The search for safe deodorizers is an endless chore, it seems. On one shopping expedition months ago I noticed a bag of rock hanging in the pet care aisle. It was special volcanic rock and was purported to take care of pet odors naturally by way of a negative ionic charge. All I needed to do was hang it somewhere and give it some sun occasionally to “recharge.”
Well, what the heck. It was not expensive and if it really worked then I’d save a lot of money that would normally be spent on chemical deodorizers. I brought the magical volcanic rocks home and, after removing the plastic and shaking the rocks around a little, as the instructions informed me I should, I hung the bag in a corner of a room that contains a litter box.
A week went by and I noticed no improvement. Yes, I cleaned the litter box daily as usual. But I noticed no marked absence of odor that could be attributed to the volcanic rocks. Snake oil? Did I get duped? I researched the rock online to see what others had to say. Volcanic rock of this sort is marketed by several companies and all the reviews I came across were positive. This product did not work for me though.
I noticed that some manufacturer’s deodorizing rocks look different. The volcanic deodorizer on leevalley.com, for instance, shows much smaller particles of rocks in a bag than the kind I bought–which had rocks up to half an inch in diameter. Could this be the difference? Quite possibly. The rocks are supposed to work by absorbing and neutralizing the odors. Perhaps my larger rocks just weren’t very good at clutching odors.
Further research has shown me that Zeolite (or clinoptilolite ), the deodorizing rock I bought, is commonly sold in feed and seed shops as a deodorizer and at a much lower price. The substance, it appears, is used effectively by many.
I’m going to conclude that this volcanic rock deodorizer normally does the job it is supposed to do. It is possible that the bag I bought was simply not the right quality or quantity for the job. If you decide to try this out, check your options before you buy. As I stated earlier, many companies sell this under names such as, simply, volcanic deodorizer, or volcanic rock deodorizer, as well as other names. The price of the deodorizing rock varies quite a bit.
Instructions on packages vary too. Some instruct that you recharge the rocks by placing them in sunlight for a day. Others claim the rocks also need to be cleaned once in a while in salt water.
I might try deodorizing volcanic rock again, but I would make sure that I used smaller pieces and that I got it at the cheapest price possible. For strong odors I would not recommend this, however, despite the positive reviews I’ve read.
