You Should Clean Your Kitchen Trash Can Every Time You Take Out the Trash
The kitchen trash cans I like (and the ones you should like too) have foot pedals because nobody wants to put their hands anywhere near a receptacle of raw meat packaging, expired leftovers, and soiled paper towels—especially while in the middle of cooking. In other words: Kitchen trash bins can get so gross that we don’t even want to touch them.
But the reason they get so grimy is simply because most people aren’t cleaning them often enough. And I hate to break it to you (just kidding; I live for this), if you’re not cleaning yours every time you empty it, then you’re not cleaning it often enough. But don’t worry, you can do this.
Why you need to clean your trash can every single time
So just how gross is it? According to a 2007 study by the Hygiene Council, the average residential kitchen trash can has 411 types of bacteria per square inch. And while that’s not as dirty as some other spots in the kitchen (more on that in future columns, because again, I live for this), it’s a figure that makes me squirm a little every time I read it.
In addition to harboring dangerous pathogens like salmonella and E. coli, a dirty kitchen trash can is the perfect dark, damp breeding ground for mold. Perhaps most disturbing, however, is that lingering food particles on the lid, rim, or bottom of the bin (because even the strongest trash bags can rip) attract critters like mice and roaches. And as I recently learned, these unwanted visitors will try to infiltrate the cleanest of kitchens if you happen to live in an apartment adjacent to hygienic neighbors. In my case, the situation was manageable because there wasn’t much available to pests and my trash wasn’t inviting because my divided bin has a tight lid, I empty it often, and I keep it very clean.
Luckily, maintaining a clean kitchen trash can is a quick and easy job. As long as you actually keep up with it, that is.
The easiest way to keep your kitchen trash can clean
Honestly? Just wipe the whole thing down regularly.
I generally try to limit my paper towel consumption, so I use a tiny broom and dustpan to remove debris from tables and counters, and I rely heavily on microfiber cloths for the rest. But wiping down the trash can is a job that calls for something disposable.
Mr. Siga
Mini Dustpan and Brush Set
Amazon
Scrub Daddy
Microfiber Cloths
Amazon
Before I even take the trash bag out of the bin, I give the top and sides a quick spritz with my favorite all-purpose cleaning spray, wipe the exterior down with a paper towel, then use that same (now damp) paper towel to wipe the underside of the lid and the rim around the inside of the bin. My can also has liner bins—one for trash and one for recycling—so when I empty those, I lift them out of the outer bin, spray the inside bottom, and wipe them out too. Then I put the soiled paper towel in the trash bag.
Aunt Fannie’s All-Purpose Cleaning Vinegar Spray
Amazon
Before I replace the liner bins, I check to make sure nothing has made its way to the base of the outer trash can. That’s where gunk tends to accumulate, and if your trash can has a pedal or any kind of ventilation on bottom, it’s very accessible for anything that crawls by. If anything has fallen into this part, I use my vacuum cleaner’s crevice attachment to remove it (though it’s generally pretty easy to tip or knock out too), then spray and wipe the “floor” of the outer bin.
And that’s it. Well, almost.
Cleaning vs. disinfecting
Removing debris and gunk from your kitchen trash can will make it look and smell fresher, and it will therefore be less gross and less enticing to critters. But the dirty truth is that most spray cleaners can’t kill all of the pathogens on a surface. So, unless you use something that’s specifically labeled as a cleaner and disinfectant or sanitizer—and you also let it sit on the surface according to the “dwell time” instructions on the label—your bin could still be harboring unwanted bacteria.
Lysol
All-Purpose Cleaner Spray, Lemon Breeze Scent, 32 oz.
Amazon
Now, even I can admit that cleaning and then disinfecting every surface of a trash can multiple times a week is a little extra. But it’s a good idea to disinfect the exterior, the underside of the lid and any other parts you regularly touch about once a month. Or at least, every time you deep clean your kitchen.
Starting fresh
Like nearly everything else in life, if you keep up with maintenance wipe-downs, cleaning your trash can should never feel overwhelming. And if yours happens to be so gross you don’t even want to deal with it, it might be time to invest in a new one. Just be sure to start a new wipe-down habit when you do.
Inspired to deep clean your whole kitchen? We got you.
Source: This story originated with Bon Appétit.
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