As you can imagine, the kitchen trash can is the catchall to a smorgasbord of food drippings, greasy wrappers, food waste, and maybe even a rogue dirty diaper. Despite your best efforts, sometimes these messes sneak through or simply miss your trash bags altogether.

Dish soap is useful for removing grease and leftover food on pots and pans, but may not be heavy-duty enough for leftover garbage grime. White vinegar can certainly deodorize, but will not do much in the cleaning and degreasing department.

Clean, degrease, and deodorize your kitchen trash can all in one step with Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner Lemon Scent. The versatile cleaner removes grease and grime while simultaneously deodorizing your kitchen and getting rid of lingering food smells.

We know it would be unrealistic to recommend you clean your kitchen trash can after every trash day, so we’ll give you a little wiggle room and suggest wiping it down about once every four to six weeks.

Directions for Cleaning a Trash Can:

We recommend wearing rubber gloves to avoid accidentally touching any unidentified kitchen garbage gunk.

1. Remove trash. Remove any trash bags or loose debris.
2. Mix your Simple Green solution. Add 1 cup of Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner to 1 cup of water in an empty spray bottle.
3. Apply your Simple Green solution to the interior. Lay the can on its side and thoroughly spray the inside. Laying it down will help you avoid dealing with a pool of dirty cleaner at the bottom.
4. Scrub. Use a sponge, a handful of paper towels, or even a long handled brush to scrub the inside of the bin.
5. Rinse with clean water. Use a damp cloth to wipe down the inside and outside of the can. If you feel like your trash can is especially dirty, you may want to take it outside and rinse it with a garden hose.
6. Apply your solution to the exterior. Spray the same Simple Green solution to the outside of the can.
7. Scrub. Scrub one more time with your sponge or paper towels.
8. Rinse with clean water. Rinse the cleaner off with a hose or damp cloth.
9. Allow to air dry. Let the trash bin dry before putting a new trash bag in and resuming use.

TIP: There are numerous methods for odor elimination and prevention between deep cleanings. A sprinkle of baking soda in the bottom of plastic cans can help absorb lingering smells. Other alternatives include dryer sheets and cotton balls drizzled with drops of essential oils.