Have you noticed how dusty your cat litter gets?
It’s true…
Some cat litters are more dusty than others.
Thankfully, there are some simple measures you can take to avoid getting cat litter dust everywhere.
These are my top tips for a dust free environment around the litter box and beyond.
Side note: If you are looking for an excellent dust free cat litter, I recommend this one. It gets a ton of positive feedback about the lack of dust it creates.
Read on to learn how you can avoid dusty cat litter.
Table of Contents
1. Choose a Low Dust Cat Litter
Really, the best way to avoid dust from cat litter is to use one that is designed that way.
The best types of litter at defeating dust (and odors) are clumping litters.
To save you time, a really good dust free cat litter is ökocat Original Low-Dust Cat Litter.
It clumps really well to eliminate odors and it’s made out of natural wood.
You can check my full list here of the best clumping cats litters.
2 Consider a Covered Litter Box
If you’re fed up with cat litter getting everywhere when your cat uses the litter and it’s causing dust in the room, you might benefit from using a covered litter box.
These litter boxes are designed for minimizing odors, but they will certainly minimize the spread of dust as well.
They usually feature a door for you cat to get into so there’s less chance for dust to get out.
Make sure you get yourself a litter mat while you’re at it. This will prevent tracking and dust getting all over the floor.
3. Pouring Technique to Reduce Dust
No matter which cat litter you choose, it’s best to go careful when pouring into the litter box.
You want to pour close to the bottom so that it doesn’t come out too fast and cause a big cloud of dust.
You could use a scoop to fill your litter box if you prefer. This will probably create the least amount of dust in the room.
4. Cleaning and Refilling a Litter Box
If you’re cleaning out your litter box correctly, there should only be a small amount of litter left to empty.
Still, it might be worth emptying and cleaning the litter box outside. Even a light breeze will carry any dust particals away.
Inside the dust will tend to linger and also to land on furniture and floors.
5. Use Less Cat Litter
Another tip if you’re stuggling with cat litter dust in your house is to use a small amount at a time.
This could help because your cat won’t have so much little to move around after they use it.
Just monitor how your cat behaves as some cats might proefer to have more little in their tray than others.
6. Have you Tried Litter Liners?
Really, this is only going to help when cleaning out the litter box, so if dust is being formed prior this this, then cat litter liners might not help much.
However, if it’s the cleaning out the litter that’s making dust go everywhere, litter liners will help combat that.
All you have to do it grab the sides of the liner bag, tie the whole thing into a knot and put it straight in the trash.
And probably not a speck of dust in sight!
7. Use an Air Purifyer
If all else fails and you are still seeing dust in your house, you could use an air purifyer to eliminate any excess dust in the room.
Air purifyers are great for catching all types of particles, including pollen, smoke, dust pet dander and other polutants and may cause allergies.
A good choice of air purifyer is the True HEPA Filter Air Purifier by Germ Guardian.
How Cat Litter Gets Dusty
The vast majority of dust found in cat litters is as a result of how it is transported. More specifically it is how it is handled during that transport stage.
Most manufacturers do a good job of making and packing their litters into bags or boxes.
It has been made in the factory, passed the various quality tests, and has then been placed into bags or boxes.
At this stage there is not really a great deal of dust existing. There is however always a small amount as that is simply the nature of the cat litter ingredients.
As soon as it comes to transport though, then the bags have to be handled, so as they can be taken to the various destinations where it’ll be sold to the general public.
The main problem though is that it is often roughly handled as they are moved on to pallets or other types of storage containers.
It is this movement that makes the litter inside the bags start to rub against itself, and it is this that creates the dust.
The dust can easily build up so as when we open the box or bag, we are met with puffs or even clouds of dust.
Last Resort Options
Wearing a Mask
This might not be so necessary, but if you feel like a mask will help, then go for it.
It’s completely understandable that for some people, things like dust can cause some irritation, especially if you are sensitive to it or have allergies.
These masks are very cheap and can be used a few times before needing to be replaced.
Consider A Cat Litter Alternative
This one I have never tried so I cannot comment on the effectiveness of cat litter alternatives.
From looking at the list in my article though, I can imagine that some of them might be a good option.
For instance, recycled newspaper isn’t going to create any dust. But then I’m not sure how messy that could get.
You’ve really got to weigh up the pros and cons when using an alternative cat litter.
Conclusion On Dust in Cat Litter
My first piece of advice is to check the type of little you’re using, the best type for minimal dust are clumping litters.
An excelent choice for a practically zero dust litter is ökocat Original Low-Dust Cat Litter, or you can find some others here.
I hope these tip help you accumplish your mission to eliminate cat litter dust.
It looks like someone could come up with something you could add or spray on the cat litter to cut down the dust. Surely some kind of water or oil mixture could be used. My living room is covered with dust. Help
When you scoop and when your cat throws litter around, it breaks the litter down quite a lot. What starts out dust free will quickly become dusty if you don’t throw ALL the litter away every 2-3 weeks. The more you scoop, the worse it gets!
Hello! I am really glad I found this article! I am going to be more careful and I’m going to do my best to find a dust free option for my poor kitty cats!! I had no clue it can be dangerous! Store tomorrow for sure! Thank you!
While pouring with the bag close to the box will reduce the amount of dust created by the pouring process, there is another option. If the litter already contains a lot of dust, it could be better to pour the litter slowly, from several feet above the pan, outdoors, and with at least a mild breeze. The breeze would blow much of the dust away as the larger litter particles fall to the pan. This would generate a small amount of dust as the litter hits the pan or the pile in the pan, but if the bag has a lot of dust in it, you would definitely come out ahead.
My daughter in law just bought a litter box with no door. I seen her cat covering the poo and a lot of dust was flying up. Being we just moved into a new apartment today and my daughter in law has put the litter box right by the dining table. How much of that litter box and what’s in it actually flying up in the air? Also the smell is so unbearable now.