Having trouble with a stinky garbage can? Read on for fixes to deodorize trash bins in your home sweet, sweet-smelling home.
Even if you take the garbage out regularly, less-than-fragrant smells can escape and invade your house and garage. Prevent disagreeable odors from taking over with these clever tips and hacks to solve stinky garbage can problems for good.
Timely Take-Outs
Get in the habit of removing rotten rubbish as soon as it starts to smell bad, instead of waiting until the bin is full. The sooner you get rid of the offending stench, the better! Taking the extra step to wrap any wet waste in newspaper helps absorb mess-making moisture and prevent smells, too.
Keep Up with Cleanings
It may seem like a no-brainer, but regular thorough garbage pail cleanings are one of the best ways to eliminate odors.
Wipe off spills and sticky bits immediately, and do a quick once-over with a disinfecting spray or wipe every time you change the liner. Wash away any disgusting gunk at the bottom and on the lid weekly before it accumulates, using a long-handled scrub brush and warm, soapy water.
Baking Soda
DIY your way to a fresh-scented kitchen with tried-and-true baking soda. Take small-sized coffee filters and fill them with baking soda, then close with a rubber band and place at the bottoms of waste bins. The white powdery compound deodorizes, absorbing and neutralizes foul-smelling trash, and it’s biodegradable, too. Replace the little pouches monthly.
Charcoal Filter
Activated charcoal, a porous carbon treated with oxygen, is one of the best solutions for eliminating stringent stinks. Purchase store-bought charcoal-infused deodorizers that attach under the trash can lid or inside cabinets and pantry doors. They’re safe and effective at naturally absorbing and neutralizing food, pet, mildew and other smells.
Essential Oils
With a few household ingredients and
essential oils, you can make an odor-eliminating spray at home. Just mix together one cup distilled water, 1/2 cup white vinegar, about two tablespoons rubbing alcohol and 10 drops each of lemongrass, lime and tea tree oils, plus five drops of fir oil. Mix and pour into a spray bottle. (This is just one recipe; you can create your own fragrance using your favorite oil scents.)
Another approach: Douse a cotton ball with essential oils and drop it at the bottom of a smelly pail.
Coffee Beans and Grounds
Love the aroma of freshly brewed coffee? A layer of coffee beans at the base of your trash can gives off that beloved sweet and nutty scent while absorbing smells. Another odor-busting use for coffee: Scatter your spent grounds (let them dry first) over your compostable waste until collection day rolls around. They also make a great indoor plant fertilizer and outdoor garden pest repellent.
Citrus Peels
Citrus zest is one of the best non-toxic and natural air fresheners there is. Not only does it mask odors, it also neutralizes them. Just slice off thin peels of lemon, lime or orange skin and put them on the floor of your cans. Toss any remaining rinds and insides down your garbage disposal to help clean off the grinder (and leave a fresh scent behind).
Cat Litter
Got a kitty? Borrow some of their cat litter to pour at the base of the trash can. It keeps humidity and odors at bay for up to a week or more. When it clumps, just toss it out and add more. It’s an inexpensive and easy way to fight the stink.
Baking Soda (other way)
Baking soda can work wonders at preventing odors in your trash cans. Sprinkle it in the bottom of a trash can or directly into the trash to help absorb stinky odors. As a bonus, baking soda is great for scrubbing out your trash can to remove odors that may have seeped into it. This is often a number one product to keep trash cans less stinky.
It’s simple: add 1/4 cup of baking soda to the can in the morning. By the evening when the trash is ready to be taken outside, no odors will be evident. When it’s time to clean out the trash cans themselves, leave 1 cup of baking soda in the bottom of the can after they have been washed and dried. This can help absorb moisture and odor until next week when you clean the cans out again.
