You need a bigger trash can in your laundry room than you think you do!
Choose the right size bag for your garbage can.
An overfilled bag is more likely to spill, tear, and smell, and will make it harder to close the bag and to take the trash out.
Trash bag company Plastic Place has a good explainer on how to measure your trash can and then choose the right size bag here.
melissadeckert.com / Via giphy.com
Consider having two kitchen trash cans: a big one for non-smelly trash, and a well-sealed, smaller one (with a liner) for food trash, anything drippy, and other waste that is likely to smell bad.
Having a smaller one will force you to take it out more often — before it gets really disgusting.
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Or just put food waste directly into a lil' compost bin.
Get more tips on composting here.
Soak a cotton ball with your favorite essential oil and drop it in a new trash bag after you put it in the bin to make it smell a little nicer.
Note: essential oils are toxic to pets so avoid this if your pet might get into the garbage.
Wrap broken glass in newspaper or put the shards in an empty cereal box before throwing away so they are less likely to puncture a trash bag and/or injure anyone.
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If you're the DIY type, make a wall mount for your trash bags using wooden dowels and curtain rod brackets.
Get the tutorial here.
If possible, get a kitchen trash can that opens with a foot pedal.
It's highly likely that your hands will be full and/or dirty when you need throw something away in the kitchen. Also, push lids get disgusting, fast, and often scuff the wall behind them.
If you've got gross leftovers in reusable containers in your fridge that you're dreading dealing with (hey, it happens to the best of us!) stick them in the freezer. Then just pop the entire frozen mass out into the trash.
(Preferably right before you take it out.)
h/t Cynical__Optimist on Reddit
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Get an indoor container for recyclables, so you don't have to go outside every time you finish a can of soda or jug of milk.
Then just carry the whole thing to your outdoor recycling bin once it's full.
Get one on Amazon for $11.71.
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Clean and sanitize the inside of your trash can once a week.
Look, I know you're not going to do that...but at least clean the lid once a week (especially if it's a push-top one), and clean and sanitize the inside monthly. And don't forget to do this for your outdoor trash bins too!
If you live in an apartment complex, park near the Dumpster to motivate yourself to take the trash out the next time you leave.
If you have a small dog whose poop bags are making your garage trash can smell really bad, throw them in a diaper pail instead.
This tip is straight from me to you — it really works.
Get one on Amazon for $29.95.
Keep an empty tissue box in the car as a makeshift trash can.
Emma Darvick / Via giphy.com
And make a habit of throwing away any trash in your car any time you stop for gas.
Put a trash can in your laundry room — and get a bigger one than you think you need.
You need something for all of that dryer lint you're scraping off after each cycle. Also, I have seen so many laundry room trash cans straight up overflowing with dryer lint over the years that I am now convinced that 1) dryers produce way more lint than we think they do, 2) no one ever remembers to empty the laundry room trash can, and 3) you should just get the biggest trash can your laundry room can accommodate.
Godspeed!
Dump Week is a series of posts that will help you take out the trash in every aspect of your life, making room for all the good stuff you deserve. See more posts here.
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