How To Clean Your Trash Can With A Pressure Washer
No more excuses.
Get rid of those garbage juices and fowl smell once and for all.
Use a pressure washer. A pressure washer makes cleaning your outdoor garbage can quick and easy. The best part is you get stay a few feet from the smell and just point the water jet inside the trash can.
But why even clean it in the first place?
Why power cleaning your trash can is a good idea
How do you think the following concoction smells?
- Old meat, used diapers, vegetable remains and other household trash in an enclosed garbage can sitting at the side of your house on a hot, humid summer day.
Extremely unpleasant, right?
The reason it smells terrible to us is because the smell tells our brain to stay away – something is decaying, decomposing, rotting.
Now the actual decomposing caused by microbes and bacteria eating the garbage isn’t a health risk to us. But the hungry rats and swarm of flies it attracts can be a health risk.
Yes, a lid on the garbage helps but at some point these pests are going to get into all the grossness and the inside of your bin will get engulfed in this obnoxious smell.
You’ll need to clean it. If you don’t the smell will just get worse and you’ll start to smell it when you’re watching TV or having a BBQ with friends out the back or working on your car in the garage.
Cleaning your trash can with a pressure washer is the easiest way.
Watch this video to learn the easy two step method to pressure cleaning your wheelie garbage bin:
Two steps to pressure cleaning your trash can:
1. Use pressure washer to apply detergent and wash away dirt, grime, garbage juices etc.
- Be sure to wear rubber gloves and safety sunglasses to prevent garbage pieces getting onto you. In fact, read this definitive guide to pressure washer safety.
- It’s recommended you use a rotating scrub brush attachment to apply the general purpose pressure washer safe cleaning detergent. The brush will allow you to scrap away any caked on garbage or juices without launching the trash bin across the yard.
- Clean the outside and inside of the trash can.
2. Place wheelie trash bin on ground against a wall and spray clean with pressure cleaner.
- Use the most gentle spray nozzle (40 degree nozzle) so the bin doesn’t get pushed all over the place.
- When you’re spraying in to the bin stand off to the side to avoid the back spray of water and garbage juices exiting the garbage can.
Helpful Tips:
- If your can smells particular obnoxious you can apply with a brush a bleach and water solution. Don’t put this solution in your pressure washer. Simply use a brush or sponge to put all over the inside of the bin and let it sit for 5 minutes before washing away.
- I’m not sure about your local EPA – Environmental Protection Agency rules regarding letting pollution like garbage remains down your street storm drain. The best practice is to wash your bin on the grass so all the water is absorbed. Another option is to block off the drain so that all the solids can be vacuumed or broom up before going down the drain and ending up at your local stream.
What’s the best pressure washer to clean your trash can?
Your garbage can needs to be cleaned with enough force to remove grease, grime and mildew. Garbage cans are either plastic or thin metal so they can handle a good hit of pressure. But since the job is small, a cheap option is best.
You won’t need a high powered pressure washer; just a small one that can generate around 1000 PSI. Dumpsters or larger containers may need a heavier-duty machine, but for a simple job of a trash can smaller is fine.
A light-duty pressure cleaner should do the trick.
And for less than $100 you’ll get the perfect tool to clean your car, patio furniture and grill.
