily and change litter fairly frequently. When one of them drops a particularly fresh load we scoop, then burn sandalwood or piñon incense, or palo santo. We try to keep windows open (tough in the winter.)
posted by Lawn Beaver at 11:11 AM on April 22, 2019
posted by Lawn Beaver at 11:11 AM on April 22, 2019
Baking soda-- baking soda in "flow through" boxes for fridge and freezer can be put in your bathroom and by cat litter boxes. There is also special "pet" baking soda which you can use as a bottom layer on the litter box, and sprinkled on top of the litter as well.
posted by Hypatia at 11:24 AM on April 22, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by Hypatia at 11:24 AM on April 22, 2019 [5 favorites]
Houseplants can make the air of an indoor space nicer. Spiderplants are very easy to care for and cat friendly (some cats are plant chewers, though, so even if it's not harmful, houseplants do not always peacefully coexist with all cats). Also Boston ferns, cast iron plant, bamboo.
posted by carrioncomfort at 11:24 AM on April 22, 2019
posted by carrioncomfort at 11:24 AM on April 22, 2019
Our method with 1 cat in a 2 bedroom cat.
- scoop daily
- clean out the box entirely once a month with very hot water and dish soap. Refill with new litter.
- litterbox with a hood and door
- plug in air freshener right by the litterbox. Our cat has never shown any health problems with this
I have asked friends and insisted they be honest if it smelled like we had a cat and they all swear it doesn’t
posted by like_neon at 11:29 AM on April 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
- scoop daily
- clean out the box entirely once a month with very hot water and dish soap. Refill with new litter.
- litterbox with a hood and door
- plug in air freshener right by the litterbox. Our cat has never shown any health problems with this
I have asked friends and insisted they be honest if it smelled like we had a cat and they all swear it doesn’t
posted by like_neon at 11:29 AM on April 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
I'm assuming you're already doing daily cat box cleaning and weekly dusting/vacuuming. Before adding smells, many of which cats and people are very sensitive to, I'd get a heavy duty air purifier and add plants that aren't toxic to cats. Then, if you want to add a scent, consider the suggestion to boil spices or vanilla. Another option is to leave shallow bowls of vinegar around periodically. Indoor air pollution from volatile, artificial fragrances can irritate and damage your lungs and those of your cats over time.
Like others here, I also cover upholstered furniture with blankets that can be easily laundered and pull them off before company comes over. Carpets and upholstered items can trap smells. You can also freshen up carpets and furniture by sprinkling baking soda on them, letting it sit for several hours, and vacuuming it all back up.
Changing your HVAC filters can also help to freshen indoor air.
posted by quince at 11:41 AM on April 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
Like others here, I also cover upholstered furniture with blankets that can be easily laundered and pull them off before company comes over. Carpets and upholstered items can trap smells. You can also freshen up carpets and furniture by sprinkling baking soda on them, letting it sit for several hours, and vacuuming it all back up.
Changing your HVAC filters can also help to freshen indoor air.
posted by quince at 11:41 AM on April 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
If you feed them kibble, keeping it in a sealed container makes a huge difference. I have this one.
posted by something something at 11:42 AM on April 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by something something at 11:42 AM on April 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
Put a fan (preferably an oscillating one) in front of an open window and stick a scented dryer sheet behind the fan (the fan will draw in fresh air from the open window and the sheet will stick to the back of the fan). I've also done this with an unscented dryer sheet sprayed with Febreze or a mild, neutral perfume.
posted by lovableiago at 11:58 AM on April 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by lovableiago at 11:58 AM on April 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
Cleaning litter boxes often—as soon after use as possible—makes a huge difference.
So does using a litter formulated with a high proportion of wood, which locks up the nitrogenous compounds in cat urine and vastly slows down the production of ammonia. I like this Catlux clumping softwood litter, which is pretty much pine sawdust with a coating of clumping clay (bentonite). Claims to be flushable but DO NOT flush the clumps, only what sticks to the outside of scooped turds! Your drains will not enjoy a regular diet of bentonite.
Instead of one of the usual feeble tiny litter trays I use a large storage box with about three bags of this stuff in it, so it ends up about 3" deep; that way the clumps don't extend as far as the bottom of the box and most of the litter stays nice and dry. This controls odour well enough that I don't actually ever need to dump the whole lot as long as I remain conscientious about scooping out clumps every day or two. I transfer the clumps into a bucket with an airtight lid and take that out to the garden beds every week or so.
When I add fresh litter to the box I do that by tipping it up and moving the existing litter to one end, laying half a bag of fresh litter in the empty end, then tipping it up the other way and laying the other half in the other end, then level the tipped-up litter so it covers over the new litter in both ends. That way the box naturally tends to cycle rather than building up a layer of very well soaked litter at the bottom and the fresh litter, which tends to be dusty when spread on the surface, doesn't go on the surface.
With any lightweight litter you'll benefit from an anti-tracking mat on the exit path from the litter box.
posted by flabdablet at 12:03 PM on April 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
So does using a litter formulated with a high proportion of wood, which locks up the nitrogenous compounds in cat urine and vastly slows down the production of ammonia. I like this Catlux clumping softwood litter, which is pretty much pine sawdust with a coating of clumping clay (bentonite). Claims to be flushable but DO NOT flush the clumps, only what sticks to the outside of scooped turds! Your drains will not enjoy a regular diet of bentonite.
Instead of one of the usual feeble tiny litter trays I use a large storage box with about three bags of this stuff in it, so it ends up about 3" deep; that way the clumps don't extend as far as the bottom of the box and most of the litter stays nice and dry. This controls odour well enough that I don't actually ever need to dump the whole lot as long as I remain conscientious about scooping out clumps every day or two. I transfer the clumps into a bucket with an airtight lid and take that out to the garden beds every week or so.
When I add fresh litter to the box I do that by tipping it up and moving the existing litter to one end, laying half a bag of fresh litter in the empty end, then tipping it up the other way and laying the other half in the other end, then level the tipped-up litter so it covers over the new litter in both ends. That way the box naturally tends to cycle rather than building up a layer of very well soaked litter at the bottom and the fresh litter, which tends to be dusty when spread on the surface, doesn't go on the surface.
With any lightweight litter you'll benefit from an anti-tracking mat on the exit path from the litter box.
posted by flabdablet at 12:03 PM on April 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
Also, our litter box is in the bathroom and I run the exhaust fan any time I'm working with it. The softwood litter does a pretty amazing job of controlling the incredible stench of cat turds as long as they're buried at least an inch deep, but there is nothing at all that can be done about the stink as they get scooped out and transferred to the toilet. And the bucket of clumps can get a bit whiff with the lid off. Nowhere near as bad as pure clay clumps, but still.
posted by flabdablet at 12:13 PM on April 22, 2019
posted by flabdablet at 12:13 PM on April 22, 2019
So I have a dog, and cannot give you personal reference if this works for cat, but we use this pet candle to help with the stinky wet dog smell. It is very, very effective. it is made by One Fur All, and states that it helps eliminates all pet odors. (it also works on teenage boy stink)
We use fresh citrus, but they also have a vanilla sandalwood. We've had one since December, just burning it for about 15 min when we get home and have about 2/3 left.
posted by alathia at 12:14 PM on April 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
We use fresh citrus, but they also have a vanilla sandalwood. We've had one since December, just burning it for about 15 min when we get home and have about 2/3 left.
posted by alathia at 12:14 PM on April 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
If you're trying to reduce your use of plastic or wax, you can simmer anything on the stovetop in some water. Vanilla, cloves, cinnamon sticks, citrus slices, peels, baking soda....
posted by DarlingBri at 12:57 PM on April 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by DarlingBri at 12:57 PM on April 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
You might try an unscented litter. My husband brought home scented litter one time, and to me the house reeked of 'cat', even though the litter box was fresh. (some 'unscented litters still have a scent, you might have to try a couple)
posted by lemonade at 1:37 PM on April 22, 2019
posted by lemonade at 1:37 PM on April 22, 2019
Buy multiple air cleaners to distribute around the house and run them 24/7. Check The Wirecutter for recomendations.
posted by conrad53 at 4:31 PM on April 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by conrad53 at 4:31 PM on April 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
I know Natures Miracleis more for pet accidents, but I found that it doubles as an air freshener. I spritz it directly on carpets and dog beds and even sometimes skanky gym sneakers near the door. Seriously that stuff really is a miracle! It defunks by neutralizing. Then I just light a few scented candles and you would never even know we have two dogs who very badly need baths and a serious gym habit.
posted by floweredfish at 6:25 PM on April 22, 2019
posted by floweredfish at 6:25 PM on April 22, 2019
What works to keep the house nearly cat-scent-free for us and our two kitties:
1. Dr. Elsey's Ultra Premium Clumping Cat Litter. Recommended by our vet and it's nearly perfect. Amazon delivers us a 40-pound bag once a month. It's unscented, has no other smell, clumps nicely, and has very little dust.
2. We put the open-top litter box under a window and we have a Holmes Dual Blade Twin Window Fan in that window *blowing out.* Not in. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, it vents that room (our laundry room) to the outdoors. This alone solves nearly 100% of the issue. When it shuts off for some reason, you start to think the cats have pooped where they shouldn't. Nope. It just means the box is not being vented outside anymore and that we have to go turn the fan back on. (The litter box has no cover because one of our cats is 19 pounds and too big for anything we could find with a cover that wasn't also $100; we use a $15 big plastic tub from Home Depot and replace it once a year.)
3. We use unscented enzyme cleaner anywhere they vomit or pee.
4. We wash everything they sleep on every 7 to 10 days. Window pillows, our bedspread (which is intentionally just a ratty old thing because we know the kitties like it and because it can go in the washer), sofa throws, etc.
5. Wash the cat litter tub out every couple months with scalding water and dish soap, then scrub it with the toilet brush and dry it with a towel.
posted by Mo Nickels at 6:42 PM on April 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
1. Dr. Elsey's Ultra Premium Clumping Cat Litter. Recommended by our vet and it's nearly perfect. Amazon delivers us a 40-pound bag once a month. It's unscented, has no other smell, clumps nicely, and has very little dust.
2. We put the open-top litter box under a window and we have a Holmes Dual Blade Twin Window Fan in that window *blowing out.* Not in. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, it vents that room (our laundry room) to the outdoors. This alone solves nearly 100% of the issue. When it shuts off for some reason, you start to think the cats have pooped where they shouldn't. Nope. It just means the box is not being vented outside anymore and that we have to go turn the fan back on. (The litter box has no cover because one of our cats is 19 pounds and too big for anything we could find with a cover that wasn't also $100; we use a $15 big plastic tub from Home Depot and replace it once a year.)
3. We use unscented enzyme cleaner anywhere they vomit or pee.
4. We wash everything they sleep on every 7 to 10 days. Window pillows, our bedspread (which is intentionally just a ratty old thing because we know the kitties like it and because it can go in the washer), sofa throws, etc.
5. Wash the cat litter tub out every couple months with scalding water and dish soap, then scrub it with the toilet brush and dry it with a towel.
posted by Mo Nickels at 6:42 PM on April 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, it vents that room (our laundry room) to the outdoors. This alone solves nearly 100% of the issue. When it shuts off for some reason, you start to think the cats have pooped where they shouldn't. Nope. It just means the box is not being vented outside anymore and that we have to go turn the fan back on.
It also means you're not using a wood-based litter.
Seriously, if you're using a sawdust-based litter and your cats are even minimally competent at burying their scat and your litter tray is deep enough that they're able to do so (which, to be fair, no purpose-built cat litter tray that I've ever seen actually is) then the only time there is any need to operate an exhaust fan in the litter tray room is when you're poking around in the tray with your scoop.
posted by flabdablet at 2:17 AM on April 23, 2019 [1 favorite]
It also means you're not using a wood-based litter.
Seriously, if you're using a sawdust-based litter and your cats are even minimally competent at burying their scat and your litter tray is deep enough that they're able to do so (which, to be fair, no purpose-built cat litter tray that I've ever seen actually is) then the only time there is any need to operate an exhaust fan in the litter tray room is when you're poking around in the tray with your scoop.
posted by flabdablet at 2:17 AM on April 23, 2019 [1 favorite]
Another vote for the flow through baking soda boxes. Better to eliminate bad smells than try to outduke 'em with nice ones.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:17 AM on April 23, 2019
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:17 AM on April 23, 2019
I got a germ guardian air purifier to help with my BF's cat allergy and it also helped with the extra cat smells a ton. I still use it when cooking smell gets through the whole house to de-chicken the living room. I didn't run it all day, just for an hour or two in the bedroom or whatever room smelled weird. That plus cleaning the litter box every day took care of a lot of "single cat" smells. Vacuumed once a week and I got pretty good smell reviews from even the very honest cat-haters in my book club.
posted by ProtoStar at 6:58 AM on April 23, 2019
posted by ProtoStar at 6:58 AM on April 23, 2019
We use Citrus Magic solid air fresheners by the litterbox (they are sealed so cats can't get in) and also the spray. It's natural and smells great. A friend who has been to our house an infinite number of times over the past five years just realized we have an indoor litterbox (we have indoor/outdoor cats). We also have a stinky old dog and everyone comments on how nice the house smells.
posted by mrfuga0 at 7:09 AM on April 23, 2019
posted by mrfuga0 at 7:09 AM on April 23, 2019
Seconding Citrus Magic, which in my experience is remarkably effective. I have one in my kitchen and one in the closet with the primary litter box.
posted by mishafletch at 7:49 AM on April 23, 2019
posted by mishafletch at 7:49 AM on April 23, 2019
How many cats? Are they healthy? Are they using the litter boxes consistently, or is there a chance you missed a stain? (Cat pee that's been allowed to dry into a carpet smells intensely bad and is hard to remove.)
In general, as long as you have n+1 litter boxes where n is the number of cats, and you scoop the litter daily, and you have an airtight trash container that the litter is scooped into, and you do a complete litter change once a week - then cats shouldn't make an apartment smell.
posted by waffleriot at 10:40 AM on April 23, 2019
In general, as long as you have n+1 litter boxes where n is the number of cats, and you scoop the litter daily, and you have an airtight trash container that the litter is scooped into, and you do a complete litter change once a week - then cats shouldn't make an apartment smell.
posted by waffleriot at 10:40 AM on April 23, 2019
Regarding the comments about sawdust about wood-based or sawdust litter: I've never seen one that didn't end up tracked around the house worse than a gravel one, that was didn't require more complete litter changes more often, and that some cats simply wouldn't prefer to pee in. Some cats just want gravel.
posted by Mo Nickels at 8:46 AM on January 13, 2020
posted by Mo Nickels at 8:46 AM on January 13, 2020
« Older Stories about surviving "invisible diseases"? | Some combination of Detroit + Toronto, Niagara... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
Mitigating cat
- scoop daily, change litter often
- covered litter boxes in out of the way places
- clean up accidents with enzymes
- vacuum pet hair regularly, even on furniture
- wash blankets pets are on regularly (my sister has a "cat blanket" she keeps on her guest bed and peels it off when guests come)
Improving other smells
- pick a scent and stick with it
- natural smells over artificial ones (so people don't think "oh this covers up cat smell")
- sunshine helps
If you like vanilla, you can actually make a nice vodka (or other alcohol) based spray that is literally vanilla beans soaked in alcohol for a while. Spray on stuff (check for staining first), or a recipe like this is even easier. Poke around.
Other things that are nice and natural include citrus peels (and/or sachets with cloves but keep cloves out of reach of cats). Options like plans growing in places like lavender and basil can make a place smell nicer. I like eucalyptus but it is definitely NOT safe for cats. However hanging some sprigs on a wall where the sun can hit it (and cats can't get it) is an option.
posted by jessamyn at 10:31 AM on April 22, 2019 [10 favorites]