How do I clean a 96-gallon automated trash can?

Question

The town provides us one of those automated trash collection 96-gallon trash cans. Ours really stinks... you do not want to be down wind from it in the summer. I have been avoiding cleaning it for more than a year now, but I figure with the cooler weather, it is a good time to tackle the job. What is the easiest/best way for me to clean it right now (I really do not want to climb inside)? And once I clean it how can I prevent it from getting this bad again... any regular maintenance or tips/tricks I should be using?

score 16 · Accepted Answer · answered Nov 23 '10 at 14:21

Dilute chlorine bleach and your garden hose (assuming an adjustable nozzle that can give you a focused spray). No scrubbing required.

You can't really prevent it from getting smelly, but keeping all the trash in plastic bags will help. I use 13-gallon drawstring bags in the main kitchen trashcan and plastic shopping bags in my others. Tie them off before dropping them in the trashcan.

score 7 · Answer 2 · answered Nov 23 '10 at 14:18

7

A pressure washer would be my choice. Smaller ones are not that expensive, and can be useful for other things too.

answered Nov 23 '10 at 14:18

score 5 · Answer 3 · answered Nov 23 '10 at 18:19

5

Simple Green full strength - spray the entire inside of the can down and let it sit/dry out.

It will definitely deodorize and leave you with a relatively pleasant smell afterwards.

answered Nov 23 '10 at 18:19

kkeilman

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How do I clean a 96-gallon automated trash can?

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