Expert Tips for Cleaning Your Kitchen Trash Can

Cleaning the kitchen trash can is a task many people overlook, even in the cleanest kitchens. That's why we consulted a cleaning expert and a food scientist to uncover why trash cans smell, how to clean them effectively, and simple home hacks to reduce odors.

What Causes Trash Cans to Smell?

Even with good ventilation, trash cans can still develop odors because food breaks down and ferments. According to food scientist Dr. Bryan Quoc Le, the microorganisms in food produce enzymes that turn food into smelly compounds like sulfur and nitrogen. These compounds can create smells similar to rotten fish or sweaty socks.

How to Properly Clean Your Kitchen Trash Can

To reduce unpleasant odors, Delah Gomasi, CEO of MaidForYou, shares these expert tips for deep-cleaning your kitchen trash can:

1. Take out the trash bag or liner.
2. Spray the inside with disinfectant, then scrub the interior with a dish soap and water solution using a long-handled, hard-bristled brush.
3. Rinse and repeat until the water runs clear.
4. Dry the bin with a cloth or leave it outside to air-dry.

How to Keep Your Trash Can Smelling Fresh

In addition to deep-cleaning, here are five simple ways to reduce odors in your trash can:

1. Choose a Stainless Steel Trash Can

Gomasi suggests opting for a stainless steel trash can over plastic: "Plastic tends to absorb odors from waste, which can then seep into the material, making smells stick permanently and nearly impossible to remove."

2. Take Out Your Trash Every Night

Taking out the trash each night helps prevent odors from settling into the can and lingering.

3. Always Line Your Trash Cans

Instead of dumping waste directly into the bin, always line your trash can with a strong, durable garbage bag. Opt for bags that offer odor protection, such as scented ones, to keep smells in check and reduce leaks or spills from escaping the bag.

4. Neutralize Odors

Gomasi advises keeping your trash can smelling fresh by adding activated charcoal, baking soda, or coffee grounds to the liner. These natural odor absorbers help eliminate unpleasant smells.

• Activated charcoal that was previously exposed to high heat has become porous, allowing it to absorb odorous molecules.
• Baking soda is another effective method. "Baking soda is made up of sodium bicarbonate, which chemically binds directly to the odor compounds that produce odors in trash cans, namely sulfur compounds, nitrogen compounds, and acetic or lactic acid,” says Quoc Le.
• Coffee grounds can absorb odors because caffeine, the active ingredient in coffee, contains nitrogen. The nitrogen reacts with the hydrogen sulfur gas emitted from the garbage in the air, neutralizing the odor.

5. Sort Your Trash

Rather than tossing all waste into one bin, sorting your trash can help reduce strong odors. Compost food scraps, recycle paper, plastic, and cans (where local laws permit), and place everything else in the trash. Rinsing food containers before discarding them can also minimize smells.