Although cleaning and sanitizing your garbage can are not exciting chores, they are critical in keeping your family healthy. Germs are everywhere and most likely to thrive more in your 96 gallon trash can due to the waste food that sits for days before you take the garbage out. Some of the most common bacteria are found in raw meat and eggs. Plus, germs that cause the common cold find their way to the garbage bin through napkins and tissues that contain the virus.
Since bacteria lurking in your wastebin can cause some severe health issues, you must clean and sanitize your garbage bin. So, how do you sanitize garbage bins? Luckily, cleaning, deodorizing, and sanitizing your trash can is achievable and on a shoestring. Below is a step-by-step guide on how you can clean your 96 gallon trash can or any other size of trash can, ensuring your home stays cleaner, happier, and healthier.
How Do You Sanitize Garbage Bins?
Since cleaning your TuffBoxx Kodiak Trash Receptacle can be nasty, before you even start the cleaning, you need to ensure that you have all the necessary supplies for the task. You should dress up in proper cleaning clothes.
Plus, you should have rubber gloves and a face mask to protect yourself from germs, smells, and harmful chemicals that can harm you. After you have prepared yourself for the cleaning, you can get started. Follow these steps in order to attain a trash can free of odor, dirt, and germs.
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Remove All the Trash
Ensure that you remove all the loose trash or trash bags in the wastebasket before you clean it. The most recommended day to clean your 64 gallon trash can is on your regular garbage pickup day to avoid touching and refilling it with the same trash.
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Get Rid of Debris That Are Easy to Remove
Remove any large food pieces or particles you see stuck on the sides and bottom of the dumpster. You can use disinfecting wipes for this purpose. Glaro Satin Disinfecting Wipe Dispenser is a convenient way to store your wipes as it is equipped with a double push-button cover. If the trash is stuck in the bin in such a way that it is not possible to remove, leave it and move on to the next step.
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Spray the Bin With Water
When you spray out your Wausau Made Tray Caddy Top Trash Receptacle, the stuck-on items will loosen, thus preparing the bin's surfaces for scrubbing. For this step, a hose with a spray nozzle or pressure washer is recommendable. Be on the lookout while using a pressure washer on hardscapes like pavers, bricks, and concrete.
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Clean the Garbage Can
Since garbage cans are bound to get dirty, spraying them out is not enough to clean them. Fill about a quarter of the garbage pail with water and add a cup or two of white vinegar. If you don't have white vinegar, you can also use a half cup of dish soap, and if you feel like you need a more abrasive cleaner, then you can mix water and baking soda to make a paste. Use this paste with a clean handheld nylon brush or cloth to scrub the surfaces of your bin. This will clean all the stubborn grime stuck to the surfaces of the bin. And, don’t forget to clean the lid of the bin as well. When the bin is clean, rinse it with clean water.
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Deodorize and Sanitize the Garbage Bin
While sanitizing or disinfecting your 20 gallon trash can, spray the bin's surfaces, including both the inside and outside, with a disinfectant, such as Lysol, or use undiluted white vinegar. Ensure that you rinse the can with clean water if you choose to use white vinegar. You can sprinkle baking soda in the bin to deodorize it and leave it for a few minutes to absorb the odor.
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Let It Dry
Have you completed all the above steps and got satisfied with the cleanliness of your Commercial Zone PolyTec Waste Container? Well, if the answer is yes, then the final step will be to let your trash can dry in the sun before adding anything to it.
So, these are the six ways to clean and sanitize your 13 gallon kitchen trash can. The sanitization process only takes a few minutes to get the job done, resulting in a gunk-free and fresh-smelling trash can.
How to keep your trash can clean and odor-free?
Now that your trash receptacle is clean, deodorized, and sanitized, how can you keep it clean and free of odor for a long time? Below are 10 tips on how you can keep your trash can as clean and tidy as possible. These hacks will keep your trash basket clean for several days so that you don’t have to clean it very frequently and when you do, you can do so easily in no time.
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Set Garbage Day Reminder
Set a reminder for recycling days on your smartphone. Alternatively, you can make a note on a calendar in your kitchen. Regardless of how you choose to handle your reminder, ensure that you set the alert for the trash day before the truck rolls down the street.
In case you decide to wait until the pickup day to put out the garbage, chances are that you are likely to miss a pickup; especially if the truck decides to come earlier than usual or it’s your off day and you sleep till noon.
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Reduce Your Trash Load
One of the most effective ways of reducing your trash load is through reducing and recycling the trash. Less trash means less waste going into your Wausau Made Push Door Top Trash Receptacle.
Some of the most effective ways of reducing your trash include opting for products with minimal packaging, choosing not to use paper and plastic bags, and opting for fresh veggies and meat rather than packaged products.
Another effective way of reducing the trash load is reusing, which means carrying your containers and bags when you go shopping. Not only will you be reducing the amount of trash you are going to toss at the end of the week, but you are also doing a favor to the environment.
Since most cities and towns have curbside recycling pick up, it is essential to ensure that you have a separate recycling bin where you can trash the recyclable items. After considering these factors, you will get shocked by how little trash you will have.
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Use Different Containers for Different Trash
You might already have two separate containers for recycling and garbage. Then, you can add a compost bin as well where you can put in specific kitchen waste, such as grass cuttings, leaves, newspapers, and other woody materials.
For you to ensure that your compost bin is free of odor, do not place things like oil or fats, meat, scraps, bones, dairy products, cooked food, dirty diapers, pet waste, pasta, magazines, bread, etc. in it.
In case your compost starts to stink, you can add wood chips to it in order to increase air circulation. Another important way of reducing the quantity of waste that you put out for pickup is by installing a trash compactor. A trash compactor is capable of reducing your waste volume by 75% and it has odor removal filters, which prevent your old garbage in your trash basket from stinking.
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Always Use a Trash Bag
The easiest way to ensure that your 13 gallon kitchen trash can stays clean is to always use a trash bag. Consider a trash bag for every wastebasket in your house in which you throw your food or other wet materials, which are stinky or sticky. Generally, all trash, whether damp or dry, needs to be put in a trash bag when placing it in your outside wastebin before the garbage collector collects it.
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Avoid Overfilling
When in a hurry, you are most likely to smash your trash down and add more to your TuffBox Grizzly Trash Receptacle. But, this is likely to cost you both convenience and time in the end. It is of course quite a hustle to keep shoving the trash down to add more junk.
Ensure that you take out the garbage from your kitchen and other high traffic areas daily to avoid overfilling your trash bin. Also, as part of your weekly cleaning schedule, ensure that you take out trash from every litter bin around your house to the curb for pickup in order to avoid overfilling.
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Install Sliding Hardware in Your Kitchen
You will need to install sliding hardware for trash that does not go into a compactor or a compost bin for easy access. Sliding hardware includes tracks that go in a cabinet space attaching to a cabinet front. This allows you to slide your Witt Industries Monarch Series Trash Receptacle in and out, ensuring easy disposal of items as well as the removal of the trash bag.
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Rinse Your Trash Bin Before Putting in the Trash
Most garbage collectors will insist that you rinse your litter basket. However, even if it is not a requirement of your garbage collector, it is a good practice to always rinse your trash bin. Rinsing away food debris from your trash can will help you end odor and keep it clean for a long time.
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Prevent Odor
Odor is one of the most frustrating and annoying things in a waste bin. To prevent this odor, there are a couple of tricks you can use. Sprinkling baking soda in your 64 gallon trash can is one of the most effective ways to prevent odor since it absorbs the stench. Did you know that you can also use dryer sheets and cat litter for the same? Yes, you heard it right! These two things also come in handy to eliminate the foul odor.
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Drill Holes
Drilling some holes at the bottom of your Ex-Cell Kaiser Venue Collection Trash Receptacle can be a great idea. This will help you clean the inside of a litter bin without having to dump out the dirty water. Additionally, the holes will allow rainwater to drain out of your dustbin.
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Consider Where You Store Your Trash
As much as where you store your outdoor wastebin is a matter of your preference or it is determined by the homeowners association, you must choose the most suitable place.
Outdoor litter basket is most likely to attract animals and bugs. Thus, it is crucial to always prevent insects, rodents, and other vermin from being attracted to your home. If, for instance, your trash bin is stored in your garage, of course, it is more likely to attract animals and bugs.
On top of paying attention to where you store your outdoor trash can, it is also vital to secure it. Your wastebasket is likely to serve as a buffet for cockroaches, ants, raccoons, coyotes, and even in some extreme situations, bears.
In case you live in a neighborhood prone to large pests, you must consider containers that come with a lid, like the Wausau Made Push Door Top Trash Receptacle Lid, or build an enclosed area for their storage.
In Summary
Regardless of how much you try to keep your waste bin from getting dirty with these tips, you will still need to clean it periodically. It would be best if you washed your dumpster every six months in order to keep it free of germs and foul odor.
Moreover, you can clean your trash basket whenever you notice an odor or a big spill. Keep in mind that the more often you clean your 20 gallon trash can, the chances are that you will hardly run into a stinky situation. It is also vital to ensure that you use high-quality garbage bags to prevent liquids and other sticky and smelly substances from leaking into your litter bin.