Trash can odor removal that lasts past trash day
The smell lives in the film at the bottom of the can, not in the trash. We wash it out at 200 degrees, sanitize and deodorize so the odor stays gone past the next pickup.
Why the smell comes back, and how we stop it
Why the smell stays
When the truck empties your can, it takes the bags but not the film. Juice, grease and moisture dry onto the plastic in a thin layer, and bacteria feed on it. That layer is what you smell when you lift the lid.
Heat makes it worse. In a Horry County summer, a can in the sun warms that film like a pan on low, and the odor rises every time you open the lid. A quick rinse with a hose only moves it around.
Spray-on fresheners cover the smell for a day or two. They do not remove the residue underneath, so the odor returns as soon as the next bag leaks, the next warm afternoon arrives or the lid sits shut for a week.
What we do on the visit
We lift the can onto our cleaning rig after your hauler has been and wash the inside and outside with 200-degree water. That heat softens and breaks down the film so it can be flushed out, including from corners a brush will not reach.
We clean the lid, the hinge and the wheels too, since residue collects there and gives the smell somewhere to start again. Nothing is skipped, because a smell that has a corner to hide in will come back. Then we apply a biodegradable, hospital-grade sanitizer and a deodorizer that lasts past your next pickup.
The dirty water goes into the holding tank on our truck, not onto your driveway or into the storm drain. We set the can back where you keep it and text you a photo when it is done. You do not need to be home.
Look inside
Drag the handle. This can looked fine from the outside and smelled from ten feet away.
How the visit works
- 1
Pick a plan and tell us your trash day
Book online or call. Takes two minutes.
- 2
Leave your cans at the curb after pickup
No need to be home. We come after the hauler.
- 3
We clean, sanitize and deodorize them on the spot
200-degree water, about three minutes per can.
- 4
You get a photo by text and your cans go back
Cans go back where you keep them.
Keep the smell from rebuilding
- Bag and tie kitchen waste before it goes in the can.
- Wrap meat, fish and shellfish scraps and freeze them until trash day if you can.
- Let a wet can dry with the lid open for an hour after any rinse.
- Keep the can in shade, in a garage or on the north side of the house.
- Schedule a cleaning each month so the film never gets thick.
What causes a trash can smell
Most people blame the trash itself, but the smell outlasts every bag you put in. What stays behind is a thin, sticky residue of food liquid, grease and dust. Microbes grow in that layer and give off the sour smell you notice when the lid opens. We make no health claims about it. It is simply a film that is unpleasant and that you can remove.
Garbage cans on the Grand Strand face extra conditions. Humidity keeps the plastic damp, afternoon sun heats the inside, and sandy, salty air sticks to every surface. Cans near the coast and cans in Conway or Loris all build the film at about the same speed. If you have not cleaned yours in a few months, the smell is usually in the bottom third of the can and along the hinge.
You can read the full explanation in our article on why your trash can smells after pickup, including a few things to try at home between visits.
When to book and how long it lasts
Book when the smell reaches the garage, the kitchen window or the front door, or when guests notice it. A single odor-removal clean resets the can. How long it stays fresh depends on what goes in and how hot the weather is, but most households see the best results with a clean every month, timed to your trash day.
A monthly plan is $25 (sample) for the first can and $10 (sample) for each additional can. A recycling cart can be added for the additional-can price, and it often needs it, since sticky drink residue is a common source of smell. If you are not sure you want a plan, the one-time deep clean is $49 (sample) for the first can. See every price on the pricing page.
We come on your trash day, usually within a few hours after the hauler. If the smell is still there when we leave, tell us within 48 hours and we come back and clean the can again at no charge.
What we do not do
We clean the can. We do not remove the smell from your garage floor, a driveway stain or a drain. If the odor is coming from a leak in the bottom of the can, a cracked lid or a bag that has been left inside for weeks, we will tell you, and we can still clean what is cleanable.
Odor removal is part of our wider residential trash can cleaning service, which covers monthly and quarterly plans, recycling carts and one-time cleans across all of Horry County at the same price in every town.
Keep it fresh every month
Monthly
per month, first can. Additional cans $10 each.
- One clean every month on your trash day
- 200-degree wash, sanitize and deodorize inside and out
- Photo by text after every clean
- No contract, cancel anytime
Questions about trash can odor
The hauler empties the bags but leaves a film of food residue on the walls and floor. That film is the source of the smell. Washing it out with hot water, then sanitizing, removes what a quick hose rinse leaves behind.
Eventually the film rebuilds, because every bag leaves a little behind. A monthly clean keeps it thin. In hot months, the summer plan every two weeks keeps it even lower.
They can help between cleanings, but neither removes baked-on residue from the rim, hinge and corners. Water at 200 degrees followed by sanitizer reaches the places a quick scrub misses, and we capture the wastewater afterward.
No. It is a light, biodegradable deodorizer meant to neutralize odor, not to cover it with a heavy scent. Most customers say the can simply smells clean, and it is safe for kids and pets once dry.
We can still clean it, but a cracked can may keep leaking and holding odor. We will tell you after the visit. Many haulers will replace a damaged cart, so ask yours first.
Book once. We handle every trash day after that.
No contract. Cancel anytime from a text.