Here is a tip to keep your home odor free. No matter how clean your kitchen is, trash cans and recycling bins can attract ants, cockroaches, mice, and smelly bacteria. A typical kitchen garbage bin has over 400 bacteria per square inch. That’s not a lot compared to the 3.2 million per square inch in a toilet bowl or the 134,000 in a kitchen sponge. Bacteria in the trash can, can easily be kept under control by cleaning your trash can.
Paper or Plastic
Most people use paper and plastic grocery store bags as can liners; and they’re not suitable for the task. Plastic bags leak, and paper bags soak up liquids from your garbage. So with either, you’re letting bacteria-laden liquids ooze all over. These germs multiply quickly and can cause unpleasant odors. To solve the problem, buy plastic bags designed for a wastebasket. They fit properly around the rim, don’t leak, and keep the spills out of the bin.
Take out the Trash
Take out the trash every day—or at least every other day—so you don’t have garbage smelling up the kitchen.
Clean Your Trash Can
To clean your trash can, put on rubber gloves and wipe the can inside and out. Keep a separate wipe for this job; don’t use the dish sponge on the wastebasket. If the can is really dirty fill it with water and few tablespoons of OxiClean. When you’re done, dry all the surfaces thoroughly, especially inside. A damp wastebasket invites bacterial growth.
Complete the Job
After cleaning the trash can, clean the floor where it sits. If you keep it in the cupboard, wipe down the door and sides as well as the floor. Soft Scrub cleaner is good for this. Lastly, sanitize the sink, sponges, and rubber gloves with a good cleaning solution. This will kill the germs that have just been transferred into the sink.