Cat litter is great for absorbing urine and faeces from your cat while minimising the odour around the litter tray. But if they aren’t cleaned regularly, the cat litter clogs with bacteria and waste that causes diseases to rise in the odour from the tray. Because of this bacterium, should you wear a mask when cleaning cat litter?
You should wear a mask when cleaning cat litter because wearing a mask will prevent the inhalation of airborne bacteria and germs from the litter. The germs, if inhaled, can cause respiratory problems, resulting in allergic reactions and respiratory diseases. To protect your lungs, wear a dust mask.
Many people don’t think to chuck on a face mask when cleaning cat litter. But it is very beneficial for your health to do so!
Do you need to wear a mask when cleaning cat litter?
You should wear a mask when cleaning cat litter to reduce the chances of irritation occurring in your lungs from inhaling litter particles. When you’re cleaning out the cat litter, there are dust particles that become airborne and can easily enter your airways. The litter particles alone can contain nitrates and irritants that trigger asthma and allergies. But there’s also a range of bacteria mixed with the cat litter that, if inhaled, can cause respiratory diseases such as pneumonia, bronchitis, and emphysema.
Wearing a mask will prevent you from inhaling irritative dust particles from the cat litter. On top of protecting your airways, a mask can help block out unpleasant odours from the cat litter.
Wearing a mask when cleaning cat litter isn’t a necessity. If you only clean cat litter every now and then, you aren’t at a huge risk of developing respiratory disease. But the dust particles can still cause some irritation if inhaled while cleaning cat litter.
It’s also a good thing to consider that cat litter is designed to be able to be kept inside. So, there aren’t dangerous particles constantly floating around in the air from the cat litter trays. But when you go to clean cat litter, you move the litter around which frees small particles that will become airborne. Being close to the tray while cleaning it makes it very easy for these particles to be inhaled and irritate your lungs. Chucking on a face mask can protect you from these litter particles and inhaling cleaning chemicals.
Why should you wear a mask when cleaning litter boxes?
Wearing a mask when cleaning cat litter boxes protects you from microscopic pieces of litter that can get into your airways, causing irritation and illness. A dust mask is the best respiratory protection to wear when cleaning cat litter. The filters in these masks are specifically designed to stop the smallest dust particles from entering your airways.
Toxins such as ammonia are found in cat urine can cause respiratory irritation and trigger asthma and allergic reactions. These reactions can occur for you and also your pets as the ammonia floats around your house when you clean the cat litter. By wearing a face mask, you will prevent yourself from inhaling these irritative particles. You can also help prevent your pet from inhaling the cat litter particles by emptying the tray outside before washing it.
Can breathing in dirty cat litter harm you?
Breathing in dirty cat litter particles can be harmful to your health. Your pets’ urine is full of ammonia which is a harmful irritative gas. When inhaled, ammonia can cause irritation to your nose and throat and can give you a bad headache. Ammonia particles from cat litter can also irritate your eyes and skin.
Ammonia is also a respiratory irritant that can cause asthma reactions in you and your pet. Inhaling a moderate level of ammonia particles when cleaning cat litter can cause nausea and sometimes vomiting.
Dirty cat litter is harmful because it can cause you to get diseases such as Cat Scratch Fever. This is caused by bacteria from a cat’s infected saliva. This bacterium causes an infection that leads to fever and flu-like symptoms. There is also the potential to have roundworms transmitted from dirty cat litter, causing diarrhoea and vomiting in humans.
If you don’t clean the cat litter regularly, bad odours will spread through the house. Bacteria is what creates these odours. When you start smelling this in your house, it’s a sign that the dirty cat litter is spreading bacteria through the house. Cat litter can only suppress so much bacteria. If you have let the cat litter become very dirty, the bacteria can spread through the air in your house, harming you and creating the smell of a dirty house.
Should I wear gloves and a mask when cleaning cat litter?
As well as a mask, you should wear gloves when cleaning dirty cat litter trays. The cat litter will contain lots of bad bacteria that, as we’ve mentioned, can cause illness if touched. Cat litter can also irritate your skin, which is why it’s recommended to wear gloves. These gloves can be easily disposed of once you have finished cleaning the cat litter.
It’s important to not touch other surfaces or your face when you’re cleaning the cat litter to prevent spreading bad bacteria. But wearing gloves and a mask adds a layer of protection to your skin just in case. On top of this, putting on a face mask and gloves to clean helps put you in the cleaning mindset, boosting your motivation to clean! You will feel much better and cleaner yourself when cleaning cat litter by wearing PPE gear.
Can I clean the litter box while pregnant if I wear a mask?
You can safely clean a litter box while pregnant by wearing a mask and other protective gear such as gloves. It’s important to protect yourself against all kinds of harmful bacteria when you’re pregnant. If you don’t wear a face mask while cleaning cat litter, you risk inhaling lots of bad bacteria that can cause respiratory problems. If you fall sick, there is a huge potential for there to be an impact on your pregnancy.
Cleaning litter when pregnant without wearing a face mask can result in toxoplasmosis. This parasitic disease can cause a weakened immune system, encephalitis, and sometimes blindness. This is an extreme effect of inhaling litter particles when pregnant, but it’s always better to protect yourself.
These health risks can be easily avoided when cleaning dirty litter by taking health precautions. So, to clean cat litter when pregnant, wear a dust face mask and gloves. Make sure you thoroughly wash your hands when you have finished cleaning the litter too.
If you enjoyed this article, check out our other resources including ‘should you wear a mask when cleaning the bathroom?’ If you’re about to do a big house clean-out, hire a skip bin through Capital Hire! We deliver skips to skips to Canberraandskips to Bungendoreand more!
