Managing litter box odor

I wasn't sure what forum to post this in.  Anyways, I have a question about how to best manage my cat's litter box.  I currently have it in the guest bathroom so that it's out of the way (plus, I can keep it in the bathtub which makes cleaning the area super-easy). The problem is that since the bathroom is kind of small without the best air flow, it starts to smell really bad, really fast!  I scoop her litter out every day or two, but it doesn't seem to make much of a difference.  I'll hose down the whole area with lysol and within 2-4 days the smell is already permeating out into the hall.

I never seemed to have this issue when I kept the litter box in the kitchen, I think because there is a lot more air flow and area for the bad smells to disperse, rather than being confined in a small space.  Short of leaving a fan on permanently in the bathroom, does anyone have any advice on what I can do to manage the odor?  

You could try a deodorizer like Arm and Hammers. Its scented though so if your cat doesn't like scented stuff it might not work out.

Scoop more frequently?

I second that ^ I scoop mine almost after every time my kitten uses it.

Also! What kind of diet do you have your kitty on? That could be the culprit.

If you scoop out any solid stuff and used litter at least once a day it shouldn't smell if you use half decent litter.  May be affected by diet, and the type and make of litter you  use can make a massive difference. 

Scoop more often - maybe twice a day. If the cat's not on a better quality diet, change diet (we can help you with food choices.) Change/clean the box on a regular schedule (might be bi-weekly, or every month depending on stinky the box is.)

What litter do you use? 

I use those fish tank filter thingy's for controlling ammonia in fish tanks, I think its called activated charcoal?? It comes in a tight mesh bag and I place them near the litter box makes a huge difference. 

saigo said:

 
I use those fish tank filter thingy's for controlling ammonia in fish tanks, I think its called activated charcoal?? It comes in a tight mesh bag and I place them near the litter box makes a huge difference. 

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You can also buy charcoal in a bottle, also for fish tanks. I believe it comes out to a better deal since you get more charcoal and you could make your own baggies since your not using it for an aquarium. My boyfriend has tons of aquariums and he buy the charcoal in bottles in bulk. Mayhaps you could even put some of the charcoal in the litter? But i'm not sure, its just an idea.

I scoop almost every time she goes, but there's always the odd day where it doesn't get scooped for 24 hours if I get home really late and I'm too tired or forget. She has a huge box so it stays pretty fresh and I've never had an odor problem. Her box is covered and I use Arm&Hammer litter and it never smells. Make sure you change the actual litter regularly too, that will help. When my cat ate kibble her box smelled awful, but now that she eats mostly wet I notice there's not as much odor.

I had the same problem except I scooped just about every time they went (I work from home) and the residual odor from their poops just stunk up the bathroom something fierce!  I bought a Cat Genie automated self-cleaning litter box too and that proved just as stinky from handling the waste.  The ultimate solution for me was changing their diet to raw.  Now I use pine litter and actually buy the pine pellets from the feed store for about $6 per 40# bag - cheap! 

Just wanted to add a thought on the raw diet idea.  I transitioned each of my kitties from kibble to raw in about 3 - 5 days (I rushed it a little because of the improvement) but they were eating just fine and the change in poo quality happened lightning fast.  No more sticky, sloppy uber-stinky poo.  It became formed and easy to scoop without that repugnant stench in just a few days AND my house doesn't smell like I own cats.  Once the kibble was out of their diet completely they had much drier poops and the odor no longer clung to the walls - ha ha!  If the idea of feeding raw feels overwhelming to you - just a suggestion if you want to try it easily - I recently discovered Stella & Chewy's makes a freeze dried raw that's super easy to feed and my cats love it.  Just add water.  : )  On top of the fact that I'm no longer a poo slave, my older kitties have developed more happy, kitten like behavior and their coats are silky and shiny.  One of them had an ugly coat when we brought him home from the shelter - he was not much of a looker - and his coat is gorgeous now.