The Trash Can Issue That's Flooding Your Kitchen With Hot Garbage Odors

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No one wants trash in their kitchen, but there's no getting around it: food scraps and other detritus have to go somewhere. Unfortunately, all that waste is extremely susceptible to bad odors as it breaks down. The good news is that there are ways to cut down on the funk, and easily. One often-overlooked way to do this is to place your kitchen trash can behind a cabinet or door in the kitchen, instead of out in the open. Not only does this help prevent bad smells from seeping into the rest of the kitchen (and possibly the whole house), but it also looks nicer from a design standpoint. 

There are several ways to do this, depending on the layout of your kitchen and how much space you have. Some homes have pull-out cabinets that are specifically intended for trash cans, which you should definitely take advantage of if you have them. If not, you can buy pull-out racks and install them yourself. There are plenty of other options, too, even if you're not feeling especially handy. The classic approach is to store your trash can under the kitchen sink. Alternatively, you can place it behind a cabinet door if your kitchen allows. You can also purchase a freestanding trash cabinet, which is designed to hide a trash can in any home. No matter how you conceal the garbage, it's crucial to make sure the vessel also has a lid. That way, odors will stay inside as much as possible.

Keeping the kitchen trash from smelling requires a multi-pronged approach that goes beyond hiding the can (though that certainly helps). The hard truth is that taking the trash out religiously is the first line of defense. You can also put especially smelly items in a separate, smaller trash bag before placing them in the larger receptacle. While you're at it, make sure you're using strong kitchen trash bags so that they aren't breaking on you. The same goes for your trash can itself: trash cans made of metal tend to be less smelly than more odor-absorbent plastic ones (at least as long as they have a tight-fitting lid). 

To go the extra mile, add baking soda or cat litter at the bottom of your trash can (underneath the bag) for an extra layer of smell protection. Activated charcoal will also absorb odors, and you can place that around your kitchen for more overall smell absorption, though do so strategically as it can get spendy. Finally, get in the habit of cleaning your trash can itself regularly. Although it's surprisingly not the dirtiest spot in the kitchen, it can all too easily retain old smells that keep your kitchen from smelling fresh. You can do this easily and cheaply with white vinegar, baking soda, and other pantry staples that are great for cleaning the kitchen.