A smelly bin is rarely down to one bag. The smell comes from what builds up in the bin over weeks: liquid that leaks from bags, scraps stuck to the walls, and the bacteria that feed on them.
Where the smell comes from
- Leaked liquid. Juice from food, bin bags and packaging pools at the bottom and goes off.
- Stuck-on scraps. Bits of food cling to the walls and the underside of the lid, where rinsing doesn’t reach.
- Heat. A bin in full sun warms up inside, which speeds up rotting.
- Flies. Once flies find the bin they lay eggs, and the problem feeds itself. See maggots in your wheelie bin.
Why air fresheners don’t fix it
Scented sprays and powders only sit on top of the smell for a day or two. As long as the residue is still in the bin, the smell comes back. The fix is to remove the residue and kill the bacteria.
What gets rid of it
- Wait until the bin has just been emptied.
- Wash the inside, including the base and the underside of the lid, to remove all the stuck-on dirt.
- Sanitise it to kill the bacteria left behind.
- Let it dry before bags go back in.
Doing that yourself with a hose and brush is possible but messy, and you need somewhere suitable for the dirty water. We explain why in cleaning your bin yourself or using a professional.
How we clean bins
Our van-mounted machine washes each bin inside and out and uses a concentrated hypochlorite solution that kills 99% of known germs. The bin is left sanitised and deodorised, and the dirty water is filtered and recycled on the van rather than running down your drive.
See wheelie bin cleaning or ask for a quote.
