The Kitchen Essential You're Neglecting To Clean (You Use It Every Day)

Cleaning the kitchen is unfortunately a very necessary part of using it and can definitely require a little elbow grease from time to time. If you're anything like the rest of us, you're likely already cleaning the obvious things like the stove, kitchen sink, or your cast iron pans on a regular basis. The problem is that it's easy to forget (or maybe ignore) other parts of the kitchen which are less visible or more pesky to clean. So here's your reminder: Don't forget about your kitchen trash can.

This is an item that can be easily overlooked, until there's a not so pleasant smell or disgusting liquids pooled at the bottom which force your hand — literally. Not to freak anyone out, but the kitchen trash can is truly one of the dirtiest places in your kitchen with over 400 bacteria living on every square inch of surface area. Yuck. So if you want to keep things clean, a weekly disinfecting of the bin is a good idea —unless you have any spillages which should be cleaned right after.

Cleaning your kitchen trash can is actually pretty simple and doing it regularly will help you maintain a mess-free kitchen. Using rubber gloves, empty the trash can and remove any pieces of rubbish that might be stuck to the bottom or the sides. Hose the inside and the outside of the trash can down either outside or in the bathtub. Pat it dry before spraying the inside and outside with a disinfecting spray. You can then scrub the can rigorously with a brush before letting it sit for at least 5 minutes. Give it a good rinse, let it dry and your trash can will be good as new. If you want to go the extra mile with maintenance, you can even wipe down the trash can every time you empty it.

Getting rid of a lingering smell from your bin can only be done by cleaning it, but there's a few ways to prevent this from happening all together. Always ensure you're using bin bags which are a suitable size and heavy duty. Flimsy bags will tear easily, leaving you with annoying spillages. Try to also buy scented bags, as this will help the bin smell fresh. Lastly, don't overfill your bin. An overflowing bin is a definite road to funky smelling leaks, so stay on top of emptying duties. With these tips your trash can might just be the cleanest and best smelling item in your kitchen.