Comments on: Is everything in your home in its best place?

By: Likes a clean trashcan

Likes a clean trashcan — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:07:26 +0000

I have a trashcan which sits out by my counter near the entrance (thankfully, I have a large entrance to the kitchen/dining area). It has a lid which flips open with a “button” on top, I’ll either move the can or just open/close it with my knee while cooking. If my dog sees me put something in and wants to smell I just tell her “No” and she’ll back away and leave it alone.

I clean the inside and outside of the trashcan every time I change the bag (keeps my white trashcan fresh and clean…and it only takes about 30 seconds since I do it every time). Personally, this is most convenient for me, though my father in law chooses the under the sink method.

My brother in law and his family choose to put their trash can in the pantry. This has to do with the set up of their kitchen and their lifestyle (three young kids running around). I understand this…but I still can’t get over it…it seems so dirty to have the trash in the pantry. And the smell is overwhelming if they’ve let their trash ripen in there (which shouldn’t happen…but it does anyway).

By: Open Loops 1/13/2009: Articles I Found Interesting | SimpleProductivityBlog.com

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:00:06 +0000

[...] “Unclutterer » Archive » Is everything in your home in its best place?” talks about how mis-placing a trashcan can look good, but be a hindrance. A friend of mine recounts a story where her father located the trash in a closet to make things look nice and her mother responded by putting a can where it was useful. During a trash take-out, her father refused to empty the trash from the “unauthorized trash can.” [...]

By: Sue

Sue — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:54:10 +0000

I don’t have pets, but I have a wooden handmade trash bin with a hinged top lid that is vented via a screened, heart-shaped opening in the lid. Inside is a Rubbermaid trash can, not lidded, which I use trash liners in. It looks nice, it’s sanitary because the garbage doesnt actually touch the wood & it’s vented. I got mine at a craft sale, but I know they sell similar ones-just google wooden trash bins or wastebaskets.I think because of its sturdiness it’s probably pet-proof.

By: Plaid Ninja

Plaid Ninja — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 20:30:53 +0000

I don’t really have much of a choice. My kitchen is a small corridor. The door opens into the kitchen on the left side. On the other side the refrigerator door opens and extends to nearly the other side of the corridor. The rest of the wall space is taken up by a baker’s rack and microwave cart – both of which are far too important to remove in favor of a garbage can, which up to this point, has been perfectly fine under the sink.

By: Ethel

Ethel — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 18:36:58 +0000

Yeah, it’s kids that probably explain why people keep their trash cans somewhere inconvenient. Even if you don’t have them – your mom did, and I think many of us learned habits like hiding the trash from our moms.

We keep ours in the open, but on the other side of a baby gate. I still tend to congregate my trash while prepping a lot, and then put it with the other trash. I’m not interested in paying a lot for a trash can, but I do hate having to open doors to get to the trash.

By: Carol Olmstead

Carol Olmstead — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 20:40:45 +0000

As a Feng Shui consultant, “where should I keep my kitchen trash can” is a question I frequently hear. Sometimes you have no choice but to keep it out in the open, under the sink, or away from your pets. I offer this Feng Shui advice: keep your trash can where it is most convenient for your situation, but keep it as small as you can live with and empty it frequently. That will keep the good energy circulating in your kitchen.

By: Shannon

Shannon — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 02:06:19 +0000

Check ou this site for kitchen and office organization: http://www.simpletins.com Magnetic tins are awesome!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 05:44:42 +0000

Unfortunately, the sheer layout of my kitchen does not allow me the space to have a trash can out and on the floor…unless, I want to leave the work area, and walk around the long counter (35 feet, round trip from the sink/stove area). I keep my trash can under my sink, but I pull it out each time I’m getting ready to cook. I’ve found it’s even easier to scrape the scraps off of a cutting board into my lidless can than it was when I had a kitchen with the fancy, stainless steel (that showed rust very quickly, DO NOT BUY!) trash can with a foot pedal. If the lid doesn’t swing back 180 degrees (think REACH toothbrush flip-top head guy), all it’s doing is impeding your dumping things into it.
As for the smell factor, ours never gets smelly, and I do mean NEVER. My solution is keeping a trash can small enough to necessitate emptying it every 2 days and I shake a little baking soda in every time I put a new bag in.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 11:53:43 +0000

Since we are talking trash…could you tell me what you do with grease/drippings? I currently just pour it into a can, wait for it to cool and toss it in the trash but am curious if any of you have a better idea.

By: LazyLightning

LazyLightning — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 16:08:39 +0000

Composting is a good idea for home or townhouse owners… but what do you suggest for apartment dwellers who don’t have a yard or outdoor area for composting?

By: Melissa A.

Melissa A. — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 15:58:21 +0000

Food waste goes in the mini compost bin under the sink. I don’t want that out in the open. I don’t have a good spot for a garbage can that doesn’t involve being in front of a cabinet or appliance, or being on carpet in the hall or the dining area.

By: Jessi

Jessi — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 08:51:18 +0000

I agree with Wesa!

I compost. I keep a plastic tub to toss compostable scraps in, and a paper bag from the grocery store for non-compostable trash. Both reside on the floor underneath my sink. I have no cabinets, just plywood counters and a couple of shelves. My kitchen was formerly a darkroom and has no amenities to speak of.

I have no pets or kids, and I do not cover either container, just toss in. If I have meat scraps or bones, which is rare, I either put them in a used plastic bag, or I just take it outside to the big trash can right away.

My kitchen is so tiny I rarely have to take more than 3 steps to reach anything. The exception is the fridge, which I have to take 6 steps to reach cause it’s in the garage; it doesn’t fit in the kitchen. But my kitchen is practically in the garage anyway. I call it my ergonomic kitchen!

By: Wesa

Wesa — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 06:58:28 +0000

When you toss produce (or other biodegradable materials) into a plastic bag and that bag ends up at the landfill, the organic matter in the plastic bag never decomposes because the landfills prohibit the plastic bags from ever decomposing. Please please consider composting or using a yard waste container.

By: Melinda

Melinda — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 04:40:37 +0000

I just don’t have any floor space in my kitchen. My trash can is in the broom closet and will stay there.

By: carol

carol — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 04:11:44 +0000

I do a mix between the “plastic bag on the counter” routine and the “move the trash next to the prep-area” thing. It depends on what I am prepping – to skin root veggies, I get a larger target area to catch shavings if I aim for the trash can. Also, it’s easier to shoot the shavings down into the trash into that little plastic bag.

For the most part, it is easy enough to pull the trash can out three feet from the cabinet instead of leaving it out. We’ve got a galley kitchen and there really is no other place to put the trash that is out of the way.