Please note: To help support this site we receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post, However, they don't affect the price you pay or the blog’s independence or views, learn more here.
We all love our little balls of fur when they cuddle up to us in the middle of the night to keep us warm. However, there are few things as problematic as when you visit friends or family homes and return to your only to notice the strong smell lurking from the kitty litter into your home.
The best air freshener to help contain the smell from your cat that is safe for both of you to use is the GermGuardian Pluggable Air Purifier and Sanitizer. You can use air fresheners like the Febreeze small spaces pet freshener or the Glade automatic spray holder for the rest of the home.
Understanding why these air fresheners are good for your cats is important, with many of the best ones specifically not using strong chemicals. The air freshener you are using should not have strong chemicals to eliminate smell but should still be actively fighting the smells.
What are The Five Best Ones That Are Completely Safe For Your Cats?
We cannot predict the size of your house or the complexity of how smell will travel through it, which is why we have chosen the five best air fresheners. These are all kitty-friendly and will help to keep your house with the most pleasant of smells.
However, if possible, we recommend only using two or three of these together, preventing them from clashing with each other. As an assault on the sense from several different types of air fresheners, all fighting together can cause problems for both you and your cat.
GermGuardian Pluggable Air Purifier & Sanitizer
The best way to ensure that the smell is being eliminated and that nothing is being pushed into the air that can cause problems is to sanitize the air. The GermGuardian is a combination cleaner that sanitizes the air and removes odors, making it perfect for the room where you are keeping the litter.
Further, it does not need to be refilled as often, using an internal light system and filters to completely remove everything unwanted from the air. This allows the system to be run for several weeks without needing any replacement parts or chemicals.
Citrus Magic Air Freshener For Pets
The Citrus Magic Air Freshener For Pets is an inconspicuous box that cab be simply placed in the corner of whichever room has the strongest smell problem, with the box lasting up to 12 weeks. Because the box is so small and effective, it can be placed directly in the litter box to help with the smell as it leaves the box.
However, it should be noted that this is not as effective for larger homes, and it does not sanitize the air. It simply helps to eliminate the smell that could be leaking out of the kitty litter; we have seen several cat owners that have these, with the smell instead becoming a mixture of cat urine and citrus.
Hamilton Beach TrueAir Plug
Like the GermGuardian, the Hamilton Beach TrueAir Plug filters through the air in a room to help with the smell from the cat litter. Using this system is also simple, as it has a replaceable pod that is cheap and quick to insert into the dock station.
Placing this closer to the cat litter will help keep all the smells coming from it contained while also ensuring that it is not simply mixed in with the odors. The only downside of this small plug-and-play odor eliminator is that it may not be effective if the room is large and the litter box is far away.
Fresh Wave Odor Eliminator Spray
We recommend having Fresh Wave Odor Eliminator Spray on hand and spraying it into the room where the cat litter is at least twice a day. Like all sprays, it is extremely effective in eliminating the odor from anything that may be causing it, including the cat litter that may be creating a musky smell throughout your home.
Because the spray is aerosolized, it physically bonds with the air that is causing the bad odor to exist, causing it to be both sanitized and to smell a lot better. Many times, these sprays may even make the bad air heavier, causing it to drop to the floor where it cannot cause any respiratory problems.
Febreeze Small Spaces Pet Air Freshener
The Febreeze Small Spaces Pet Air Freshener is a small pod made to last up to 45 days and can simply be placed on a shelf near the kitty litter and will not cause any damage to their smell. It is effective when used with smaller animals and will ensure that any room with a smell problem will be a breeze to live in.
The small pod can be placed almost in the litter box because the smell released from it is not dangerous to animals at all. However, because cats are inquisitive, they may be tempted to play with it, which means that you should keep an eye on it for the first few weeks, as the liquid can be an irritant.
Which Air Fresheners are best to keep near each location?
Having just one air freshener near the kitty litter will not effectively keep the entire house smelling as nice as possible. Instead, we recommend having a system throughout the house that perfectly works together to make everything as blissfully well-smelling as possible.
The best setup is to have an air freshener that focuses on the smell directly from the cat litter, then have something that keeps the entire house smelling nice, and then something for emergencies. Even in the best of cases, there are times where smells become uncontrollable.
Near the Litter Box
Near the litter box of your cat, you need something that eliminates the odor from the box itself and removes any of the mold and other dangers. For this, we highly recommend the GermGuardian Pluggable Air Purifier & Sanitizer as it does everything needed.
This solution will eliminate the worst of the smells right at the source of them, helping to not only keep your cat healthy but keep you safe from the dangers of their litter. Because the system only uses lights and filters, it poses no danger at all to your cat and their sensitive noses.
In the House
Moving away from the cat litter, the smell usually accompanied by cats is a sort of musky one, something that can be picked up immediately by non-cat owners. A lot of things can cause this musky smell, and even after a thorough wash of the house and cat, it may still linger.
The best way to combat this smell is to have one or two of the Glade Automatic Spray Holders spread throughout your house. These refillable holders will periodically spray a bit of pet-friendly air freshener to eliminate any smells that may be working their way around the sanitizer.
For Emergencies
As well trained as your cats may be, there are times when something goes wrong, especially if they are still younger or when they get old. It may be that you used the bathroom or that something you cooked has an extremely strong smell that irritates both you and your cat friend.
For these situations, the sanitizer and automatic system will not be strong enough to help eliminate the smell, the Febreeze Air Freshener Spray, Heavy Duty will be able to help, though. This pet safe air freshener is used manually will give you the ability to eliminate any bad odors that may be in the house.
Conclusion
Controlling the smell of your home is something that all good homeowners are constantly fighting; having a cat usually complicates things. Fortunately, several air freshener systems are specifically made to help you, and your cat stays safe from any bad smell without irritating their noses.
Whatever you do, please never light incense; that’s the worst possible way to help your home smell nice while owning a pet!