Nobody thinks about the inside of the trash cart until a warm afternoon makes the whole side of the garage smell like last week's chicken. A curbside cart is emptied by a truck, but the truck does not clean it. Whatever leaked, spilled or stuck to the walls stays in the cart, and it is still there when the next bag goes in. Trash can cleaning is the washing of the cart inside and out, and it is the one chore most households never get around to.
This page is a practical guide. It explains why bins smell, how flies and maggots keep coming back, what changes between a Minnesota July and a Minnesota January, how wash water should be handled, what to expect from a mobile cleaning visit and how to time it around your pickup day. If you would rather have it handled, get a free quote by calling or texting (651) 858-2232 or using the form on the contact page.
Why bins smell
The smell in a trash cart comes from decaying food and liquids, and it is stronger than the bag itself would suggest. A tied bag can leak without anyone noticing: a torn corner, a puncture from a bone or a box edge, a spill of juice from meat packaging or a few tablespoons of milk. The liquid runs to the bottom of the cart and pools in the corners and seams, where it has nothing to dry it.
Over time that residue forms a film on the plastic. Bacteria and mold feed on it, and the smell comes from what they produce while they break down the food. Plastic carts also hold odors, because the surface is slightly textured and the film works into it. This is why a cart can smell even when it looks empty, and why a quick rinse with the hose helps for a day or two and then the odor returns.
The bacteria and maggot cycle
Flies find a cart by smell, often from a long way off, and they lay eggs on anything that looks like food. Under warm conditions the eggs hatch into maggots quickly, often within a day or so, and the larvae feed on the waste for several days before leaving to pupate and become flies. A few eggs can become a lot of maggots in a short time.
Breaking the cycle means removing what the flies want. That means taking out the residue, keeping the lid closed, bagging wet waste and letting the cart dry. Cleaning the cart removes the film, and habits keep it from coming back. Neither works as well alone.
Summer heat and winter freeze
Summer is the hard season. Heat speeds up decay, a closed cart in the sun acts like a small oven, and humidity keeps everything damp. By mid-July in the Twin Cities, a cart left in direct sun can go from fine to foul between pickups. Moving the cart into shade, such as the north side of the garage, makes a real difference. So does skipping the habit of tossing food scraps in loose.
Winter changes the problem rather than solving it. Cold slows the smell and the flies, which gives people the impression that the cart is fine. But spilled liquid freezes into a layer of ice and residue at the bottom, and a frozen bag can stick to the cart so the truck's arm cannot empty it. Then the next thaw releases everything at once, often in March, with a smell that surprises people.
Cleaning is easiest in the warmer months, when water does not freeze on the cart and drying is quick. Many people book a cleaning in spring, once the thaw is done, and another in late summer. Any cleaning in cold weather depends on temperatures and what the cart is doing, so ask when you request a quote.
Garbage, recycling and organics carts
Households across the south metro can have two or three carts: one for garbage, one for recycling and, where it is offered, one for food scraps and other organics. They do not all smell the same.
- Garbage carts are the usual offenders, because of food waste, diapers, pet waste and spills.
- Recycling carts are not clean either. Unrinsed jars and cans, pizza boxes and drink containers leave sugary or greasy residue that draws flies and wasps. Rinsing containers before they go in helps.
- Organics carts, where offered, are the most prone to odor and maggots because they hold wet food waste on purpose.
What is accepted, which carts you get, how often they are emptied and what you may put in them varies from town to town and from hauler to hauler. In many Twin Cities communities residents choose or are assigned a private hauler, while in others the city arranges service, and some places have organized collection and others do not. Check with your city or your hauler about your own service, including whether the carts belong to them and whether there are rules about cleaning or modifying them.
Habits and liners that help
Most of the benefit of a cleaning is kept by what you do afterward. A few habits make a big difference:
- Use bags, and tie them. A bag contains most of the mess, and a leak that stays in the bag can be tied off. Bags that are too thin are a common source of leaks.
- Double bag wet items. Meat trimmings, fish, leftover sauces and diapers go in a bag of their own before they join the rest.
- Freeze smelly scraps until pickup morning. Meat trimmings and seafood shells in a bag in the freezer stay out of the cart until they can go out fresh.
- Keep the lid shut. A lid that closes keeps flies and animals out. If it will not close because of overfilling, ask your hauler about a larger cart.
- Put the cart in the shade, and, where rules permit, keep it in the garage between pickups.
A cart liner, which is a large bag that fits inside the cart, can protect the plastic from leaks and sticky waste. Check with your hauler, because some have rules about liners.
Pests: flies, wasps, rodents and raccoons
Flies are the most visible pest, but not the only one. Wasps gather around sugary recycling carts in late summer and fall, so rinse containers.
Rodents and raccoons are attracted to the same odors, especially where carts sit close to a garage wall, shed or woodpile. A lid that closes firmly helps, and so does keeping the area around the carts free of spilled waste and bird seed. In neighborhoods with mature trees and green space, like many streets in Hastings and Cottage Grove, animals are more common than in new construction. If you have a repeat pest problem, a pest professional can advise on sealing and exclusion, which is outside what cleaning can do.
Wash water and storm drains in Minnesota
This is the part most people overlook, and it is the reason to be careful about who cleans your carts. Wash water from a trash can is not clean water. It carries food residue, grease, bacteria and any cleaning solution used. In most Twin Cities neighborhoods, a storm drain does not go to a treatment plant. It flows, usually untreated, to a nearby creek, pond, wetland or river, including the Mississippi, the St. Croix and the many lakes and streams in the metro.
That is why cleaning wastewater should not be rinsed down the driveway into the street. Nutrients and organic material feed algae and harm aquatic life. Local rules on discharge vary, and cities and watershed districts have their own ordinances about what can enter the storm system, so check with yours.
If you wash your own cart at home, the better habit is to rinse it on grass or a gravel area away from the storm drain, where the soil can absorb the water, or to wash it in a utility sink or laundry tub that drains to the sanitary sewer. Do not hose it out on the driveway and let the water run to the curb. If you hire a provider, ask how they handle wash water: whether it is collected, where it is disposed of and how they keep it out of the street. A good provider will have a clear answer.
How a mobile cleaning visit works
A mobile service comes to your property rather than asking you to take your carts anywhere. In general, a visit looks like this:
- The carts are in place. The service needs the carts emptied and accessible, so a visit is usually scheduled after pickup day.
- A look at the carts and the site. The condition of each cart, the surface it sits on and where the wash water can go are considered first.
- Washing inside and out. The interior, lid, rim and exterior are washed using a cleaning solution and water, with attention to the bottom seams and the underside of the lid.
- Rinsing and wash water handling. Rinse water is managed according to the plan agreed with you, rather than allowed to run to the street.
- Drying and return. The carts are left to drain and dry, and returned to their usual spot.
The exact method, including how wash water is handled at your property, is confirmed when you get the quote. Tell us how many carts you have, which types they are and where you keep them.
Scheduling around pickup day and how often to clean
Timing matters more than most people realize. The best window is right after the truck has emptied the carts, because the cart is empty and nothing needs to be moved. A visit right before pickup finds the carts full, and the cleaning cannot reach the bottom. Holidays can shift pickup days in many communities, so check your hauler's schedule before you book.
There is no single rule. Most households benefit from a cleaning once or twice a year, and the warm season is the time that matters most. A household with diapers, pets, lots of cooking or an organics cart sees faster buildup. A cleaning is also worth doing after a notable spill, a maggot outbreak or when you move into a house and want to start fresh.
Businesses, HOAs and many bins
Some customers do not have two carts but many. A small business, a restaurant with an outdoor enclosure, an apartment property, a townhome association or an HOA may have a whole row of carts or dumpsters. If you manage a property like this, you can ask for a quote. Tell us how many carts there are, what kinds, where they are kept and how the wash water can be handled on site. Large dumpsters and compactors involve different equipment and rules, and whether we can take them on is confirmed during the quote. We will say so plainly if a job is not a fit.
How to get a free quote
Call or text (651) 858-2232, or fill out the quote form on the contact page. Tell us your town, the number and type of carts, your pickup day and anything about the location we should know, like a steep driveway or a gate. We will talk through the method, including wash water, and confirm the plan with you before we begin.
We work across the south and east metro, including Inver Grove Heights, Rosemount and the other places listed on our service areas page. Many customers pair cart cleaning with pressure washing the pad beneath the carts.