better living in five minutes a day #13:clean your kitchen trash can

I'm sorry this is a photo of a candle and not a trash can, but our kitchen trash can isn't very pretty even when it's clean. :)

Having a disgusting, dirty kitchen trash can is one of those things your brain will register about a million times a day.  It's a small irritation, but it only takes five minutes to make better. Mini-assignment #13 is to clean your kitchen trash can.

1. Take out the trash.
2. Take trash can outside in back yard. (If you live somewhere too cold to do this, stick it in the bathtub.)
3. Spray inside and outside with bleach spray. (Our trash can is one of those big 13-gallon or something white plastic ones. If you have a snazzy stainless one, you probably want to use something besides bleach.) Be careful of your clothes if you're using bleach. I put my painting t-shirt and sweats on before I do this. :)
4. Set the garden hose on "jet" and blast the heck out of the trash can inside and out. (If you're using the bathtub, fill it with water and let it soak a bit.) This will keep you from having to scrub too much.
5. Scrub off any remaining gunk with a rag . . . an old terry washcloth works well. Wear gloves so the bleach doesn't burn your hands.
6. Rinse the can off and dry it with an old towel or two. Make sure you get the bottom dry so it doesn't mildew when you stick a new bag in it.
7. Stick a new bag in it. If you want, stick a new fabric softener sheet in the bottom first. I'm not sure this will actually make it smell fresh, but just in case. :D
8. If you need to, clean the area where the trash can lives, too. (We keep ours in a cupboard, and the floor around it is always disgusting from people throwing stuff in and missing.)

Really, you can do this in five minutes. :)

ps I clean the cat box this way about once a month, too.

ps 2 I clean the bathroom trash cans in the dishwasher. I know this sounds disgusting, but I just do them in there by themselves on the "sanitize" cycle. It is so hot that it kills all the germs. I wipe the bottom out first, spray them inside with bleach, and then stick them in the dishwasher to really get them clean. No, really, I do. They're thick plastic and haven't melted yet. They probably will next time I do it, though, since I've gone and told you.

ps3 I do NOT do the cat box in the dishwasher. That's just gross, people.