cleaning the litter pan itself

Our girl has a large plastic litter pan which she uses faithfully. Okay, we'll gloss over the one episode of diarrhea that left a deposit on the floor while we were out but we honestly believe the poor thing was enroute to the pan and ran out of time. She doesn't cover all that well, but that's okay. If that's the worst thing we have to deal with, we feel we're getting away lucky,

We're wondering what the best way is to clean the pan itself. My husband doesn't want to use any kind of detergent or cleanser for fear it could hurt her. He does clean the pan out and rinse it well with very hot water. If there is a detergent or cleaner or antibacterial soap that we could or should use, please let us know,

Any sage words of advice?

Thanks.

Prinny

Pretty much any common antibacterial cleaner can be used, just make sure you don't leave any residue on it.

If he wanted to, he could wash it out like he's been doing, and then spray it with Lysol and let it air dry. That will kill pretty much anything in the pan, and not leave anything harmful to the kitty.

Spotz

Hot water and vinegar works. After it is dry, spray the bottom of the inside tray with PAM cooking spray. Let that dry before dumping litter in the pan again. Next time you go to scoop it is so easy to do so!

I'd avoid anything stronger than a gentle soap, like a mild hand soap (which I use for the cats' litterboxes). I don't use any "typical" harsh cleaners any more, as they and their fumes can be bad for cats, and they're generally bad for the environment and everyone's health. Also, using something too harsh can make a cat not want to use a box.

Antibacterial products are being used far too much in residences these days, particularly triclosan. It's quite unnecessary, despite what ads might imply, as all they'll do is kill germs where they are (not the germs in the air, the germs nearby, or anywhere else--and these germs can just as easily settle there) and for a few hours. Regular soap will get rid of any germs just as well; they just won't kill germs that come into contact with it for a few more hours, which is practically nothing anyway. There's a problem with resistent strains now due to overuse of home antibacterial products and antibiotics now; we may soon have few drugs that work at all. I try to do my part and not use triclosan at home any more.

Just keeping things clean (not poisoned) will keep everyone healthy. Avoid the urge to buy every chemical stew on market shelves with shiny labels