For most cat owners, the battle against litter box odors is an endless one. It doesn’t seem to matter how good your litter is at absorbing odors, how often you scoop, or how much you spend on the newest automatic litter box; those odors always seem to find their way back.
This battle is precisely what Neakasa’s new AirStep Odor-Eliminating Cat Litter Box Step was created to put an end to, once and for all.

This multi-purpose cat box step not only catches litter to prevent tracking, but it also features a powerful built-in air purifier to trap odors before they wage war against the air in your home. With a high-density activated carbon filter, multiple fan settings, and an incredibly useful design, this litter box step goes beyond functional.

My cat, Makoa, and I had a chance to put this revolutionary purifying litter box step to the test. Keep reading for my full Neakasa AirStep review and find out if this really is the secret weapon you need to win the war against litter box odors.

Why Litter Box Odors Are so Hard to Defeat

If your litter box leaves a lingering (and embarrassing) “catty” odor in your home, don’t blame yourself. You, like every other cat owner out there, were set up for failure from the start. Why? Because cat excrement odor is notoriously hard to deal with.

It starts with the concentration. Domestic cats are descended from desert felines that had to conserve every nutrient and drop of water, which means their urine and feces are highly concentrated. Translation: your cat’s pee and poop are much smellier than those of the average animal.
Worse still, that smell only grows after your cat goes to the bathroom. Urea in cat urine breaks down into ammonia due to bacterial activity. This is the compound that makes your eyes water when you scoop the litter box. And no matter how good your litter is at clumping and absorbing moisture, this potent stink will escape into the air as a gas.

Cat urine also contains uric acid, which, over time, crystallizes. These microscopic crystals bind to surfaces and are difficult to remove. They are especially prone to making their way into the porous surface of plastic (hello, every litter box ever made!) and into the scratch marks your cat leaves behind.

All this is to say that, unless you dump your litter box and clean it with an effective enzymatic cleaner after every use, you will have lingering odors that will escape into the air. You can invest in all the best auto-boxes and odor-absorbing litters you want, but unless you clean the air, those odors will prevail.

About the Neakasa AirStep Odor-Eliminating Cat Litter Box Step

Cleaning the air around your litter box is exactly what the Neakasa AirStep was created to do. The high-iodine activated carbon filter absorbs 95% of ammonia, 99% of acetic acid, and 98% of hydrogen sulfide (the rotten eggs stench common to cat feces).

Unlike traditional home air purifiers, this one is designed for use with cat litter boxes. The step shape makes it functional and easy to place right next to the source of the problem, while additional features—like the litter catching grate—make it far more useful than other purifiers.
This highly useful litter box step is compatible with almost all automatic and manual litter boxes. It features three fan settings for continual use and targeted purification. Most impressive of all, it doesn’t cost much more than most litter-catching cat steps, but it does so much more.

Who Makes the Neakasa AirStep and Where Is it Produced?

Neakasa is a smart home accessories company with a focus on pet products and cleaning solutions. They are based in Shenzhen, with offices around the world.

Which Type of Cats Is the AirStep Best Suited For?

The AirStep works with almost all types of litter boxes, including automatic models.

The air-purifying features are effective regardless of whether your cat uses the step to get into their litter box. However, the litter catching component only works if your cat steps down onto the AirStep after doing their business. In other words, if you have an open litter box that your cat can jump out of in all directions, don’t expect this feature to live up to expectations.

Owners of cats of all types and ages will benefit from the purifying component, as all cats, whether we admit it or not, are stinky when they do their business.

Neakasa AirStep Odor-Eliminating Cat Litter Box Step Product Specs (the boring bits)

Odor-Fighting Filter

The Neakasa AirStep features a large filter to help capture odors, dust, and hair.

The filter is encased in a fine mesh to catch larger particles and features 230 grams of high-iodine activated carbon to capture odors. High-iodine carbon has extra pores that increase its surface area and help it grab onto more odor-causing gases.
Rather than “absorbing” odors like litters do (a process that allows much of the gaseous odors to escape), activated carbon “adsorbs” odors. That “d” is an important distinction. It means the carbon grabs and holds onto gaseous odors via chemical bonding, preventing them from escaping.

This filter lasts up to three months under most conditions, though multi-cat households may need to replace it every two months.

Features

The AirStep features a relatively simple interface. The front control panel has two buttons: a power button and a fan speed control.

There are three fan speeds for the purifier: low, medium, and high. There are no timers, movement sensors, or automatic functions. Rather, this device is meant to be used as a set-and-forget accessory with the option to crank up the purifying power manually when needed.
In addition to the purifier, the step also features a grate that helps capture stray litter particles stuck to your cat’s paws before they get transferred to the floor. This grate is easy to remove, and the surface below features a removable catch cup to make disposing of the wandering litter a breeze.

Lastly, this cat box step also does what all cat box steps do: make it easier for your cat to get in and out of the litter box. This is especially helpful if you have a tall automatic litter box (like the Neakasa M1) or have a kitten or older cat who needs a little help.

Size, Noise Output, and Energy Use

The AirStep is 17 inches end-to-end, 12 inches across, and 6 inches tall.

The marketing material for this product claims a noise output of 40 dB. According to my measurements, the low setting averages around 35 dB, while the highest fan setting peaks at just over 50 dB. On low, the hum is noticeable in silence, but quickly fades into the background when any additional noise is present.

According to my tests, at low speed, the AirStep uses about 1.09 watts, which equates to an average monthly energy cost of about 12 cents if you leave it running continuously. Even if left on high continuously, this purifier is fairly cheap to operate. At the highest setting, it uses about 3.64 watts on average, which equates to about 40 cents extra on your energy bill per month.

Comparison

Not surprisingly, this innovative product currently stands alone in the market. With no other purifying cat litter box steps to compare it to, here is how the AirStep stands up to the leading pet air purifier and the leading litter box step.

Our Experience with the Neakasa AirStep

I had never heard of such a thing as a purifying cat litter box step before this one arrived on my doorstep. Now, after having used the Airscape for over a week, my only question is: Why didn’t someone think of this sooner!

It is such a brilliant, functional, and effective product. But before I get ahead of myself, let me tell you how I tested and used the Airscape to come to this conclusion.

When the AirStep arrived, my cat, Makoa, was immediately curious. Luckily, it was incredibly easy to set up and get working. No assembly was required, and one of the biggest complaints in other reviews—threading the cord under the step—had already been taken care of for me.
I set it in front of Makoa’s automatic litter box and plugged it in.

At low speed, the purifier emits a quiet, consistent hum that fades quickly into the background. I left it running at this speed for the duration of the week, except for one ten-minute episode after an especially stinking bathroom trip by my otherwise perfectly gentlemanly cat.
The AirStep “disposed” of that odorous evidence quickly—much more quickly, in fact, than the exhaust fan in the room typically does.

Outside of that moment, I didn’t notice a single foul odor coming from the litter box the entire week. That lingering, stale, urine smell that my litter box has developed after way too long between deep cleans? Gone. In fact, the litter box room may now be the freshest-smelling room in my house!

Makoa had no problem using the step to get into his litter box, and the amount of litter caught in the grate after a week tells me he happily used it to get out as well. However, it is worth noting that when he isn’t using the litter box, he goes out of his way to avoid stepping on the step. I think the grate is not quite as soft and cushy as his little paws prefer.

The step seemed to do a good job catching the litter, as I didn’t notice nearly as many stray granules on the floor as usual.

Under the removable grate is a flat surface with a removable cup in the center of one end. When I first saw this, I wondered whether the purifier’s vibrations might scatter the litter into the cup over time. After a week, I can tell you this is not the case.

Rather, I believe the cup is there so you can sweep the scattered litter into it and then dispose of it. If only the AirStep came with a tiny broom!

But overall, I am very happy with this product.

The step/litter catch function works well enough as long as your cat actually uses it instead of jumping straight out of the litter box onto the floor (as noted in some other reviews). But the real reason to get this is for the air-purifying effects.

The purifier works exceptionally well, uses very little energy, and, unlike other purifier options, can be placed right up next to the litter box opening for maximum effectiveness. Best of all, it integrates seamlessly into the litter box setup, providing a functional step without taking up extra floor space.

I highly recommend this product for anyone who is sick of battling litter box odors.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Where should I place the AirStep?

Simply place the AirStep in front of the opening to your litter box. If you have an open box, it may be worth getting a guard or otherwise blocking off the sides to force your cat to use the step. Be sure the wall of your litter box does not block the intake vents at the back of the step (you may need to leave a slight gap between).

Should I leave the AirStep on at all times?

The AirStep is most effective when left on continuously. Most of the lingering odors from cat boxes come not from the waste itself, but from the breakdown of waste material, especially the traces left behind after scooping. The energy consumption of this product is incredibly low, even when left running continuously.

Conclusion 

If you’ve tried better litter, the best cat boxes, and all the odor absorbers on the market and are still battling lingering litter odors, the AirStep is for you.

This functional, effective, and well-designed litter box step with a powerful built-in purifier neutralizes lingering gaseous odors that other cat litter products fail to capture. Best of all, it is inexpensive to run, easy to integrate into your litter box setup, and doesn’t cost much more than the leading litter box step (which, for the record, has zero odor-eliminating features).