From the sidewalk, every can on your street looks about the same. Black, blue or green plastic, lid shut, wheels on the curb. Nobody can see what is going on inside. But you know. You know the low hum of flies that starts the second you crack the lid, and the smell that rolls out after it.
Most people think of the trash can as the one thing in the house that does not need to be clean. It holds garbage, after all. But the can is not just a box for trash. It is a warm, wet, dark container that sits outside in the Florida sun for days at a time, and it gets touched by every person in your home several times a week. That makes it one of the most important things on your property to keep clean.
What is really living in a dirty trash can
Every bag that goes in leaves something behind. A drip of chicken juice from a meat tray. A smear of spoiled milk. Coffee grounds, fruit peels and the sticky ring from a soda bottle. Over a few weeks those drips pool at the bottom into a dark, sour liquid, and they dry onto the walls as a slick, tacky film. In warm, humid weather, that residue can feed bacteria, mold, flies and roaches.
Bacteria such as E. coli can double about every 20 minutes under ideal conditions, and the bottom of a hot can on a South Florida afternoon is close to ideal. Mold shows up as black and green fuzz along the seams and under the lid. A house fly can lay up to about 150 eggs at a time, and in warm weather those eggs can hatch into pale, squirming maggots in roughly a day.
You do not need a microscope to know it is happening. Open the lid and the air turns thick and sweet-rotten, a smell so heavy you can almost taste it, sour and metallic at the back of your throat. Flies lift off with a dry, angry buzz. Tip the can to roll it out and you hear that wet slosh at the bottom. Grab the handle and it feels faintly sticky under your palm. Look down and you can see the brown crust on the walls and the dark puddle that never quite dries.
Why a clean can matters for your family
The trash can is one of the most touched, least cleaned surfaces around your home. Every member of your family grabs the lid and handle. Flies that land in the can can carry bacteria on their legs and bodies, and then they land on your patio table, your grill or the food on your plate. Germs on a handle can ride along on your hands to the back doorknob, the faucet and the kitchen counter in a matter of minutes.
Kids and pets make this even more important. A dog will happily sniff and lick a lid that smells like last week's dinner. A toddler will put a hand on anything at their height, and a can handle sits right there. A clean can means one less dirty surface in the places your family touches most.
Why a clean can matters for your home
A dirty can does not keep its smell to itself. If your can lives in the garage, the odor can soak into the whole space and greet you every time the door goes up. If it lives by the side of the house, the smell can drift through open windows and across your lanai. Food odors are also a dinner bell for pests. Roaches, ants, rats and raccoons all follow their noses, and a can that smells like food gives them a reason to stay close to your home.
Why a clean can matters for your street
On pickup day, your can is out at the curb for the whole neighborhood to see and smell. A stained, buggy can next to the mailbox is not the first impression most people want to make. In communities with an HOA, a can that looks and smells cared for is part of keeping up curb appeal. And the flies and roaches drawn to one dirty can do not stay put. They can wander next door, so a clean can is a small way to be a good neighbor.
Why a hose rinse is not enough
Plenty of people try to fix the problem with a garden hose. A quick rinse can knock loose some of the chunks, but cold water does not cut through the greasy film on the walls, and it does not sanitize. It mostly moves the mess around. The dirty water ends up on your driveway, in your grass or running toward the storm drain, and the can stays damp inside, which in Florida humidity can give mold and bacteria a head start on the next round.
How Wash My Can keeps your can truly clean
This is exactly the problem Wash My Can was built to fix. We are a family owned, local Palm Beach County business, and we clean, sanitize and disinfect trash cans with our state of the art cleaning trailer. It blasts every can inside and out with 200 degree high-pressure hot water, which kills bacteria and disease-causing germs and lifts away the crust, slime and film a hose leaves behind. Then we deodorize the can with eco-friendly products so it smells fresh when you lift the lid.
All of the wastewater is safely contained in our trailer. Nothing runs onto your lawn, down your driveway or into the storm drain. We come after your trash is collected, you do not need to be home, and we put your can back where you keep it. Learn more about our residential trash can cleaning.
Plans are simple: Monthly for $25, Bi-Monthly for $35, Quarterly for $45, or a One-time cleaning for $65. Every plan includes 2 cans, with $10 for each additional can, and there is no contract required.
Your can works hard for your home every single week. Give it the same care you give the rest of your house. Book your first cleaning today and enjoy lifting a lid that smells like nothing at all.
Give your family a can you are not afraid to touch
We sanitize your cans at the curb with 200 degree water and keep every drop of dirty water in our trailer. Plans from $25 a month, 2 cans included, no contract.
