You Should Clean Your Kitchen Trash Can Every Time You Take Out the Trash

The kitchen trash cans I like (and the ones you should like too) have foot pedals because nobody wants to put their hands anywhere near a receptacle of raw meat packaging, expired leftovers, and soiled paper towels, especially while in the middle of cooking. In other words: Kitchen trash bins can get so gross that we don’t even want to touch them.

But the reason they get so grimy is simply because most people aren’t cleaning them often enough. And I hate to break it to you (just kidding; I live for this), if you’re not cleaning yours every time you empty it, then you’re not cleaning it often enough. But don’t worry, you can do this.

So just how gross is it? According to a 2007 study by the Hygiene Council, the average residential kitchen trash can has 411 types of bacteria per square inch. And while that’s not as dirty as some other spots in the kitchen (more on that in future columns, because again, I live for this), it’s a figure that makes me squirm a little every time I read it.

In addition to harboring dangerous pathogens like salmonella and E. coli, a dirty kitchen trash can is the perfect dark, damp breeding ground for mold. Perhaps most disturbing, however, is that lingering food particles on the lid, rim, or bottom of the bin (because even the strongest trash bags can rip) attract critters like mice and roaches. And as I recently learned, these unwanted visitors will try to infiltrate the cleanest of kitchens if you happen to live in an apartment adjacent to hygienic neighbors. In my case, the situation was manageable because there wasn’t much available to pests and my trash wasn’t inviting because my divided bin has a tight lid, I empty it often, and I keep it very clean.

Luckily, maintaining a clean kitchen trash can is a quick and easy job. As long as you actually keep up with it, that is.