Beta Beta — hiring neighbors on Papalocal is new; what you see here is real, and it's still growing.
Trash bin washing Beta
Have a neighbor scrub, rinse and deodorize your outdoor trash and recycling bins right after pickup so they stop smelling and drawing flies.
- How often
- Monthly
- Where the work happens
- Outdoors
- Who it suits
- Can suit a teen working alongside an adult
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Outdoor bins get sticky, smelly and full of flies, especially in summer. Bin washing means scraping out whatever is stuck at the bottom, scrubbing or spraying the inside and lid, rinsing, and leaving the bins upside down to dry, usually right after the truck has emptied them.
Most people do not want to do this one themselves, which is exactly why they hire it. Families with diapers, pet owners, people who cook a lot, and anyone who has opened a bin in July ask for it, often monthly through the warm months.
A neighbor can line it up with pickup day on your street, and it pairs naturally with taking bins to the curb. Because hoses, cleaners and sometimes a pressure washer are involved, it suits an adult, or a teen working alongside one.
Also called: trash can cleaning service, garbage bin washing, trash can pressure washing, wash my garbage cans, trash can sanitizing, deodorize trash bin.
What's usually included
- Scraping out stuck-on trash and bagging it
- Scrubbing or spraying the inside, the lid and the handles
- Rinsing so the dirty water soaks into grass or gravel rather than running down the street
- A deodorizing rinse with a cleaner you have agreed on
- Drying the bins upside down and rolling them back to their spot
What to ask before you hire
- Can they use your outdoor faucet and hose?
- Which soap or cleaner, and is there anything to avoid because of pets or plants?
- Which day is pickup, so the bins are empty when they come?
- How many bins: trash, recycling, yard waste?
- Once, monthly, or every few weeks in summer only?
Staying safe
- Wear gloves and eye protection, because spray kicks back and the gunk inside can contain almost anything.
- Never mix cleaners, especially bleach with ammonia or acids; pick one product and rinse well.
- Point a pressure washer away from yourself, people and cars, and keep it off skin.
Trash bin washing by town
Questions people ask
How often should trash cans be washed?
Monthly in warm weather keeps smells down for most homes. In colder months, every couple of months is usually plenty.
Will washing get rid of maggots and flies?
Washing removes the residue that draws them, and clean bins give them less reason to come back. Tying trash bags tightly between washes helps too.
Does someone need to be home for a bin wash?
Usually not. The neighbor just needs the empty bins and access to an outdoor faucet after pickup.
Can my teenager wash bins for neighbors?
A teen can do this with an adult on hand, especially when a pressure washer or strong cleaners are part of it.
Thinking of offering this yourself?
- Your kit is a long-handled scrub brush, a hose nozzle or small pressure washer, a scraper, gloves, eye protection and a mild cleaner.
- Wash on a patch of lawn or gravel so the water soaks in instead of heading for the storm drain.
- Make the street's pickup day your wash day, when every bin on the block is empty and already out.
- Price per bin per wash with water, cleaner, time and travel in mind, and look at what bin cleaning goes for around you.
- Offer a monthly plan for the warm months, which keeps bins from ever getting bad enough to be a big job.
