Empty it completely, wash the drum or tray with warm water and a brush, dry it fully, wipe the sensor windows, and check the drawer seal before refilling — detergent residue and damp are both worse than dust.
Once a month, or whenever you do a full litter change.
Empty completely
Not a top-up. Old litter at the bottom holds moisture and is what the next clump sticks to.
Wash and dry properly
Warm water and a brush. If you use anything else, rinse thoroughly and let it dry completely — residue and damp both cause more problems than they solve, and strong-smelling cleaners give the cat a reason to refuse the box.
Wipe the sensors
Infrared windows inside the drum collect dust. Ten seconds with a dry cloth, and it is the single most useful thing in this routine.
Check the seal
Run a finger round the drawer seal. Hardened or cracked means leaks, and leaks mean odor and eventually a stiff mechanism.
What not to do
Do not put electronics near water, do not hose a drum with a motor in it, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions on which parts are washable — they differ, and the manual is the authority.
This does not replace your device’s manual. Blade temperatures, locking mechanisms and cleaning procedures differ from model to model, and the manufacturer’s instructions take precedence over anything written here. Unplug a device before dismantling it, check a hot blade or an air nozzle against your own hand before it goes anywhere near an animal, and keep a mechanism that closes or rotates under supervision until you know how it behaves.
Last reviewed 2026-08-17