How Do You Clean the Litter Scoop?

sivyaleah

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So, here's the thing.  In our home my BF is the litter box cleaner 99.9% of the time mostly because for many months I've been suffering with a knee injury and bending to clean the box is fairly painful (about to make an appointment for surgery, finally!).

However, I will do it now and then if I see he's forgotten and it needs to be done.  Not clean the whole box, I can not manage that at all but can scoop out the mess, more or less.

My big issue with doing this, is the best way to clean the scoop afterwards.  All instructions I look at really focus on the box itself.  We have a heavy metal scoop and a heavy plastic one also.  I prefer the plastic one, as it's easier to handle but, the litter really sticks to that one if it's still moist; like if you wind up having to remove a large urine ball.  For poop, no issue - it comes right off.  But the other stuff is like mud on the scoops.  It clings like crazy. 

You can't rinse it off in a sink - it just won't budge, let alone I'm sure it would eventually clog up our nearly 100 year old pipes.  My BF usually takes it into the basement and cleans it in the laundry sink (which, we don't use as such, it's really more just to have as a "just in case" kind of thing).  But for me, walking down to the basement, and back up again is difficult - let alone kind of dangerous - again, really old house - unfinished basement, dark and yech all around.

So, how do you all clean just the scoop, or is it kind of a losing battle?  I wish there were disposable ones - while not good for the environment at least the problem would be solved.   I've tried using paper towels soaked with various cleansers but nothing gets it really clean.
 
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jcat

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I steam clean the scoop every week when I'm doing the floors, but in between I wipe it with a paper towel, spray it with bathroom cleaner, let it sit in the sink for about five minutes, then rinse and dry it with a paper towel. Then I use bathroom cleaner on the sink.
 
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sivyaleah

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Bathroom cleaner!!!  OMG never occurred to me.

I was considering the Lysol wipes but I think it may need something more but I'll give that a try also.
 

mservant

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I use a (home) made up spray bottle of  Milton solution that I also use for the tray, and wipe with paper towels.  Works like Lysol wipes I guess, just home made.  Easy to clean the scoop after each use.

(Milton being the bleach solution traditionally used for soaking young babies feeding bottles etc and also suitable for general househld cleaning diluted to appropriate levels).
 
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bluebird gal

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If I've scooped any sort of #2 business with the scoop, I scald it in hot water then dry it off with a spritz of Simple Green Cleaner on my paper towel.
 

burkey

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On the rare occasion that something sticks to the (metal) scoop, I use a Clorox or Lysol wipe to get it off. For regular cleaning, once a day I rinse the scoop under hot water, give it a few sprays of diluted Lysol, or Mr. Clean, let it set for a moment, then rinse again. Dry with a paper towel and it's good to go.
 

hbanan

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I don't use products with ammonia for cleaning the litter box/scoop. It can bring out the kitty urine smell. I have a designated small bucket that I use for cleaning the boxes. I use either ordinary dish soap or an all purpose cleaner such as mrs. myers, for cleaning the box. When I'm done wiping down the box, just stick the scoop in the bucket, wipe it down and rinse. 
 

hazmat

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I soak the toilet in cleaner and toss in the scoop. Let is sit for a few hours or overnight.

Kills 2 birds with one stone.
 

ayeshajae

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I'm having the same problem with the litter mud sticking to the scoop

My issue is that all the kitty tinkles sink to the bottom corners, forming tinkle mountains that I have to scrape off from the bottom, so fun
 

tammyp

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I don't use clumping litter - so it's absolutely not an issue (I use a recycled paper litter).

Here are some other tips though, I think for this very problem:

1.  When you clean the trays and they are clean, spray them with a non-stick cooking spray before filling.

2.  Use a metal egg-flip/spatula as your scooper.  Metal is cleaner.  It also cleans easier - and is actually a really cheap and useable scoop!  I suppose you could spray the non-stick cooking spray on the spatula before scooping too.  I clean ours with oxygen bleach (breaks down to benign products, unlike your household cleaners or bleach).

I would get a good cooking spray though - one based entirely on canola or olive oil, not something with soy or other nasties that could trigger an allergy in cats.
 
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happybird

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I scrub the scoop down with hot water and dish soap, just like the litter box. I let the scoop soak in hot, soapy water while I scrub the box so the cement loosens. When my dish sponges get worn out and need replaced, the old ones go in a bag for litter box and scoop cleaning. In between scrubbings, I use a wet paper towel to wipe off the scoop while the mud is still wet. If the scoop is really clogged and it is not yet dump and scrub day, I clean it with the sponge in the bath tub (I have a hair strainer in the drain and it collects the little clumps).
 
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ayeshajae

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That's a good idea to use the bathtub, the whole procedure is pretty gross but sounds better than my approach of taking the scoop outside and scraping it on the sidewalk
 

betsygee

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I scrub the scoop down with hot water and dish soap, just like the litter box. I let the scoop soak in hot, soapy water while I scrub the box so the cement loosens. When my dish sponges get worn out and need replaced, the old ones go in a bag for litter box and scoop cleaning. In between scrubbings, I use a wet paper towel to wipe off the scoop while the mud is still wet. If the scoop is really clogged and it is not yet dump and scrub day, I clean it with the sponge in the bath tub (I have a hair strainer in the drain and it collects the little clumps).
Yep, I do exactly this.  I have old sponges under the sink designated for kitty duty.  
 

random gemini

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I toss the old one and go grab a new one from the dollar store if lysol wipes don't do the job. :D 
 

dohdeelicious

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I'm glad I found this thread. I'm very careful not to use my sinks - I rent - and it creates a challenge.

As for cooking oil, yesterday, I tried "buttering" the litter box (after first scooping of the day) with baby oil. I used the baby oil on the plastic scoop also.

I thought it didn't help because the scoop was just as icky afterward. Lo & behold, the scoop was easier to clean today than usual.

So, yes, that's a good idea to use cooking oil since I found baby oil to be effective.

By the way, the baby oil in the litter box was really helpful with removing the sunk-to-the-bottom wet litter clumps. You probsbly already knew that.
 

shadowbug

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What I did was put a stopper in my bathtub and ran hot water. While it was coming out I put the scooper under it. It blasted off the big pieces and the small sand like grains. I let it set in the water which I added soap to for about 3-5 minutes. I wiped it off with a towel and then washed the towel before using it again. Hope this helps!
 

mike6679

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I had the same exact problem. I just found this new product called the "Cat Litter Scooper Cleaner" designed for getting the mess out of the cat litter scoopers. It has stainless steel teeth that gets the debris out from between the forks....the waste drops back into the litter , gets encased in litter then you scoop it up and discard. Then all you have to do is wipe it clean with a disinfectant cloth! Love it, huge time saver! I found it in Google shopping.
 

game misconduct

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i use one of those solid metal scoopers also to clean i soak in small bucket with lyso bleach etc. a shot of dish soap and scrub it with scotch brite pad after soaking it for a while then soak again after washing with hot clean water but we use like 3 or4 inches depth of clumping litter in graycies box . her scooper doesnt seem to have as much gunk stuck onto it once we began using more litter in her box compared to having less.
 
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