Trash bins take a beating every week as garbage is tossed into them and left to sit until the neighborhood trash pickup day. Whether the bins are small ones for the kitchen or bathroom, or a large one for the house, they eventually begin to accumulate dirt, decaying food bits, and other gunk that make the bins look and smell terrible. Cleaning the bins out gets rid of the mess, but it would be nice if you could prevent the mess to begin with.

Clean up Spills Immediately

If something spills in the bin, be it solid food or liquid, clean it up immediately. Remove the garbage in the bin, wrap up anything that has liquid on it, and rinse out the bin. If you let spills sit, the food or liquid will just fester. If something spilled without your knowing, and you find it on trash day after the bin has been emptied, clean out the bin immediately with a scrub brush, mild cleaner, and water.

Keep the Bins in a Restricted Area

You want the bins to be accessible to household members who are throwing things out, but if you leave the bins in the open, that's an invitation for strangers to throw whatever in there. So, someone passing by might throw a cup of half-drunk soda in the bin, creating a sticky, bug-attracting mess. Find a spot where the bins are easy to get to from the house but not easy to get to for anyone on the sidewalk.

Protect Against Animal Intrusion

Animals can get into trash bins and tear open bags, spilling the contents and adding to the mess. They can also leave droppings, which aren't very pleasant, either. Animal-proof your bins so that the wildlife in the area can't get in. This could entail using lid locks or securing the bins so that they can't be knocked over.

Fully Wrap and Seal Garbage

Finally, whatever you put in there has to be wrapped and sealed properly. Use plastic bags and tie them closed so that nothing can spill out. Tossing open bags of garbage in the bin isn't going to make cleaning the bins easier.

Sometimes the best intentions still aren't enough to prevent a mess from forming. If you find you've got a really dirty trash bin, you can arrange for a professional cleaning, too. Get those bins back into shape so that your home is nicer to be around. Contact a company, like Respectable  Receptacle LLC, for more help.

Share