Thursday, March 13, 2014

52 Monthly Clean Home Challenge: Wash Out Garbage Can/Recycle Bin

Welcome back to the Monthly Clean Home Challenge daily task!  I am on a quest to maintain a clean and organized home in less time and the goal is simple; four daily tasks, four weekly tasks and one additional quick task each week day. 

In no particular order, here are the individual tasks I am tackling each day this month:
  1. Make cleaning supplies
  2. Cycle clean appliances
  3. Clean out cars
  4. Clean out microwave
  5. Wipe down cabinets/appliances
  6. Wipe down trim/doors
  7. Clean out one drawer
  8. Clean out fridge
  9. Clean out freezer
  10. Vacuum under furniture
  11. Vacuum mattresses
  12. Clean oven
  13. Clean out one closet
  14. Wash out garbage can/recycle bin
  15. Wash windows
  16. Scrub grout
  17. Clean out one cabinet
  18. File paper piles
  19. Purge bathroom toiletries
  20. Clean out pantry

Today I am chatting about the extra task:  Wash Out Garbage Can/Recycle Bin

I broke out the gloves for today's task, because upon review of our recycle bin, I was a little scared of what may be growing inside....


Our recycle bin receives a lot of action.  Rarrr.....  Oh, and please ignore the leftover Italian dinner remnants from last night...

It fills up pretty quickly and is constantly being taken out and emptied into our larger bin outside.  That equals food containers being tossed in daily, and it being touched and carried outside daily.  That is a lot of grime goin' on.  Especially because it lives behind closed doors and doesn't get a lot of cleaning attention.

That all changed today.  It was wash out garbage cans and recycling bin day!  Can you feel the excitement?

I started by taking my mixture of 1 cup distilled water, 1 tbsp castile soap and 10 drops of lemon essential oil {because as you can guess, the nice smell was needed}, and gave the inside of the bin a good spray.


I then ran the water in my sink for a few seconds to let it get nice and hot, and sprayed down the inside of the can.


Using a microfiber rag, I then cleaned the inside and outside of the bin.



So glamorous....

But so much better!


I followed the same steps with the interior liner of our main garbage can as well.  The exterior of the can receives a cleaning every couple of days because it sits out and we notice it much more quickly when it starts to show splatters and finger prints.  Still not sparkling however...


For the exterior of the stainless garbage can, I wiped it over really quickly with the cleaning rag, and then pulled out the olive oil.



I have been using this for a short while now as a stainless polisher and it really does seem to make it shine.

It took me a few times to find my polishing groove, but basically I just rub the oil into the grain of the stainless with a dry rag until it is shiny and smudgeless.  I just made that last word up.

If you find you still have a smudge here and there, a little vinegar on a new dry cloth should do the trick.


We have a couple of other small garbage cans in our bathrooms, and I followed the same steps to wash out the insides of those as well, although, they were not nearly as bad as we usually keep those lined.  At least they were left smelling nice, fresh and lemony. 

I have bin lovin' this cleaning series so far!  OK, that pun was just garbage, I should throw it out...



Looking for something?  Check out my favorite cleaning products below:


These are all cleaners/products that work for us and our current home finishes.  It is important to research the cleaners prior to using them on your specific counter and flooring selections.

52 comments:

  1. I am loving your trash can, what kind/version is it? Simple Human? What size?

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    1. Hi Anna!

      It is a Cuisinart and we found it at HomeGoods awhile back. It holds standard sized {13 gallon I believe}.

      xoxo!

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    2. I put dryer sheets at the bottom of my trash cans to keep them smelling nice

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  2. I use a diaper pail liner to line my recycle bin. They're washable and reusable and I don't have to scrub the nasty bin weekly. :) I use the Planet Wise liners purchased from Amazon.

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    1. I am intrigued, I will definitely have to look into those. You just pop them into the washing machine?

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    2. Yep! I'm not sure what the official care is supposed to be, but I've had mine for 3 years and they're just fine with weekly hot water wash cycles (I throw them in with the towels) and hot dry cycles too!

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  3. Olive oil! I was trying to remember what would polish stainless when giving our sink a deep clean this morning, but couldn't for the life of me! Thanks for the reminder!

    PS... I love your sense of humor :)

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  4. I just cracked up reading this! Xo

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  5. Oh my gosh, I was actually able to comment! I have to figure out how I just did that, I usually can't comment on any blog. Yay!

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  6. This is definitely a cleaning task that I NEED to do! It's on my list for the weekend now! By the way, the last paragraph you wrote had me cracking up! :) Thanks for the continual inspiration!

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  7. Hey Jen!
    We need a lidded trash can in the kitchen, bathroom, and baby room now that we have a dog, but I've been afraid to buy a step-on one bc of all the moving parts (more things to break). How does yours hold up with 4 men in the house? What kind is it? And the ones in your other rooms? Thanks so much!

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    1. Hi Sarah!

      We are on our third trash can in the kitchen in about 5 years now {sad face}. The first one I splurged on and it was a touch free kind with a lid that opened automatically. I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread, but it didn't take long for the lid to crack at the hinge and then it was basically useless. So, I went cheap on the second one, it was a foot one but only lasted about two years. This last one we splurged on again, found it at HomeGoods, and so far, it seems to be the best. Very sturdy, good lid and the lid locks so our dogs can't get in it {because they have in the past and boy those are messes I would pay anything to avoid}. I guess my advise would be to try them out in the store if you can. We only use a lidded one in the kitchen, our kids are big and the dogs have no interest in a few tissues in the bathroom, they want the good stuff ;)

      Good luck to you!!

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  8. love your puns. I can't believe that even garbage cans look perfect on your blog. Seriously...everything you touch turns to gold!

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  9. I have never thought about using olive oi before. Thanks ♥

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  10. Since finding your blog, I've started gathering up the ingredients you recommend for making cleansers. I was wondering what else the one you used for the recycle bin, you could use this for? It's hard to know which works on what..thanks.

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    1. I have been using the castile/lemon oil combo for all sorts of tasks, it is basically a multi-purpose. I also use vinegar/water as another option. Both seem to do a really great job, but the castile/lemon combo smells much better.

      xo!

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  11. Great minds must think alike! I did the bins on Wednesday (as that's our rubbish collection night!)

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  12. Love it! How come you use distilled water?

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    1. Hi Kathy!

      I have read, minerals in tap water can inhibit cleaning. I figure it just reduces any chance that it will leave residue on what I am cleaning or build-up in my bottle. A reader also mentioned that it can help prevent mold/mildew. xoxo!

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    2. Ditto! My water is pretty hard (even with a softener) and can leave streaks/spots on shiny surfaces pretty easy. Using distilled water for those surfaces help keep the polishing required to a minimum.

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  13. We have stainless steel recycling and trash cans - similar to yours.

    I will have to try the oil trick - how do you know which way is the "grain"?

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    1. Hi Gina!

      If you look really, really closely, you will see a small grain in the steel. Something I really didn't even notice until I read the tip. :)

      xo!

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  14. Uuuuuuuurgh. I hate this job, this is my achilles heel! Especially my outside bin where we store the sacks until collection day, honestly the horror of it. Oh well, better get it done before it gets too hot :/

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  15. Great ideas! I'm too busy to do all this at once {so overwhelming!}. Now, off to get started on that drawer...

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  16. Love the idea of using olive oil for the polishing!

    Separately- Would you think the soap/castille/lemon oil would be a great overall cleaning combination for things like the inside of my microwave, fridge, etc?

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    1. I believe so! Especially if you are not a fan of the smell of vinegar. From what I have read, castile soap is a natural disinfectant, and it smells good!

      xo!

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    2. Just wanted to tell you I've been using this combo since March and I LOVE it! I only had mint castille soap, but even that combined with a few drops of lemon is so fresh and nice! Loving it. Thanks so much for the recipe :).

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  17. I might clean my trash cans, too... If I had your gloves!

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  18. Olive oil!! Going to try it ! Im exited to see how it works

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  19. If you can make cleaning a garbage can, microwave & a dishwasher seem fun & easy...I am convinced you are an angel. :)

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  20. ok so I have another question. :) Do you basically clean everything with the vinegar mixture? Like kitchen sink, bathroom sink....just wanting to get it right if I am starting this! :) The vinegar is also disinfecting am I correct!? Melanie

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    1. That's correct, half distilled water/half vinegar is my go to cleaner in the kitchen and bathroom because I use it a lot and it is super fast to make. When the mood strikes or for extra cleaning tasks, I also really like the 1 cup distilled water, 1 tbsp castile soap, 10 drops essential oil as well. It smells great and also cleans really well. Both have disinfecting agents and keep surfaces shining. :) {however, it is important to google around to find out if they are OK to use on specific surface finishes such as granite and marble}.

      xo!

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  21. I totally need to do this in our house--thanks for the reminder! I think I know what I'll be up to this weekend :)

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  22. I've been telling my husband that nightly disinfecting of the trash and recycling cans IS NOT what normal people do. But then again I grew up in a big house, in the country.

    He grew up with his parents adamantly Cloroxing the bins nightly, but maybe its because of living in older buildings and in a a smaller apartment.

    These old buildings do tend to house lots of critters in NYC. I never even saw a cockroach until I moved to New York. Blech.

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    1. Oh ew! I would be disinfecting all the time too if that were the case! We are lucky we have never had that type of problem where we live.

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  23. Check out my tips for spring cleaning on my blog

    http://lifesimpleandorganized.blogspot.com/2014/03/spring-cleaning-time-to-let-go.html

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  24. I tried using olive oil on my stainless appliances. The results were BEAUTIFUL! The idea of using a non-toxic "cleaner" made me feel good, too. Um, ya....well, the results of my efforts were short-lived. No sooner had I finished polishing the refrigerator, dish washer and stove....I turned around to find my four Labradors standing in front of the appliances giving them a good re-cleaning...WITH THEIR TONGUES! Seems my dogs like the use of olive oil as a cleaner, too. So, I'm back to cleaning the appliances with vinegar.......seems they don't like the vinegar as much.

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    1. Oh my gosh! I haven't had that happen and I am sorry to giggle, but that is sort of funny! Vinegar is not toxic either, so it is still a win. I wouldn't like licking vinegar either! ;)

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    2. I use baby oil on our appliances as our lab and Anatolian shepherd don't think that tastes very good. It works as well as olive oil, is cheaper, and not attractive to doggies! :-)

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    3. I clean houses for a living. Try pledge. You can use regular pledge or the multisurface pledge. It works great on stainless as well as it makes granite really smooth and shiny

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    4. Thanks for chiming in friends! I love both alternatives! I think I will give the baby oil a try as it really is less expensive and I bet it goes on nicer being that it is a little less dense than the olive oil. Excited you shared!

      xo!

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  25. Hi Jen,

    Silly question but do you clean or rinse your gloves after using them for a project like this? I like to be clean but am trying not to be OCD. Lol! Also, I assume you use a different pair for the dishes. (if you even use gloves for dishes). Thanks for your awesome advice and ideas! :)

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    1. Hi Karen!

      I always wash my hands with my gloves on, just as I would if they were off, after any cleaning project. But no, I don't actually use them for dishes any more. I wash dishes by hand occasionally {when we have more than the dishwasher will handle}, but I don't typically have enough to make feel the need to wear gloves. In that case, a second pair would be in order. :) xo!

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  26. I was shocked to see how those Mr. Clean/white spongy thingy's used for walls worked on white plastic bins!!!! Thank you Jen for your inspiration to keeping us all a-cleanin' ! :)

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  27. Loving this series! Food grade mineral oil (the same thing you use to treat butcher block surfaces) works great for polishing and won't smell rancid like olive oil can after a while.

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    1. Thanks so much for the tip! I will have to keep that in mind as well! :)

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  28. I'm so surprised that no one asked where you got your recycling trash can from. I would love to know. It is actually a pretty one!

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    1. Hi Andrea,
      The recycling can was part of a basic Rev-A-Shelf we installed quite a few years ago. It was just a generic white bin, and I added the lettering myself using vinyl I cut with my die cutting craft machine (Silhouette).

      xoxo!

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