Some things in life are what I call “necessary evils.”  I think cleaning the garbage can is one of them.  I can’t stand for my garbage can to be dirty, though, so I clean it regularly.  I also have this extravagant contraption for my kitchen garbage can that was bought with the intent of keeping the dogs out of the garbage (yeah, right — my dog has learned how to step on the lever to open it) and allow for easy cleaning, because the inside pulls out, but it is flawed in its design, and actually makes the cleaning more difficult.  So, the more often I clean it, the less work I actually have to put in to keeping it clean.

I do the cleaning of garbage cans outside on a sunny day.

I just pour a little bit of all purpose cleaner into the bottom of the can and add some water.

Children shorter than four feet tall get to clean the bathroom garbage cans.  It’s just the standing rule.  I’m sure I’ll adjust the height requirement as they grow.

Using a cloth, I scrub the can.

With mine, I have to actually get out a toothbrush and clean the interior of the lid – hence the design flaw.  It catches everything and isn’t smooth and easy to wipe down at all.

I even clean under – because garbage spills, dogs paw, dog hair gathers — I just want my garbage can cleaned all the way through, top to bottom.

When they’re all scrubbed clean, I put them the spot in my yard where they’ll get the most sun all day long.  Sun is a natural deodorizer and disinfectant.  The rays of the sun will hit the spots that might have been missed by the hose or the cloth, and will do more than Mr. Clean could ever hope to do.  (This was relatively early in the morning, so there are shadows – but this spot gets the most direct sunlight all day long.  When I brought them in, they were completely dry and hot from the sun.)

While the cans are drying and deodorizing/disinfecting in the sun, I clean the area where the garbage can goes thoroughly.  I scrub the walls, the baseboard, and the floor.

My garbage can is stainless steel, so the final step in cleaning mine is to give it a quick shot of stainless steel cleaner to polish it down.

I love it when its clean, deodorized, shiny and fresh again.

 

 

Hallee

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