It’s a good idea to give garbage, recycling, and other garbage and compost containers a good clean a few times a year. Plan this chore for before the snow falls this year. Here’s a guide:
- Small trash cans can be put in the dishwasher for easy cleaning. Your small compost container can go into the dishwasher as well.
- For large outside containers (recycling and garbage bins), you’ll need a hose, some eco-friendly soap and a long-handled brush. Place the containers in an area where they can get wet. Squirt a bit of soap inside each receptacle. Use a hose sprayer nozzle and spray the inside of each container. Use the brush to scrub away dirt and spills that have hardened to the container. Empty the water and rinse. Let the containers dry in the sun.
- To keep containers clean, use plastic or compostable bags for garbage and food scraps (rather than putting the garbage and compost in loose). Some people freeze full compost bags before they put it into the green compost container – so the food waste doesn’t smell as much.
- To stop the containers from smelling, sprinkle some baking soda inside after they’ve been emptied every week.
- To avoid a big mess, secure the lids of each garbage and compost container so raccoons and other critters can’t get into them.
