Cleaning and Stain Removal - smelly trash cans

Hi Forum,

My trash cans are smelly. They are stored in my garage and have reached the point where the garage smells for a while after each time a trashcan is opened to have a trash bag placed into it. There is no loose (un bagged) trash in the bottoms of the trash cans - I already checked for that.

What are your recommendations to clean the trashcans and remove their foul odor? Also, do you have any suggestions to prevent odor in the future?

Thanks in advance for any ideas and assistance,
Andy

It's amazing how they can retain the stink, especially in warm weather. My current cans are plastic, but plastic or galvanized, I give them a bath occasionally with detergent and water and scrub them a little with an old broom. Dump the mix and give them several rinses followed by air dry.
Never tried it, but I wonder if a car air freshener hung in the can would help?

Detergent and hot water...then a good scrub with white vinegar..or a bleach and water mixture, then a good rinse and air dry will normally take care of it. Drying/sitting open and empty in the sun helps as well.

Tired of smelly trash cans stinking up the garage - and my shop, I built a separate trash bin outside my garage.

My fix for smelly cans is a spray down with a vinegar mix. I use an old plant fertilizer hose attachment.

i think the key would be to wash and allow to dry. If you think about it..how often would the trash can sit empty and open vs full and having the lid on it?

some plastics will absorb odors as well. Mine are tossed outside...a pain in the snow but thats how it goes

Hi Forum,

Thanks for the great advice. My wife sure liked the idea of a separate trash bin outside my garage - just what I needed another project and applications for HOA approval.

Andy