Tired of cleaning cat litter? This $15 gadget makes it a lot easier
Life with two cats is much less messy with a Litter Genie.
Credit:
Reviewed / Ashley Zlatopolsky
Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed's editors. Purchases made through the links below may earn us and our publishing partners a commission.
If you’re like me and you have a cat (or two), then you know how much effort goes into keeping a litter box clean. While cats are mostly low-maintenance and self-sufficient pets, they require a clean latrine for both their health and comfort. Not only do fresh litter boxes reduce the spread of illness, they also help prevent litter box issues, like cats refusing to use them and going outside of the box.
Disposing of litter waste presents its own challenges. The traditional options are either to throw it away in a trash bin—stinky!—or flush it down the toilet, at the risk of your plumbing. That’s why I decided to enlist the help of a Litter Genie. This cylindrical contraption, which retails at around $15 for the standard size, helps save me time, space, and waste. It’s one of the best investments I’ve made for my home and two cats, Theodore and Anya. Here’s how it works and what I’ve learned in the year or so I’ve used it.
What is Litter Genie?
Pet owners can choose from three different sized Litter Genies depending on how many cats they have.
A Litter Genie is a cat litter disposal system designed to minimize mess and odor. (If you’ve ever heard of a Diaper Genie for baby diapers, it’s from the same company.) The Litter Genie comes in three different sizes—standard, large, and extra-large—to accommodate different households and needs. It serves as a fully contained trash bin for cat litter, coming with its own trash bag inserts, scooper, and storage area that keeps waste in an airtight container.
Once the bin is full, there’s a cutting tool attached inside that you loop through the trash bag and give it a good pull so it cuts the bag, and you can tie it off and dispose of it. From there, you tie off what will be the bottom of your new bag and begin the process all over again. After an insert is out of trash bags, you can replace it with a new one, with standard refills costing about $14 for a two-pack that runs 14 feet each.
What’s it like to use Litter Genie?
The Litter Genie makes odors basically non-existent.
Using a Litter Genie is a breeze. When you’re ready to put litter waste inside of it, you pull out a handle that opens the chute, drop the waste inside from the top, and let go of the handle. From there, it locks the Litter Genie, which makes it keep bad smells inside. This is great for my household as our litter boxes are in our basement not far from my partner’s work desk. It takes less than 30 seconds to scoop, drop, and lock in the waste without creating any mess.
What I like about Litter Genie
My Litter Genie has made cleaning up after these two so much easier!
One of my favorite features of the standard-size Litter Genie is how compact it is. It’s lightweight, making it easy to move around if needed. I also like that it has a special storage area attached to its side to house the included litter scooper.
Litter Genie also stores a lot of waste—I’m never not surprised to see how much fits into ours every time we switch out the bags. With two cats, we need to change our litter bags every 7 to 10 days. You can get even more space out of each bag by giving the Litter Genie a good shake as it starts to get full, which gets things to settle. One standard Litter Genie bag refill can last us a good two months or more.
The Litter Genie container itself is good for as long as you’d like it to be, but I prefer to buy a new one every few months because they can get dirty from the waste over time.
What I don’t like about Litter Genie
My only real gripe is that the outside of it collects litter dust fast, especially when housed next to a litter box. But this is a minor inconvenience that can easily be fixed with a wet paper towel or wipe. There’s also no warning for when standard refills are about to run out, so if you’re near the end of an insert, it can sometimes come as a surprise.
Is Litter Genie worth it?
Theodore and Anya approve of the Litter Genie, too.
Litter Genie saves us at least 20 minutes a day of cat cleanup, and that alone is priceless. But for $15 plus the cost of refills, it acts as a one-stop shop for cat-litter management that keeps our floors cleaner, our basement smelling fresher, and our cats happier.
The best way to figure out if Litter Genie is right for you is to give the product a try. (I also suggest watching YouTube videos on how Litter Genie works, because it can take a few attempts to get the hang of switching out bags and tying off inserts.) Overall, I’d recommend Litter Genie to anyone with a cat who is looking for a smarter solution for dealing with litter waste.