How to Stop Kitchen Trash Can Odor

If your kitchen smells a bit on the rank side, the problem could be coming from your kitchen trash can. One way to keep those nasty odors at bay is to use a trash can with a self closing lid. If that’s not an option, here’s some other ideas to try.

Empty daily. Instead of keeping a large can in your kitchen, try a smaller one instead. A smaller one means that you’ll be emptying the trash more frequently so that odor doesn’t have a chance to develop.

Use baking soda. Baking soda has all sorts of amazing uses including the ability to neutralize odors. Baking soda can be sprinkled in the bottom of your trash can or dumped liberally over the top to absorb bad odors.

Wash the trash can frequently. Trash can liners aren’t always water proof which means that any liquid that is tossed in the trash will eventually ooze to the bottom of the can. When this happens, the best way to get rid of trash can odor is by washing the trash can in a mild bleach solution and setting it outdoors in the sunshine to air dry before returning it to the kitchen. For the eco minded, vinegar can be used instead of bleach.

Separate waste. I only empty my kitchen trash once a week because I separate out the foods that could turn smelly. Egg shells, vegetable parings and fruit scraps are put in a compost bucket. Meat scraps, animal fats, and spoiled foods are stored in a recycled bread bag and frozen until trash day. Canned and bottled food containers are rinsed before tossing in the recycling bin. Liquids are poured down the sink or wrapped up in a used bag. While separating out the trash does take extra work, it really is the best way of preventing kitchen trash can odor since it stops the smell at its source.

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