Inside: Dealing with a smelly trash can? Check out this easy tip for cleaning trash cans. Deodorize the trash can with this simple tip. It cleans and deodorizes the trash can in just a few minutes.
Trash cans can quickly become dirty and smelly, making them a breeding ground for bacteria. Learn some easy tips for keeping your trash cans clean and odor-free.
Regularly cleaning your trash cans is a great way to keep the smell and odor down in your home.
A quick cleaning of the trash cans will eliminate that and any unpleasant smells you have in the trash can. Check out these easy tips for cleaning trash cans to get your trash can clean and deodorized.
Items Needed To Clean The Trash Cans
To start, you will need a few things to clean the trash cans.
I like to buy a cheap toilet brush from the dollar store for cleaning trash cans. Since they are only $1, you can buy them and throw them out after cleaning the trash cans, or you can mark them as your trash cleaning brush and save them for next time.
Items Needed
- Baking Soda
- Dish Soap (I prefer Dawn)
- Vinegar (just plain white vinegar)
- Brush (a toilet brush is great for scrubbing!)
Depending on how dirty your trash can is, you may want disposable gloves, too!
Steps To Clean And Deodorize The Trash Can
Step 1: Start out by wiping down or dumping out the inside of your trash can to get any smaller trash or paper that has fallen down into the can. I almost always find a fortune from a fortune cookie in ours.
Step 2: Take your trash can to an area where you can wash it out.
I prefer to take my garbage cans outside to clean them. I usually clean trash cans in a rock bed or my driveway using a hose.
Tip
Because you are using vinegar, you will want to make sure you use it away from any plants or grass.
Step 3: Spray down the inside of the trash can with some water.
Step 4: Then, squirt a little bit of dawn dish soap (about 1 teaspoon) and vinegar (about 1 tablespoon) into the trash can. The vinegar works as a disinfectant, and the dish soap will help remove grease and grime.
Step 5: Use the toilet brush to scrub all around the trash can. The toilet brush works great to reach into the trash can, so you don't have to.
Step 6: Make sure you scrub really well in all the cracks and crevices. The soap cleans away any grease or food, and the vinegar will help kill any mold and bacteria.
Step 7: When you finish scrubbing, use water to rinse all of the soap and vinegar from the trash can.
Give it another scrub to make sure you got everything clean and scrubbed off. Then rinse it one more time.
Note
If your trash can was really dirty to begin with, you may need to repeat these steps again.
Step 8: Once you have finished washing and rinsing the trash can you can either just let it dry in the sun or you can add a little baking soda to the bottom of the trash can and then let it dry.
I like to add the baking soda to help deodorize the trash can and really get it smelling fresh again. Add a tablespoon or two of baking soda and shake it around so it coats the bottom of the trash can.
When the garbage can is completely dry you can dump all of the baking soda from the bottom of the can. If a small amount remains, that's fine. It will just help more with deodorizing the trash can.
Other Tips For Preventing Odors In Trash Cans
You can prevent odors in the garbage can by doing a few things.
Preventing Odors
- Use Scented Trash Bags
- Add baking soda to the bags
- Put some essential oils on a cotton ball and store in garbage cans
- Make trash deodorizer (see my recipe here)
So dump the dirt and grime with these easy tips on cleaning trash cans. Want some more cleaning tips? Check out 12 things you never clean but should.
How To Clean Trash Cans
Equipment
- Scrub Brush
Ingredients
- Baking Soda
- Vinegar
- Dish Soap
Instructions
- Dump out the inside of your trash can to get any smaller trash or paper that has fallen down into the can.
- Spray down the inside of the trash can with some water.
- Add dish soap and vinegar to the inside of trash can. Use the toilet brush to scrub all around the can.
- When you finish scrubbing, rinse the trash can with water. Give it another scrub to make sure you have everything clean and scrubbed off.
- Then rinse it one more time. If your trash can was really dirty to begin with you may need to repeat these steps again.
- Allow garbage can to dry.
barbara says
I’m looking for lists of areas/places in one’s home that get extremely dirty/geeky that individuals normally either don’t clean at all....or too infrequently. Plus, are their individual s or companies in Tucson, az who will do this extraordinary deep cleaning if homeowner is disabled?