Tips on how to Clear a Cat Tree: 6 Steps

There’s no denying that having a cat tree in your house is a good suggestion. From satisfying their instincts to curbing dangerous habits, this piece of furnishings is important to your cat’s well-being. Cats do every little thing from sleep to eliminate hairballs of their cat tree. Which means that it’s just about a magnet for filth, germs, and stains.

As a mother of 11 cats—sure, you learn that appropriately—I’ve come to simply accept that my dwelling (and paycheck) belongs to them. So, I gladly accepted when a pal supplied a free however well-loved Feandrea cat tree. Right here’s a step-by-step information on find out how to clear a cat tree.

Provides You’ll Want

Earlier than you start, you must collect the suitable instruments and cat-safe cleansing provides. In response to Cornell College, cats spend 30 to 50% of their day grooming. Cleansing merchandise that include poisonous and dangerous chemical substances can switch onto your cat’s coat and be ingested as they groom. Listed here are the must-haves for cleansing a cat tree:

• Rocco & Roxie Provide Co. Enzyme Cleaner: Enzymatic cleaners break down particles that trigger odor and stains. Eradicating the odor after your cat has had an accident may also help decrease the possibilities of it taking place once more.
• Microfiber Cleansing Fabric: Nice for sustaining cat timber between deep cleans, microfiber cleansing cloths work finest while you spritz a little bit water on the carpeted platforms, then use the tough aspect to wipe it down.
• BLACK+DECKER Cordless Handheld Vacuum: After studying quite a few critiques, I bought this cordless vacuum particularly for this job. Customers commented on its effectiveness, ease of use, and straightforward charging. One reviewer even has one with every cat field in her dwelling. 
• CleanSmart Every day Floor Cleaner: I like that this floor cleaner doesn’t go away behind a chemical residue. As soon as your cat tower has dried, there’s no likelihood they’ll get doubtlessly harmful chemical substances on their coat. 
• Hex Key: You’ll additionally want a hex key (hexagon wrench) to unscrew the bolts that maintain the cat tree collectively. Your cat tree possible got here with one, however you should purchase them on-line, at your native ironmongery store, and even at some greenback shops.

The next gadgets are elective however advisable. These are issues that I ended up utilizing (or want I had readily available) whereas I cleaned my cat tree.

• Gloves. I forgot to make use of gloves whereas cleansing, so my fingers bought fairly dry because of the cleansing merchandise. Make sure you use latex, latex-free, or rubber gloves when cleansing your cat tree.
• Scrub Brush. I didn’t suppose I’d want one, however a scrub brush was useful for scrubbing extra cussed stains. Though, I’m undecided that that’s good for the carpet long-term
• Decdeal Steam Cleaner: Whereas elective, a steam cleaner may also help break up and raise stains earlier than, throughout, and after you apply cleaners. You utilize much less product and put much less liquid in your cat tree. Plus, it disinfects.

Earlier than You Get Began

Earlier than you dive into cleansing, listed below are a couple of ideas:

• Take an image: Most cat timber have a number of platforms and sisals, and step one of cleansing will likely be to take your cat tree aside. Remembering what goes the place might be tough, however an image is an effective information when reassembling your cat tree.
• Label every half: You might additionally label every half with a everlasting marker and masking tape. Label the order it goes in from the underside or one other easy-to-remember technique. You might want to exchange the tape as you clear.
• Discover a well-ventilated space: Whereas the cleaners and sprays used for cleansing a cat tree aren’t dangerous, they will turn out to be overwhelming in an enclosed place. Think about bringing the tree outdoors. Daylight can even assist kill germs.
• Plan forward: Most cat timber will take greater than an hour to scrub. Between letting cleaners sit to interrupt up stains and letting the cat tree dry, it could be an all-day endeavor. Plan different issues to do between duties or let the cat tree dry in a single day. (I unfold mine out over two days.)

6 Steps to Cleansing Your Cat Tree

After we consider cleansing a cat tree, it’s vacuuming and perhaps spraying an air freshener, then calling it a day. Whereas vacuuming is best than nothing, a deep clear with the suitable instruments and cleaners could make an enormous distinction for the well being of your cats, your family, and the longevity of your cat furnishings.

1. Take the Cat Tree Aside

Retailer-bought cat timber, even ones that come assembled, can sometimes be disassembled. Whereas it’s further work, this is a crucial step. By taking aside your cat tree, you may make certain there isn’t injury that would compromise its integrity — reminiscent of cracked perches or weak poles — and it makes cleansing simpler.

Taking it aside can be a wonderful alternative for repairs. Cat towers with scratching posts (sisal posts) usually want new rope or a sisal substitute. With sisals fabricated from PVC piping or wooden, you should buy a ball of sisal rope and use scorching glue to connect it. For sisals fabricated from cardboard, changing the pole is usually higher. Measure your pole to seek out the right substitute. Or, for cat condos with a number of sizes, spend money on a multi-pack. You’ll possible want them later anyway.

2. Vaccum Each Inch

When you’ve taken your cat tree aside, it’s time to take away mud, hair, and particles. I found it was simpler to hoover the items after I used a clear microfiber material, so think about wiping down every platform earlier than vacuuming. As soon as vacuuming, I discovered the comb attachment with the dustbuster to be invaluable; nothing may get within the nooks and crannies of the pillowed rim in addition to this attachment.

For those who don’t have a vacuum cleaner, use a lint curler or tape to rise up as a lot free cat hair as doable. No matter the way you take away hair and particles, it’s additionally a great alternative to look at for parasites, like fleas, and any proof of different points.

3. Steam Clear Your Cat Tower

Steam cleansing is elective however it might assist when you have hard-to-lift stains. Some guides advocate this step after you’ve used a twig cleaner, nevertheless it went higher after I tried the steamer first. And it’s higher on the subject of the longevity of your cat apartment.

The platforms on many cat timber are particle board. Particle board is made by gluing wooden shavings and particles collectively. It isn’t waterproof and water publicity can injury it. A steam cleaner makes use of extra warmth and vapor than water, so utilizing that first could lead to much less liquids seeping via the carpet and to the particle board.

4. Use Enzymatic Cleaners and Disinfectant

Right here’s an attention-grabbing reality: each female and male cats can spray. Round 5% of feminine and 10% of male altered cats will nonetheless mark their territory even altered. Whereas the odor is probably not as pungent as a pussycat, it’s nonetheless there.

Enzymatic cleaners work as odor removers by breaking down the particles that trigger odors and entice cats to comment that spot. For largely clear cat timber, that is only a matter of spot-cleaning or misting every little thing to take care of cleanliness. My cat tree was closely stained, so I did a couple of purposes of Rocco & Roxie’s enzymatic cleaner. I additionally used the steam cleaner in between. After repeatedly making use of the cleaner, ready, then scrubbing and absorbing the residue with clear cloths and paper towels, nearly all of the stains on my cat tree had been gone.

As a final contact for cleansing, I sprayed CleanSmart to make sure the cat tree was freed from something that would harm my cats, like ringworm spores.

You might need to spot-test your cat tree earlier than making use of any type of cleaner. Some materials could also be much less tolerable than others and require various cleansing strategies, like baking soda and vinegar.

5. Let the Cat Tree Air Dry

When you’re glad that your cat tree is clear, you must enable it to dry utterly in order that the cleaners dissipate and your cat tree can air out. You possibly can assist pace this alongside by setting the components out within the solar. It took my cat tree about two hours to dry and a bit longer for the pillowed platform.

6. Reassemble Cat Tree

When reassembling your cat tree, pay particular consideration to its stability and guarantee all bolts and connections are tight. Listed here are a couple of ideas which will make reassembly simpler:

• Work from the underside up: By working backside to high, you may check the soundness of the cat tree by giving it a great shake with every platform addition. Constructing it this fashion additionally means much less work and heavy lifting
• Do sure sections individually: With my cat tree, the field half is 2 platforms, material partitions, and 4 carpeted poles. It was simpler for me to assemble the field first after which add it as a unit.
• Take note of double-sided bolts: For some cat timber, double-sided bolts are used to attach two sisals. It’s a lot simpler to screw the bolt into the underside sisal first, then the highest. In some circumstances, a platform goes between the sisals.
• Spray with Feliway: Cats don’t do properly with change. Whereas they could be aware of their cat tower, new smells (or the shortage of outdated ones) would possibly make them reluctant to discover it once more. Feliway could assist your cat get comfy once more with the cat tower.

How To Preserve Your Cat Tree

Usually talking, you must deep clear your cat tree about as soon as a month. Common cleansing could make it simpler and sooner to deep-clean your cat tree. Right here’s how one can save your self numerous work.

• As soon as a day: Verify for accidents or odors and spot deal with instantly. Spot therapy prevents stains and odors from setting in.
• Just a few instances every week: Spray the cat tower with a disinfectant that’s secure for cats, like CleanSmart. An infection-causing viruses and micro organism can reside in your cat tower and be transferred from cat to cat or out of your cats to you.
• As soon as every week: Mist the cat apartment with water and use the tough aspect of a microfiber material to take away your cat’s fur. Doing this helps stop hair from getting embedded within the carpet.