Solve Your Stinky Trash Can Issues With Old Egg Cartons

Your outdoor and indoor trash cans are perhaps the least glamorous parts of your home. Let's face it — from leftover spaghetti to wet dog food, trash cans get gross. Many shoppers focus their time and energy on the best type of garbage bag to avoid tears and leaks, but it's most likely inevitable — you'll end up with sludgy "trash juice" at the bottom of the can that can turn even the most iron-clad of stomachs. As food scraps decompose, they release moisture that pools at the lowest point. Add that to temperature swings between the cool ground and the warm afternoon sun, and the result is gross liquid inside the bin.

While you can use a vintage cleaning hack to keep trash from smelling bad, you can also help solve your trash can wetness woes with a recycling favorite — old egg cartons. It sounds like a quirky DIY hack, but there is actually some solid logic behind using this household item to manage a smelly trash can. Egg cartons act as a sacrificial layer for your garbage, collecting leaks and condensation. Unlike a single sheet of newspaper, the 3D shape of an egg carton keeps the garbage bag slightly elevated, allowing air to circulate underneath and preventing stagnant odors. Moreso, the individual "cups" in the carton act like little reservoirs, trapping liquid in place so it doesn't spread across the entire floor of the bin. This makes it easy to clean up — all you need to do is bag up the old cartons and reline the can with new ones. This is just one more reason not to throw out old egg cartons without trying these DIYs — starting with your bin.

If you want to banish the bin smell and protect the interior of your garbage can, start with a fresh slate by wiping it with a disinfectant or washing it with soap and water. Next, make sure you've only collected cardboard egg cartons — plastic or Styrofoam won't work, since they won't absorb moisture. Cut them to size and lay them flat on the bottom of the garbage can to ensure full coverage. For an optional odor-fighting boost, sprinkle a little baking soda into the egg cups before putting the bags of garbage in. The cardboard absorbs the liquid, while the baking soda neutralizes the acidic odors.

Remember to swap out the egg cartons every few weeks or whenever you notice they have become damp. Because the cardboard is porous, it dries out faster than the plastic bin floor would, which helps stop bacteria from multiplying as quickly. This means an overall less stinky experience every time you open the lid. If you are as concerned about aesthetics as odors, there are ways to hide outdoor garbage bins to make them less of an eyesore, which will also help keep pests away and keep any bad smells from wafting around.