How to Get Rid of Garbage Can Smell (For Good)

Trash can smell comes from bacterial biofilm on the can interior, not from the garbage. Learn how to eliminate it at the source with a step-by-step cleaning and probiotic treatment guide.

By Joseph Wead, April 17, 2025

Published by Natural House

The smell from a garbage can is one of the most common household odor problems, and one of the most persistently unsolved, because most people are treating the wrong thing.

Scented trash bags, baking soda in the bottom, charcoal inserts, dryer sheets tucked under the lid, these are all masking strategies. They reduce the perceived odor temporarily, but the smell comes back within days because they do nothing about the source.

Here's what's actually causing the smell, and how to eliminate it permanently.

What's Actually Causing the Smell

When food scraps, liquids, and organic matter contact the interior of a trash can, even through a liner bag, the can surface accumulates residue. That residue creates a medium on which bacteria proliferate rapidly, forming a biofilm on the can's interior.

Biofilm is a structured community of microorganisms embedded in a self-produced polymeric matrix. It adheres tightly to surfaces and is the source of the persistent, permeating smell that ordinary cleaning doesn't touch. The same mechanism is responsible for the smell inside drains, the odor from dirty sponges, and the buildup in dishwashers.

The trash itself (even removed and gone) is not the ongoing source. The biofilm coating the can is. This is why the smell persists even right after you put in a fresh bag.

Secondary contributors include:

Solutions That Don't Work (And Why)

Scented trash bags: Mask the smell for a few hours. The biofilm remains entirely untouched. The scent fades; the smell returns.

Baking soda in the bottom: Baking soda is a good passive odor absorber, but it has zero effect on the biofilm on the sides and lid of the can. It's addressing a symptom (volatile odor molecules in the air) rather than the source (the microbial biofilm producing them).

Charcoal inserts: Same limitation as baking soda, passive absorption, zero biological effect.

Rinsing with water: Removes loose debris but does not break down or remove biofilm. You need either a cleaning agent that degrades the biofilm matrix, or mechanical scrubbing combined with a biological treatment.

Step-by-Step: How to Actually Clean a Trash Can

What You'll Need

Step 1: Empty and Rinse

Remove the trash bag and take the can outside or to a utility sink. Rinse the interior with hot water to remove loose debris and liquid residue. If there's significant dried residue, let hot water soak for a few minutes to soften it.

Step 2: Scrub with Dish Soap

Add a good squeeze of dish soap (Natural House Dish Soap works well here, the plant-derived surfactants cut grease effectively) and scrub the interior with a stiff brush. Work the sides, the bottom, and the lid interior thoroughly. For outdoor cans or kitchen cans with significant buildup, this may take 3-5 minutes of actual scrubbing.

Pay attention to:

Rinse completely with clean water.

Step 3: Apply Probiotic Treatment

This is the step that makes the difference between cleaning and permanent odor elimination.

After rinsing, apply Trashy Trash Deodorizer to the clean, damp interior. Trashy contains live Bacillus probiotic bacteria specifically formulated to:

Spray the interior, bottom, and lid. Do not rinse off, the probiotic ingredients need to remain on the surface to keep breaking down odor-causing residue. Allow the can to air dry with the lid open.

Step 4: Let It Dry Completely

Air dry the can in a well-ventilated area or in sunlight (UV exposure is additionally antimicrobial on the exterior). The interior must be completely dry before you replace the liner and lid. Replacing a wet bag or closing the lid over a wet interior accelerates microbial regrowth.

Ongoing Prevention: The Maintenance Routine

Once the can is clean and probiotic-treated, the maintenance routine is simple.

Use a bin liner every time. Even a large, strong liner bag occasionally leaks, especially from meat packaging and produce. Using a liner is the single most effective barrier between organic matter and the can interior.

Treat with Trashy after every bag change. A few sprays of Trashy into the clean, empty can before installing a new bag takes ten seconds and continuously maintains the probiotic colony. This is the practice that keeps odor-causing bacteria from re-establishing.

Double-bag leaky items. Meat packaging, fish, and coffee grounds are high-risk for leaks. Wrapping them in a second bag before placing in the trash bin eliminates a major source of biofilm-feeding residue.

Clean the lid separately. The lid interior is often overlooked. It accumulates condensation and odor-producing residue independent of the can body. Wipe the lid interior with a damp cloth and a spray of Trashy monthly.

Outdoor bins: monthly rinse. Outdoor garbage and recycling bins develop faster and more extensive biofilm than indoor kitchen bins due to temperature fluctuations and direct organic matter contact. A monthly hose-down followed by a Trashy treatment keeps them manageable.

Kitchen Bins vs. Outdoor Bins: Different Problems, Same Cause

Kitchen bins typically have a lighter biofilm load because they're lined and because the waste is removed frequently. The main sources are condensation on the lid interior, the upper rim, and any bag leak contact. Treatment frequency: monthly clean, Trashy after each bag change.

Outdoor wheelie bins and recycling bins have direct contact with organic matter, higher heat (in summer), and often go weeks between cleaning. Biofilm here is significantly more established. Quarterly deep clean minimum, monthly Trashy treatment.

Bathroom bins tend to accumulate tissue and personal care product residue. Because these are typically unlined, the interior develops biofilm faster than kitchen bins. Weekly Trashy spray is recommended.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I stop fruit flies in my trash can? Fruit flies breed in the biofilm and residue inside the can, not in the waste itself. Eliminating the biofilm with a thorough clean and probiotic treatment removes their breeding site. Also ensure no residue remains under the liner. Use Trashy after each bag change to prevent recolonization.

Can I use bleach to clean my trash can? Yes, bleach will kill surface bacteria on contact. However, it cannot penetrate established biofilm and has zero residual effect. The bacterial population inside an untreated clean can returns to baseline within 24-48 hours. Probiotic treatment addresses this by providing ongoing residue- and odor-breaking action.

Does Trashy work on recycling bins? Yes. Recycling bins develop significant biofilm from rinsed-out food containers, drink bottles, and packaging residue. Regular Trashy treatment controls odor in recycling containers without any chemical residue that could contaminate recyclable materials.

How often should I deep clean my garbage can? Indoors: every 1-3 months depending on use and whether bag leaks have occurred. Outdoors: every 3 months. With consistent Trashy use between cleans, you'll find you need the deep clean less frequently.

Why does my bin smell even with a fresh bag in it? The smell is coming from the biofilm on the can interior, not from the contents of the bag. Remove the bag, inspect the can interior for residue and biofilm buildup, and complete the full cleaning process above.

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Eliminating garbage can smell permanently requires treating the source, the bacterial biofilm on the can's interior, not masking the smell. Natural House Trashy is formulated specifically for this purpose, using probiotic bacteria to break down the residue that produces the odor, going after a source conventional deodorizers just cover up.