I have 2 cats, a 1 year old and a 9 year old. I scoop the litter box every other day, and vacuum and clean my bedroom often. However, it still smells like ammonia, all the time. The smell makes me sick. I've tried scooping the litter box on a daily basis. And the smell won't leave. I've checked every where to see if one of them urinated out of the box, and they haven't. Any suggestions to get rid of the smell? Without using a simple spray, that only masks it for a short period.

The smell is in your carpeting. You need to have your carpeting professionally cleaned and take out the ammonia smell. They use professional chemicals that neutralize ammonia. If you have a good carpet cleaner that has adequate suction to remove the water used for cleaning you can go to a professional carpeting cleaning place and buy something similar to a product I used years ago called Odor Control. I don't know if they sell it anymore or not but I am sure they will have something similar. The object of cleaning the carpeting is to remove the offending odor and neutralize any residue left in the carpeting. It is not easy to do properly with say a Bissel Steam Cleaner as that machine does not have adequate suction and just leaves the carpeting a watery mess. If you haven't had your carpeting cleaned in several years having a professional come in and do it properly might be well worth the expense. Then if your carpets still smell you may insist they come back and redo it at no charge as they didn't remove the offending odor. Be sure to tell them you have cats so they can use the appropriate neutralizing chemicals.

The smell is in your carpeting. You need to have your carpeting professionally cleaned and take out the ammonia smell. They use professional chemicals that neutralize ammonia. If you have a good carpet cleaner that has adequate suction to remove the water used for cleaning you can go to a professional carpeting cleaning place and buy something similar to a product I used years ago called Odor Control. I don't know if they sell it anymore or not but I am sure they will have something similar. The object of cleaning the carpeting is to remove the offending odor and neutralize any residue left in the carpeting. It is not easy to do properly with say a Bissel Steam Cleaner as that machine does not have adequate suction and just leaves the carpeting a watery mess. If you haven't had your carpeting cleaned in several years having a professional come in and do it properly might be well worth the expense. Then if your carpets still smell you may insist they come back and redo it at no charge as they didn't remove the offending odor. Be sure to tell them you have cats so they can use the appropriate neutralizing chemicals.

Thank you so much!! I actually have a good carpet cleaner, I used that and my room is and upstairs area is smelling much better. I also bought a litter that has crystals in it, so I hope all works in my favor.

Twinkie brought up some interesting points.

You should also keep deodorizers nearby, and make sure you're buying litter that reduces or eliminates the smell. Not all litter is equal! I would clean the box everyday.

Or you could teach your cats to do this: :)
YouTube - Dont have to clean the litter box again.... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHPQ8yTJb8k&feature=related)

Really, perhaps there's another solution out there for you. Do you know that they make automatic litter boxes? They would definitely help. Here are some links to see a few models:

Quality Electric Cat Litter Boxes - LitterBoxesAndMore.com (http://www.litterboxesandmore.com/)
Litter-Robot, the automatic self-cleaning cat litter box that really works (http://www.litter-robot.com/)

Scoop Free Automatic Litter Box -- Self Cleaning Litter Box Featuring Fresh Step Crystals (http://www.scoopfree.com/)

twinkie brought up some interesting points.

you should also keep deodorizers nearby, and make sure you're buying litter that reduces or eliminates the smell. not all litter is equal! i would clean the box everyday.

or you could teach your cats to do this: :)
YouTube - Dont have to clean the litter box again.... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHPQ8yTJb8k&feature=related)

really, perhaps there's another solution out there for you. do you know that they make automatic litter boxes? they would definitely help. here are some links to see a few models:

Quality Electric Cat Litter Boxes - LitterBoxesAndMore.com (http://www.litterboxesandmore.com/)
Litter-Robot, the automatic self-cleaning cat litter box that really works (http://www.litter-robot.com/)

Scoop Free Automatic Litter Box -- Self Cleaning Litter Box Featuring Fresh Step Crystals (http://www.scoopfree.com/)

Money is an issue, for the auto ones. So I'm going to do some litter research with trials on some of them. And as far as the video: "Man I wish life were that easy!!!".

Lol, I know what you mean. Anyway, YouTube has lots of videos on how to do it... and they're free. :)

I'm glad the carpet cleaning worked. By the way, there are also cheaper litter boxes with carbon odor filters...

lol, i know what you mean. anyway, youtube has lots of videos on how to do it...and they're free. :)

i'm glad the carpet cleaning worked. btw, there are also cheaper litter boxes with carbon odor filters...

Are they sold at Petco or somewhere similar? I'll look into those as well..

Are they sold at Petco or somewhere similar? I'll look into those as well..

I live in italy, where there are no petcos, but I'm pretty sure you can find them there.

Actually, I just found a litter box page from their site:
Best Litter Boxes: Choosing Tray, Hooded and Self Cleaning Litter Boxes at PETCO (http://www.petco.com/Shop/ShoppingGuides/ChooseLitterBox.aspx?ShoppingGuideID=3&nav=288)

Here's an example of a covered one with a filter:

Petmate Deluxe Large Litter Pan & Hood Set at PETCO (http://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx?FamilyID=12690&cm_sp=certona-_-3-_-12690)
I'm sure Amazon has a ton of options too, and you can usually find people's reviews there too!

Did you say you keep the box on a carpet in your bedroom? Can you move it to a laundry room or bathroom instead?

A little litter gets stuck to their paws and then comes off after they leave the box... unless your box has a special exit floor (like in the clean step box from the site). Normally it's nothing, but if it's gathering in the carpet, it will make it stink again.

Cat Litter Box: Booda Clean Step Litter Boxes at PETCO (http://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx?FamilyID=11197&ShoppingGuideID=3&ShoppingGuideElementID=8)


Also, I would also wash the box itself every now and then. It can get old pee in it if the bag gets a hole in it.