Those of us who live in flats or small houses don’t usually have very much spare room inside or out. That means we have to live up close and personal with things we would much rather put in a shed at the bottom of our long garden (if we had one, which we don’t). Dirty bikes, DIY tools, paint tins and our own rubbish all have to be accommodated and given space in the areas in which we inhabit. We then have to live with how ugly they look and also, for bins, how bad they smell!
Interior Smelly Bins
The worst issue for bins is their smell. First of all empty your bin as soon as it starts to get smelly. Get it out of your home before the noxious fumes can percolate throughout your home. No matter how cold or wet it is outside its will be worth braving a few seconds of inclement weather in order to keep your house stink-free.
You can also reduce smells by being a little more careful with how you throw rubbish away.
- Keep the contents dry. Wet conditions help bacteria grow and it is the bacteria that release the bad smells. So if you reduce how much liquid is in your bin you will reduce the smell. Leave veg peelings to drain before you bin them and make sure you don’t throw liquids like cream in the bin, tip down the sink.
- Raw meat, fish and blood. These materials are nasty bacterias favorite, they will go town on raw meat and blood fast and produce particularly noxious smells. Pour blood down the sink and rinse bloody wrappers and packets before you bin them. Consider wrapping these materials and in newspaper before you bin them to keep them drier and stop any gases escaping into the air.
- Bicarbonate of soda. Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) is a fantastic cleaning and deodorising product. It is also very cheap and relatively environmentally friendly compared to other cleaning agents. You can buy it in bulk for a few quid and replace virtually all of your other cleaning products. You can buy it in small cans from the baking aisles but this is a more refined version safe for use in food, you don’t need this quality for cleaning. Instead, head for the cleaning aisle and buy the cheaper bulk versions there. The bicarb grains are great at cleaning soapy or greasy sinks. Sprinkle it on soft furnishings, dog beds and carpets and hoover to clean and deodorize. In bins, it absorbs moisture, smells and also has an antibacterial action. Sprinkle it on food waste or put some in the bottom of your bin to deal with any moisture.
- Wash your bin. Bacteria, grease and dirt build up in your bin which can make them small even when empty. This also means that you are maintaining a load of smell producing bacteria ready to pounce on any rubbish the second it hits the bin. Clean your bin properly each weak and consider using bleach to make sure the bacteria are completely removed.
You can also buy deodorizing patches which you can stick to the roof of your bin lid. These work out much more expensive than bicarb and do the same job – so save cash buy using bicarb instead. Cat litter is also a great deodorizing and moisture soaker upper agent so this is an alternative. Check that your council allows you to put cat litter in your bins before you do this though.
Exterior Bin Smells
All the same, rules apply for exterior bins. Cleaning them is a good idea so if you have a hose handy rinse all the goo out and then give them a spray internally with bleach. Bulk bicarb and newspaper or cat litter also work to soak up smells and moisture. You’ll only need to do this in the summer months. Colder exterior temperatures in the Winter stop the bacteria growing quickly and consequently reduce the smells they produce. Consider encasing your bins in a wheelie bin store which can prevent the air circulating and smells escaping.
You can prop open the lids a tiny amount to allow the bad smells to vent into the atmosphere. Be careful – if you open the lid too much rain will get in and this will make all smell much much worse and it can attract rats and cats.
Planting
Plants can provide a pleasant aroma and also mask bin smells. If you can’t access soil then you can invest in a wheelie bin store that has planters on the side and top. Fill these with aromatic plants to make your bins more pleasant. The added benefit is the recycling bin store will hide them from view at the same time.
If you have space, you can also plant herbs or other plants with strong and pleasant odors next to your bins. Some conifers release strong pine scents from their leaves continually so these are good low maintenance options. Balsam Fir and Douglas Fir give off a traditional Christmas Tree smell, Donard Gold Monterey cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa) has a pleasant lemony smell, Malonyana arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) smells like pineapple! Herbs like curry plants and mint release a strong smell when they are brushed against so can be used to line the access path to the bins. Thyme, creeping rosemary, and chamomile release aromatics when walked on so you can plant a carpet of these around your bins.
