From combating odors to improving storage, these tips and hints will make your trash can and bags more functional.
14 Tips and Tricks for Your Trash Can and Bags
Updated on May 17, 2023
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Garbage Bag Holder-Upper
Tired of the garbage bag slipping down into the trash can? Cut out the middle of the lid with a utility knife and snap the outer rim over the bag to keep it in place. This works great for recycling, not so great for stinky stuff! — Susan Dalhaug.
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Keep Your Camping Gear Dry
To help keep your clothes and supplies dry, line your camping bag with a plastic garbage bag before packing. Close the garbage bag with a twist tie, not the drawstrings. — Jen McKlusky.
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Easy-Clean Garbage Can
Food juices leaking from trash bags into the bottom of your garbage bin make a nasty and smelly mess. Put newspapers — or even some sawdust — in the bottom of the bin, under the bag, to soak up liquids and make cleanup easier. — Nate Sohns.
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Trash Bag Dispenser
You can build a simple dispenser for your trash bags with 1/2-in. pipe and a few fittings. Screw a floor flange to the cabinet, thread in a three-inch-long pipe nipple, and then thread a 90-degree elbow onto the nipple. Cut the vertical pipe so it’s a bit longer than the width of the roll of bags. Thread the vertical piece into the elbow and slip on the roll. — Travis Larson.
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Trash Can Amplifier
I use my Bluetooth speaker all the time, indoors and out. When I was working outside one day, it started to rain. To keep my speaker from getting wet, I set a plastic trash can on its side and stuck the speaker inside. It not only kept my speaker dry but also amplified and directed the sound, which I’m sure my neighbors appreciated! — Brad Holden.
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Super-Secure Garbage Bags
Trash bags and waste bins should work perfectly together, but that’s rarely the case. As trash bags start to fill up, the bag slithers into the bin and you have to dig it out. To keep handled or drawstring trash bags in place, all you need are two medium or large self-adhesive command hooks. Position the hooks at a spot that allows full use of the bin.
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Bungee Cord Trash Bag Holder
It’s simple: Overhang the trash bag along the top of the trash can and secure the bungee cord on top of the bag. You can hook two bungee cords together if one isn’t long enough to go around.
I’m not a fan of bungee cords because they usually don’t hold well. I’m thinking of all the cords I’ve picked up along the highway during my runs. But I found a use for them in holding trash can liners in place on my large workshop trash can. — Ed Hunkele.
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Keep Extra Bags in Your Garbage Can
Taking out the trash is my least favorite chore because there are so many garbage cans around the house. To make the job easier, I store a roll of garbage bags in each can under the bag in use. This way I can quickly a set up another bag the next time I take the garbage out, and there’s no need to make another lap around the house placing bags in each can. — Chuck Holzer.
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Trash Bag Holder
You can buy fold-up lawn and garden bag holders for good money at the hardware store, but an old TV tray frame works just as well — maybe better — and it’s free. It’s the perfect size for a 30-gallon bag. For larger bags, tie a knot in the edge to take up the slack. — Tim Phelon.
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Trash Can Cleanup
Try using a liquid toilet bowl cleaner to wash the inside of a dirty trash can. It will cling to the sides for better cleaning. A toilet brush will help you reach down inside the trash can. Rinse well for a clean can.
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No More Flying Garbage Can Lids
Are you tired of losing your garbage can lid? “Hinge” it to the barrel with zip ties. Drill 1/4-in. holes for the ties and double them for extra strength. The lid will flip open and stay attached to the barrel. You’ll never have to search for your lid again
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Really Easy Paint Container Cleanup
Use your extra trash bags as bucket liners liners to make a five-gallon paint bucket. This tip is especially helpful when working with messy materials such as paint or grout.
Place the trash bag inside the five-gallon bucket and make sure there’s enough bag left over at the top so it won’t collapse inwards. When using this handy hint with paint, tie the bag shut to use for another day of working on your project. And once you’re done, poke a hole in the bag to drain the paint back into the paint can. This makes for easy clean up!
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Drill Holes in Your Trash Can
When a trash bag fits tightly around the rim of the trash can, it forms a seal. This leaves a new bag bubbled up and hard to fill, and makes a full bag hard to remove. A few 1/4-in. holes drilled into my plastic trash cans solves both problems. – Jim Manning.
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No-tip Garbage Cans
There’s really a simple way to keep those garbage cans from getting knocked over by the wind. For each garbage can, all you need are two 3/4-in. screw eyes and a 30-in. hook-end elastic cord from the hardware store.
