How to stop an apartment from smelling like pets
Pet odors linger quickly in small apartments because limited airflow traps dander, urine, and waste smells in confined living spaces. Regular cleaning and airing out rooms often fail to clear out the trapped odor, causing anxiety about hosting guests or keeping a pet in a compact home.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Buying air purifiers
- 2Cleaning with Odoban products and Clorox wipes
- 3Stopping high-calorie chews
- 4Cleaning the litter box right away
- 5Putting a fleece blanket over the couch to protect it from claws and hair
- 6Using quality food including wet food daily to produce less smelly poops
- 7Using air purifiers and odor-neutralizing sprays like Maison Berger lamps or hypochlorous acid
- 8Wiping down walls, baseboards, and doors using hot water and powdered laundry detergent
- 9Changing AC filters monthly and cleaning AC vents frequently
- 10Hiring professional carpet cleaners or cleaning services for deep cleaning
- 11Using a small handheld vacuum for furniture and investing in a robot vacuum
- 12Using alternative cat litter brands such as Dr. Elsey's, Pidan tofu litter, Arm & Hammer Clump And Seal Slide, Arm & Hammer Hardball, Sustainably Yours Large Grain, or Feline Fresh
- 13Scooping the litter box 1 to 2 times a day
- 14Using a Litter Genie
- 15Investing in an air purifier with a charcoal or odor filter instead of wall plug-ins
- 16Opening windows to air out the house
- 17Washing pet beds and blankets weekly
- 18Using wax warmers with neutral scents
- 19Putting scented pearls in the vacuum
- 20Burning scented candles or placing air purifiers in rooms pets do not frequent
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I feel like no matter how much I declutter and clean my house still feels grimy sometimes. It’s an old house, and I’m unable to open the windows to air it out for the most part. There’s other carpet everywhere besides the kitchen and bathroom, and I have a small dog, a cat, and an 8 month old.”source ↗
“I don’t want to “panic” clean every time a guest is about to come over and don’t want to feel uncomfortable if someone comes over unannounced.”source ↗
“I don’t think it smells bad, I think maybe it just smells weird lol”source ↗
“I’ve been using Outstretch by fresh step for forever but they’ve change the formula and names and they definitely changed the formula. It stinks quicker and it’s in the living room of my house since I live in a smaller two bedroom Chicago apartment.”source ↗
“I’ve always prided myself on my house not stinking of cat litter 😞 even the wall plugs I have form bath and body don’t seem to be helping lately…”source ↗
“Our 9 week old doodle puppy is adorable but her poop absolutely stinks up the apartment even though we actively regularly clear it & air the house.”source ↗
“My floors do drive me insane!”source ↗
“I’ve been going back and forth about getting a cat. I realllllly want a cat but I have a few concerns: - I live in a one bedroom with an extremely small bathroom , small kitchen so the only place the litter can go would be my living room but i’m nervous of the possible smell (advice?)”source ↗
“do cats really take to scratching on posts and all that or do you find they love a good couch scratch lol”source ↗
“I’m paranoid about my house smelling like cat box and ask my friends when they come over.”source ↗