MomRed decided that the litter box was too stout. Specifically, the scent of the litter box, whenever we couldn’t open the window for a few minutes/day to air the cat’s bathroom. So she decided that a charcoal bag was called for. Now, I didn’t notice a problem, but I spend more time around that part of the house, and so my nose might be more accustomed to kitty’s whiffy biffy. That, and I stir the litter several times a day (hourly) when I’m home, so it airs better. When I’m a Day Job, that doesn’t get done as often.
MomRed did a fair amount of research into scent absorbers, and lo and behold, one afternoon I arrived home to be presented with a MosoNatural charcoal bag. “Here. Put this in Athena’s bathroom.”
I propped it up on the towel rack and went about my business. The bags do have hanging grommets, so you could suspend them from a hook or string if needed. Bag #1 was a one pound bag, good for two years. All you do is take it out and sun it for 3-4 hours once a month. This one usually sunned 6-8 hours, getting turned over about half-way through, just in case.
The bathroom is about, oh a titch bit under 100 square feet of space, if you include the tub/shower niche. It has two doors, always open unless the room is in use, and a window. The litter box is closer to the doors than to the window. We use SoPhresh™ pellet litter, clean the box two-three times per day or more if needed, and stir the litter several times a day. The pan gets changed completely once a week. Athena has a high liquid output and always has, in part because she is on a special food to prevent kidney stones.
So, the bag. It works. Very well, according to MomRed. No one visiting Reduarters seems to notice a litter box smell. The bag went out for sun the first week of the month, or more often if desired. It did seem to cut down on the ammonia scent by about 95%. The bag is located six feet above the shed* with the litter pan in it. I still open the window a little bit every day, weather permitting.
Pros: the charcoal does not leak. The bag absorbs odors instead of covering them up with a different scent. The bag has no moving parts and requires no electricity. It is good for two years, provided you sun it once a month. [If you live in Seattle, Portland, or in Vancouver, Canada, this might be a draw back]. You can easily move the bag to a different location if needed.
Cons. It does require sun, so depending on where you live, that could be a complication. It is made in China, which is a deal-breaker for a lot of people. I don’t know how well it works in constant high humidity.
So, for dealing with something like a litter box, or a kitchen in an apartment, this might be a wonderful solution to lingering scents. It has nothing to upset asthma or breathing problems. It just sits there and does its thing.
*When Mom and Dad had the bathroom re-modeled, um, some time ago, Mom had them include a little shelf/shed for the litter box. The carpenter and tile guys were game, but the boss shook his head and observed that he’d never, ever designed a bathroom around a cat before!
FTC Notice: I purchased this product for my own use, and received no benefit or remuneration from the manufacturer for this review.
Cat Rotator's Quarterly 
c4c
Combination of sunlight to warm and replacement fresh air. Activated charcoal adsorbs ammonia, but releases it to ambient air by desorption. More air in an open place lets the chemical and smell dissipate. Warming the charcoal accelerates this. Humid conditions may slow this down, because water vapor competes for sites.
“All you do is take it out and sun it for 3-4 hours once a month.” Those of us where it be rainy and overcast much of the time…is questionable. Wife and I got a 5-month-old kitten a month ago, and the litter box is in the laundry room. The exhaust fan is kept running… (I keep missing the “n” in month. I’m getting better at it. Those “5 moths” are eating up our woolens…)
Interesting…
Years ago I worked with a fellow who was having some alterations done on his house. They included a cat room, for the litterbox(es) for (IIRC) seven cats.
That number would certainly call for a separate “rest facility” for the felines.
Everclean cat litter. I’ve had cats my entire life and nothing — including the bizarre two-layer system where you drained the urine off regularly and used special pellets — has worked as well.
We were having so many problems with our cats (three at the time) having litter box issues. I finally asked the vet. He recommended Everclean. I cringed at the price and bought it anyway.
It’s been great. As expensive as it is, it lasts a long time. It got scooped daily and there was never any odor. We have friends who didn’t notice the presence of the litter box in the bathroom and they would say something.
We’re currently cat-less and when deserving kitties arrive on my doorstep, the Everclean will get dumped into the litter box at once.
I’ll still have to look into this charcoal because you can always make it better, right?
And the charcoal works in closets, near laundry hampers, in that one corner of the basement that’s always a little fusty . . .