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Cleaning Your Garbage Container

You’ve cleaned the gutters, prepared the yard and house for winter’s arrival. But what about the garbage container?
 

Ace Carting knows that cleaning your garbage bin is probably low on your to-do list but it’s an easy fix to a smelly problem and only takes a few minutes. And there’s still time before winter’s freezing temperatures set in to clean your residential garbage container and leave it fresh and sanitized for the season ahead.

Why clean your garbage container?

Trash should be bagged before placed in a garbage container so a messy can and the accompanying odor shouldn’t be an issue, but it is. Even the most conscientious person will wind up with a broken garbage bag or just inadvertently place loose items in the bin leaving behind a smelly mess over time. To control the odor and have a more sanitary container, an occasional cleaning is a good idea.

Here are the simple steps to clean your garbage bin:

  • Outside on your lawn, wet the container’s interior thoroughly with a garden hose;
  • Pour a sufficient amount of biodegradable dish soap in the bin;
  • Spray thoroughly, preferably with a nozzle on the hose;
  • Empty the bin contents on the lawn;
  • Rinse

If you have a particularly messy bin and the spray nozzle alone won’t do the trick, a mixture of soap and vinegar in water or bleach in water might be called for. Follow the guidelines on your bleach bottle for the mix ratio, but to disinfect bleach usually mixes at ¼ cup per gallon of water. For cleaning, vinegar generally mixes at a 1:1 ratio with water. (NEVER mix vinegar and bleach as that mixture creates a toxic gas.) Once you’ve mixed your ingredients, pour the mixture in the bin, scrub with a long-handled brush, empty where the mixture won’t kill vegetation or get in the sewer system, and rinse.

Once your garbage container is clean the easiest way to keep it clean is to not get it dirty again by:

  • Bagging your garbage in a sealed bag;
  • Not throwing lose items in the bin;
  • Rinse your bin occasionally, inside and out.

Ace Carting has been providing quality waste collections and single stream recycling across Northeastern New York and Rutland County, Vermont since 2002 and currently serves more than 10,000 residential and 1,000 commercial trash and recycling customers.

To learn more about Ace Carting’s waste removal services, recycling programs, business, and commercial services, call 518-798-3444 to speak to an Ace Carting customer service representative.



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