Keeping Bugs Away from Garbage Cans

By Doreen (Guest Post)

My mom told me to spray bug spray on your garbage bags and you won't have any visitors in your garbage. It also repels raccoons, skunks,cats etc. Ammonia also works but i feel sorry for the garbage guys because the smell is overwhelming. I use cheap bug spray, this also keeps birds away.

By

pauley

I put some bleach in the bottoms of our trash cans. I also put some bleach in a spray bottle and spray around the sides and top of can. You can also use anniomia or put moth balls in bottom of bag before you start using new bag and in the bottom of trash can.

By

kimhis

Also: if I have something stinky to go out, like fish heads or something like that, I keep it frozen until garbage pickup day. Many things I put into compost, down the toilet or the garbage disposal. Minimum input of worm food into garbage cans helps too.

By

kimhis

What I do is for plastic garbage cans. I put a 2" stack of newspapers in the bottom, then a glug-glug of bleach. You get immediate kill and then the newspaper keeps it too dry to start up again. I put the garbage can liner in and then cap it up with the lid. Nothing every grows in there.

By

Poor But Proud

My first thought is you can dispose of all food in the disposal, if you have one. Eggshells and coffee are great for mulching your flowerbeds, as is fish heads if you eat a lot of fresh fish. If you don't have a disposal, I would put your biodegradables in store plastic bags. I put the diapers and cat litter in the bag, then twist it a couple of time, turn that inside out, twist again, then turn again and tie it with the handles. That's "triple bagging" it without using three bags. Even if they smell it, they can't eat it and will soon go away. Yes, orange spray is great, as is lemon. Good luck!

By

Lynn from Calif.

Try spraying a little orange-oil cleaner (like Pledge, etc.) in the can, I would say about once a week. I read here on ThriftyFun to spray orange-oil cleaner across my doorways to keep ants out of the house and garage and boy it seems to work! (And isn't supposed to be as toxic as insecticides either.)

By

melody_yesterday

my first thought on that was ammonia.Put it in a mister bottle & lable it for future ID & mist the can.
But also you might want to hose your can out occassionaly.Use soap.My kitchen trash can gets bad.The liner slips or something too heavy pulls it down.I sit it in the sink & wipe with cleaner & hose it out.Let it sit in the sink if it needs to drip dry or out on the patio upsidedown.