Five expert hacks to stop your bins from smelling this summer – are you storing yours all wrong?
THE warm weather can cause your kitchen bin to be emit unwanted odours.
To stop your leftover from marinating in the heat, experts have revealed five simple hacks to keep your bin smelling fresh all summer long.
2
Echo News spoke to a variety of cleaning pros and rounded up the top five steps to a fresh bin.
First, home cleaning company Method recommended emptying your bin every couple of days.
They added that this is especially necessary if you've just thrown away anything "particularly pungent".
"If you're dealing with food waste, consider getting a compost bin to separate out organic scraps and reduce bin stink altogether," they explained.
Ryan Kaila, who works as a waste and recycling expert for Kingfisher Direct, revealed another way to limit bad smells in your bin.
"Baking soda is a household item that can be used to reduce foul smells in the bin," he advised.
"Simply sprinkle a generous layer of baking soda in the bottom of the bin before placing a new bin liner in."
He explained that baking soda is effective in neutralising odour molecules in the air.
According to the expert, for this hack to work effectively, you should always wash your bin thoroughly beforehand.
Keeping your bins out of direct sunlight can also help prevent foul smells, says Michael Bogoyavlenskiy, CEO of Cleaning Express.
I'm a cleaning expert, you're mopping your floor all wrong, all you need is a pair of socks
"First, try to keep your bins in the shade if you can, as this'll limit how hot they get," he explained.
"If it's not possible to move them, consider building a bin storage area that provides some shade."
He also suggested double-bagging particularly smelly items, including fish packaging, before throwing away.
You can also sprinkle in scented products along with baking soda, battling the bad odours.
Scented bin liners and bin fresheners are popular choices, while anti-bacterial sprays, such as Method's all-purpose cleaner, can also be added to a bin before adding a bin bag.
5 cleaning hacks
Say goodbye to ironing
Don't have time to smooth out the wrinkles of a shirt with an iron? Lenor 's Crease Releaser makes wrinkles vanish - simply hang up creased items, give them a quick spritz and smooth against a hard surface.
Teabags for trainers
When trainers smell a little squiffy, pop a used (and still moist) tea bag inside and leave for about an hour. The tannins will seep into the sole of the shoe to fight nasty-smelling odours.
Remove limescale without scrubbing
When bathroom taps start looking a little grimy with limescale, slice a lemon in half and sprinkle on baking soda. Rub the fruit over the taps and with a gentle clean they will come up sparkling. Use a toothbrush to get in all the nooks and crannies.
Streak-free mirrors and windows
White vinegar is a handy secret weapon when it comes to keeping mirrors and windows streak-free. Mix one part white vinegar with four parts water in a spray bottle. Squirt then wipe with a microfibre cloth and voilà, clean glass in an instant.
Make your home smell amazing
For dust-free skirting boards, pour some fabric softener onto a cloth and give them a quick wipe. It will stop dirt collecting so quickly and, as an added bonus, make your home smell amazing.
Finally, you will want to ensure your bin remains dry as moisture can significantly increase bacteria levels, causing bad odours.
If you notice condensation inside your bin, wipe it down with a microfibre cloth before replacing the bin liner.
The experts at Method also recommend disposing of any food waste in sealed containers.
This helps to prevent the buildup of unwanted residue at the bottom of your bin, helping to keep things fresh and reduce unwanted smells.
2
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
an hour ago
- Times
Heatwaves are hell in my new-build nightmare flat
'Whew, it's like stepping off a plane in a hot country,' said a friend last weekend as she entered the corridor that leads to my flat. I commonly have to reassure guests before we've even arrived at my front door that I don't live in an actual oven. What I actually live in is a new one-bedroom flat in southeast London. It has much to recommend it, not least its energy efficiency. My flat is so well-insulated that I haven't turned the heating on since I moved in seven years ago, saving me thousands of pounds in energy bills. There's just one sweltering downside: summer. The flats were not built with summer in mind, particularly not the kind of 25C-30C days that we're sweating our way through. • Best tips on how to sleep in the heat Millions of us are in the same boat. Ask anyone who lives in a house or flat built in the past 20 years and they will tell you that between June and August, they may as well live on Mercury. Through a combination of building regulations, net-zero goals and property developers packing in as many flats as they can, new homes are significantly hotter and harder to ventilate than older properties. The flora is suffering. I tried to keep a basil plant this summer, for sprinkling elegantly on tomato salads, but it died in two days. Sadly it seems only succulents will survive. A stalk emerged from one of my succulents recently, which I sent proudly to a green-fingered friend. 'You must be keeping it in an optimal climate,' she said. I looked it up, and the plant in question is native to north Africa. I had an impromptu summit about the problem in the lift the other day, when I squeezed in alongside two clammy neighbours. 'It's never less than 30C in my flat,' one of them dead-panned. 'I think I've acclimatised and I don't feel anything any more,' the other said. (She's got a point about acclimatising — everyone else's homes feel freezing to me now.) This is all a trade-off. Most people don't believe me when I say that I've never had to turn the heating on, but it's true. In fact my flat is so well-insulated that I've never heard the newborn babies who apparently live either side of me. But with the number of days in which the temperature reaches above 28C doubling since 1990, this trade-off is becoming a rather sweaty one. Annie Moore, 33, and her partner used to own a new two-bedroom flat that overheated in the summer. This meant 'essentially not wearing many clothes, we rarely had the duvet on, and there was lots of standing in the fridge with the door open'. • Heatwaves above 40C are the future, says Met Office While most office workers were reluctant to return after Covid, Moore was desperate to be back in to take advantage of the air conditioning. Two years ago, she moved to a draughty Victorian terraced house and prefers being cooler and spending more on heating. 'We often think of the people who bought our old flat on hot days like this and feel very bad,' she says. Ventilation is another big problem with new builds. Cramming as many flats as possible into buildings means a lot of them are single aspect like mine (with windows only on one side) so it's impossible to create a through-draught of air to cool the place down. This is the reason the majority of new builds are fitted with MVHR systems (mechanical ventilation with heat recovery), in which pipes circulate air flow through the flat. This, however, does not keep you cool on the hottest days. And that wave of hot air that knocks you out in the corridors? This is down to communal heating pipework that is usually run down the centre of the building. The prevalence of glass on new buildings can also create a greenhouse effect that contributes towards the high temperatures inside. A friend who is also in her thirties, Ophelia Oakham, bought her new flat in 2017. 'By the summer of 2018, it felt like we were living in a slow-cooking oven,' she says. 'We tried everything. Fans that just blew hot air around, damp paper towels, cold flannels in front of the fan, blackout curtains kept shut all day; you name it. The building's design meant no breeze ever got in.' So what can be done to cool these furnaces down? Air conditioning is one option. But it costs. Portable units (units in more ways than one) are between £400 and £600 for a good one. Because air conditioning is so energy intensive (and expensive to install), many new blocks such as mine aren't built with it. Blocking out the morning sun is the most important remedy, especially if you're east-facing as I am. Owners of flats usually can't install external blinds, so instead I have good quality blackout curtains that I don't open until around midday when the sun is above the building, not in front. Reflective window film is a good buy too. Invest in a decent fan. I have an 18in chrome contraption in the lounge that knocks paintings off the wall on its strongest setting. In the bedroom, there's a Dreo silent tower fan that has eight speeds and a silent mode on a timer at night. I do think it's great that we're pushing for energy efficiency in our building regulations. But if we're going to build 1.5 million homes in the next five years, as the government assures us that we are, then we need to make sure they are ready for a warming climate too. • Rising humidity is making heatwaves worse In 2023, my friend Ophelia caved and moved into a Victorian house. 'These new-build flats must come with proper cooling,' she says. 'Insulation is great in winter, but in summer it's unbearable. People can't sleep, everyone's miserable, and the world is only getting hotter. I feel very passionate about this. It's not a luxury, it's a necessity.' Melissa York is assistant property editor of The Times and Sunday Times
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Sunderland construction academy finished ahead of September opening
A construction skills academy has been finished ahead of its opening later this year. The Housing Innovation and Construction Skills Academy (HICSA) at Riverside Sunderland will welcome future engineers and builders in Riverside site, a 47-acre park made up of five areas on both sides of the River Wear, is being built as part of Sunderland City Council's redevelopment of the City Council said the academy would "educate, train and upskill" students and would add to "the rich history" that the city had of people making things. The HICSA is one of several projects involved in Riverside Sunderland, including City Hall, The Beam, Keel Crossing and a new footbridge across the River Wear. Councillor Kevin Johnston said the work being finished marked an "exciting milestone in the development of Riverside Sunderland".He said the site would see "hundreds of young people every year study in this transforming part of the city"."The people of Sunderland have a rich history of making things and HICSA will further build on this proud heritage, providing our young people with the skills and knowledge required to make the sustainable, eco-friendly homes of tomorrow," he Partnership North East said the building was now due to have its internal fit-out completed and be formally handed over to Sunderland College. Follow BBC Sunderland on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
New Forest wheelie bins rollout monitored over donkey concerns
The rollout of new wheelie bins and food waste caddies in the New Forest is to be monitored following reports of ponies and donkeys breaking into Forest District Council started its first phase to rollout the bins in April to residents of Brockenhurst, New Milton, Lymington and the surrounding council said it had seen cases of donkeys in the national park "interacting with waste containers" and that it would monitor the "emerging issue".Last month, livestock-owners raised concerns about animals seeing the bins as a "potential food source", which could damage their health. New Forest District Council was among the last local authorities not to use wheelie wheelie bins and caddies are replacing single-use black and clear plastic bags for residents' domestic and food waste, plus area's free-roaming ponies, pigs, donkeys and cattle are owned by commoners - people who own or occupy land with ancient rights last month's meeting of the Verderers Court which administers commoners' rights, Commoners Defence Association (CDA) chairman Andrew Parry-Norton called on the council to change its advice to residents to ensure bins were kept away from areas where livestock roam."Not only could the bins be a problem for pigs, but also donkeys and ponies who will quickly realise this could become a potential food source," he told the court. In a statement, the council said: "We have this morning seen a handful of examples of donkeys interacting with waste containers, across a collection area covering around 1,650 properties. "We are listening to our residents, and while we continue to monitor the situation, we have been working on ways to address this emerging issue."Reported incidents remained "very minimal," it also said it had already had a "helpful discussion" with the CDA and would be reviewing its findings with other bodies including Forestry England in a bid to reduce the chance of animals accessing food waste. The move to wheelie bins was given the go-ahead in 2022 with the council insisting they were needed to increase recycling rates, while opponents argued they were unsightly and costly. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
