How to Clean Your Trash Can (And Keep It Smelling Fresh!)

It’s not the most glamorous tutorial, but it’s an essential one! I walk you through the process to clean both your indoor and outdoor garbage bins.

Let’s be real—cleaning trash cans isn’t exactly a fun job, but it’s one of those necessary evils that keeps your home clean and odor-free. While I regularly wipe down and disinfect our kitchen trash can as part of our cleaning routine, I have a confession to make—I had never cleaned our outdoor garbage bins. Nope, not in the six years that we’ve lived here. And trust me, they smelled awful.

I’d literally scurry to the can, toss in a bag of trash, and run away before the terrible odors hit me. Not exactly ideal. Living in Chicago, we also have to be mindful of critters (Rats, yikes!), so keeping our outdoor trash bins clean isn’t just about odor elimination—it’s about preventing unwanted visitors.

With spring cleaning in full swing, I finally tackled this simple task, and I have to say—the difference is amazing. If you’re looking for the best way to clean your trash cans (both indoor and outdoor), I’ve got you covered with these easy steps!

How to Clean Your Indoor Trash Cans

Indoor trash cans, especially kitchen trash cans, collect leftover food, dirty garbage bags, and all sorts of grime. Regular maintenance helps prevent them from becoming a breeding ground for bacteria like E. coli and mold.

Here are the steps I follow at least once a month on our indoor trash cans.

• Empty It Out: Remove the trash bag and any loose debris inside the trash can.
• Rinse It: If it’s nice out, I’ll use the garden hose. If it’s wintertime, the rinsing happens in the bathtub.
• Scrub with Dish Soap: Add a few drops of dish soap and use a long-handled brush or sponge to scrub the inside. This one works great!
• Rinse Again: Pour out the dirty water and rinse thoroughly to remove all soap residue.
• Disinfect: Spray a disinfectant spray or a mix of hot soapy water and vinegar inside your trash can. Wipe with a microfiber cloth.
• Dry It Completely: Let it air dry before putting in a new trash bag to prevent moisture buildup.
• Bonus Tip: Add a few drops of essential oils to a cotton ball or a bit of baking soda at the bottom of the can to eliminate future odors.

How to Clean Your Outdoor Trash Bins

Outdoor garbage bins take on a whole new level of grime. They collect rotten food, plastic bags, and food scraps, and with Chicago’s wild weather, they can quickly become a breeding ground for bacteria and unpleasant odors.

I put on my rain boots, rubber gloves, and sunglasses before bringing our large trash can to the backyard. The outside of it was incredibly filthy, and I was scared to look inside.

Eek, there was a lot of loose debris stuck to the bottom of the trash can. Yuck. Here’s what to do to give your trash can a deep cleaning.

• Empty It Out: I tipped it over and got rid of the trash stuck to the bottom of the bin.
• Rinse It Down: For this step, you can use a pressure washer if you have one. I just used our garden hose and it works fine to rinse the entire can inside and out.
• Scrub with a Brush: I poured in lots of dish soap and started scrubbing the bottom of the can with this long-handled brush. You could also use an old broom if you have an outdoor one around. The scrubbing really helped to loosen up grime, dirt, and other mysterious grossness in the can.
• Rinse Thoroughly: I washed away the dirty water with a garden hose, ensuring all soap residue was removed.
• Let It Dry: I highly recommend tackling this on a sunny day when it can dry quickly in the sunshine.

• Keep Pests Away: I found this Garbage Guard Pest Strip at Home Depot and stuck it to the top of the trash can. It’s supposed to keep insects away, and I figured it was a good idea as we head into summertime.

• Deodorize: Once everything was completely dry, I sprinkled this trash can deodorizer into the bottom of the bin to absorb future odors.

How Often Should You Clean Your Dirty Garbage Cans?

• Indoor kitchen trash can: At least once a month (more often if needed).
• Outdoor trash bins & recycling bins: 1-2 times per year, ideally before summer heat makes smelly trash even worse. This task is a part of my outdoor deep cleaning checklist for spring.

Want to stay on top of regular maintenance for your home? My digital guide, Your Home Playbook, includes easy-to-follow schedules and checklists for household cleaning, home maintenance, and more! Grab your copy and never forget these simple tasks again.

I know it’s not the most glamorous job, but I really did feel good after getting this one done! Maybe now I’ll actually want to take the trash out. On second thought, I’ll let Finn keep that job!