How to Clean the Trash Can in Your Kitchen

Just as the mitochondria is the powerhouse of a functioning cell, the kitchen is the powerhouse of your home. After all, this is where all the food is prepared to fuel your body for your everyday chores. It is where your daily food intake comes from and thus must be treated like a temple – clean and spotless.

While you may assume this refers to keeping kitchen counters and tabletops clean, it’s definitely not limited to that. Something that should be taken care of and done at least once a week is cleaning your kitchen trash can. It doesn’t just smell sordid, but it also attracts insects of all sorts and creates an unhealthy environment when preparing food. What could be more sadder than your food source also being the source of foodborne illness?

Cleaning bins is not a fun task to do; nevertheless, it is awfully necessary. So here are a few quick and easy ways to clean your kitchen trash can with more results and less effort.

Quick Clean-Up

This is a quick and easy cleanup process that will not only leave your kitchen trash can sparkly clean but will also disinfect it. For this, you will require rubber gloves, a hose, a brush with a long handle, paper towels, an old towel and a disinfectant spray.

First, wear rubber gloves because you will have to deal with some nasty business ahead! Empty the can completely and get rid of any leftover food particles. Take your weapon, the hose, and wash it thoroughly to power clean it. After that, pat it dry with a paper towel.

Then, spray a disinfectant or garbage can cleaner of your choice liberally on all sides of the trash can. Using a long-handled nylon brush, scrub the can with some elbow grease. Leave it for five minutes and then rinse it. The cleaning procedure is complete. You can dry it using a towel or just leave it to bathe in the sun to dry on its own.

Banishing the Foul Smell

If your kitchen trash can particularly smells bad, you can try this method. It will completely banish the foul odor coming from your garbage can. For this, you will need three-quarter cup of chlorine bleach, a gallon of warm water and one tablespoon of powdered laundry detergent.

Simply mix all the ingredients and pour it in your trash can. Your water must be warm and not boiling hot. Warm water does a better job to eliminate dirt and smell than room temperature water. Pour the mixture in the garbage can and let it sit for a quarter of an hour, or until you see greasy bits floating on top of the water.

After that, give it a thorough scrubbing with the brush on all sides and drain the water to empty it. Lastly, give it one last cleansing with a hose to pressure clean it with water. There you have it, your non-smelly trash can!

Using a Microfiber Cloth

Microfiber cloth is one of the most useful things when it comes to cleaning. It is an effective tool for both cleaning and disinfecting. For this method, you will need rubber gloves, one tablespoon of detergent powder, a bucket of warm water, a water hose, a few paper towels and microfiber cloths.

First off, wear gloves and empty your trash can. Mix the powder detergent and water well so that it creates a warm soapy liquid. Start by wiping the outside of your garbage can with a microfiber cloth and the soapy water mixture. After that, move onto cleaning the insides of the trash can.

Finally, use the garden hose to give it one last rinsing. At last, dry your trash can with paper towels or leave it in the sun to air dry. Wipe your trash can thoroughly using a fresh microfiber cloth or paper towels.

If you always line your trash can with a bin liner, you can expect to clean it less frequently. Also, try not to throw liquids into the bin. It is a good habit to empty the trash as frequently as possible so that it does not attract flies. Remember, it is important to have a hygienic kitchen environment at all times!