Cleaning Methods For Recycling Bin | 6 Best Cleaning Methods!

You should often clean your recycling bins or keep them cleaned regularly to prevent diseases, bad smells, algae growth, etc., inside them. Therefore, in this guide, I will share some best cleaning methods for recycling bin and teach you how you can regularly keep a recycling bin cleaned. Cleaning is very important after every disposal of these recycling bins. Because it makes sure that nothing should be troublesome with these bins as there could be pests and animals being a problem. 

So, please stay and let me help you with some of the easiest methods to clean your recycling bin. Things are easy and simple, but all I need is your attention. Let’s get started!

Is It Possible To Clean A Recycling Bin?

Yes, there is nothing hard to find or look at while cleaning a recycling bin. It doesn’t matter if you keep a recycling bin separately for each recyclable item, such as glass, paper, plastic, etc. 

Or you have a recycling bin placed for keeping these recyclable materials collectively. In any situation, a recycling bin can be cleaned properly. 

You can do it yourself or ask for a professional cleaning service in your town to clean these recycling bins. 

These professionals make a regular schedule in providing you with the necessary cleaning services for your recycling bins. 

However, there is also no doubt that anyone at home can perform this cleaning if he or she knows the possible cleaning methods. Please keep reading to find out later in this section!

Moreover, know in depth about these recycling bins in our All About Recycling Bin Guide. You can get more information in this article related to recycling bins. 

For How Often You Should Clean Your Recycling Bin?

A recycling bin should be cleaned after every disposal of all the recyclable items you had placed inside. But it also depends on the situation or the environment of your area. 

Apply or have a monthly routine to maintain all these cleaning procedures in all situations. 

However, the following might be the situations when you need to clean a recycling bin to prevent odors or a mess that could be alarming. 

• Whenever the summer has arrived, you may feel a lot of humidity. In those times, your recycling bin needs a more rapid cleaning based on even weekly schedules. 
• Properly clean the recycling bin when there is a hot summer, and the sun is shining brightly. 
• Clean your recycling bin more often if there has been raining and you find the waste and water in the same bin. 
• Also, cleaning will become important when recycling bins start smelling bad and making the environment or surrounding air the smell.

Best Ways To Clean A Recycling Bin Thoroughly:

It doesn’t matter whether your recycling bin is smelling weird or you are going to clean it after first use from the period you have purchased it; everything has a solution. 

There are some tangible ways that help you completely clean your recycling bin from scratch and make it look like a new one. Please have a look at those easy methods given as follows. 

Before You Follow Any Of The Cleaning Process Below:

Hold on and wait a second before picking any of the below methods to clean out a recycling bin. Because first, you have to make sure certain things with the recycling bin. 

• Always ensure to have an empty recycling bin for cleaning. For this, it should be the one that currently came from the disposal facility, and all its waste has been dropped down. 
• Ensure that you have removed all the wrappers, plastic, or glass products and the bin is completely empty.
• On top of that, always ensure that there shall be no dust, trash, or rubbish inside a recycling bin before it goes the cleaning. 

Way 1: Cleaning Recycling Bin With Hot Water:

Hot water is the first and easiest way to clean a recycling bin. In case you are a good guy and always keep up the proper cleaning of your stuff, your recycling bin would only need a rinse of hot water. 

For this, you can follow the following steps. 

• First, boil a maximum quantity of at least a tub of water for cleaning purposes. 
• Take out the bin and pour this water into the recycling bin.
• Once this is done, you can use a scrub or brush for proper cleaning. 
• Hot water will do just well in removing all bacteria, pests, and insects from the recycling bin and making it a reliable one to use again. 

Moreover, you need to let the recycling bin dry completely before you use it for the next containment of the stuff you used to keep putting inside this recycling bin. 

That would be ready again to serve you with a totally new spirit. 

Way 2: Cleaning A Recycling Bin With Baking Soda:

Baking soda helps a lot in cleaning out pieces of equipment like recycling bins or trash cans. 

Therefore, it can be used to clean a recycling bin and remove those stinky odors. To clean a recycling bin with baking soda, follow the steps below. 

• First, pour 1 or 2 tablespoons of baking soda into water and make a solution. 
• Use fresh and clean water to rinse your recycling bin and make it fully wet. 
• Once done, use a piece of cloth or sponge to dip it into that baking soda solution and clean the recycling bin. 
• You can use a brush or scrub if there is any hard stuff like rigid plastic, pieces of plastic bags, and anything else attached to the recycling bin.
• Once this is done, you can again use the fresh and clean water to rinse the recycling bin completely.
• After that, you can either use a dry piece of cloth to make this recycling bin dry. 
• Or you may just leave it under the sunlight as it will not only help the recycling bin get dried. But it will also kill the remaining germs present inside the bin. 

Way 3: Cleaning A Recycling Bin With Detergent:

We use different brands of detergents in our homes to clean clothes and even for washing our cars or bikes, which goes just awesome. 

The same detergent can also be used to clean out the recycling bins. But for that, you have to learn how you are gonna use it. 

On the other hand, if you are a lady and know the usage of detergent on a daily basis, making its solution with water would be a lot easier for you. 

But even if you are going to do something like this, such as using a detergent for the first time to clean out a recycling bin, please look at the steps below. 

• First, mix one or two cups or tablespoons of detergent into the water. Such a solution should be in a small tub or any plastic container. 
• After that, spray the water into the recycling bin and wet it. Now, go for the solution and use a piece of cloth or a sponge to clean the recycling bin with your hands. 
• Once you have ensured that every corner of the bin has been applied to the detergent solution, this is again the time to rinse it with fresh water.
• Do it and let the bin dry for a while. After that, it would again be ready to work for you to contain the home recyclable. 

Way 4: Cleaning A Recycling Bin With Washing Liquid:

Washing liquids are also very common among households to maintain the cleaning of the dishes, floor, and other stuff like that. 

But you would be amazed to know that the same washing liquid can also be used to clean your recycling bin. For that, please follow the below-given steps. 

• First, purchase any high-quality washing liquid from your nearby local superstore. 
• Have it and mix its small quantity into the water to prepare a solution. Once done, move towards the recycling bin. 
• Have water inside it and make sure it is completely wet.
• Again, take the sponge and dip it into that washing liquid solution. After that, use that dipped sponge to clean out the inner side of the recycling bin. 
• Once you have cleaned out every corner, go towards cleaning it with the water and leave it to get dry. 
• This method will also ensure proper cleaning of your recycling bin if you haven’t cleaned it for a while. 

Way 5: Cleaning A Recycling Bin With White Vinegar:

Have you heard about white vinegar being used to clean products like recycling bins and remove smelly odors?

Because if you haven’t, you will learn how to use a white vinegar solution to clean the recycling bin and remove all of its germs. For this, please have a look at the below steps. 

• Repeat the things by making the bin wet. Once done, take a tablespoon of white vinegar and mix it into the water. However, this vinegar can also be used without water. 
• Spray out or clean the bin with this white vinegar solution. With this solution, you will ensure that you have thoroughly cleaned every corner of the bin. 
• Again, use fresh water and remove the white vinegar from the recycling bin. Plus, ensure to put the bin into direct sunlight so that the vinegar smell and remaining germs must go far, far away. 

Way 6: Cleaning A Recycling Bin With Bleach:

The last but never least, we can use bleach to clean out a dirty recycling bin. 

Even though bleach has its odor, which affects wisely, it can still be a good option for excellent cleaning of the recycling bins. 

For this, please follow the steps of cleaning a recycling bin with bleach. 

• Mix one or two tablespoons of bleach into fresh and clean water and prepare a solution. 
• Rinse the bin completely and make it wet.
• Use a cloth or sponge to apply this bleach solution inside the recycling bin. 
• Also, take help from the cleaning brush or scrub if your hands don’t give you the proper cleaning.
• Once cleaned, use clean water to remove the bleach water from the bin. 
• Now, the bin is cleaned, and you can leave it for drying. 

Hence, these are some of the easiest and best methods to clean a recycling bin you can apply. Apply any of these and clean a dusty, rubbish, and trashy recycling bin which hasn’t been cleaned out for a long while. 

Pro Tip: Please keep wearing rubber gloves all the time when you are using these toxic chemicals for the cleaning of the recycling bins.

Final Thoughts:

Finally, if I can find you at this end of the post, I am probably aware that you have learned all these best cleaning methods for recycling bin. You can use any of these and ensure that recycling bin is no dirtier or has rubbish inside. But if you struggle with any confusion or queries, I am here to help and make things simple. 

Anyway, thanks for visiting and spending time. Take good care of yourself and have a jolly day. See you soon on the next one. 

References:

https://content.grantham.edu/academics/GU_GS104/Decisions.pdf

https://www.matec-conferences.org/articles/matecconf/abs/2019/05/matecconf_icmme2019_02017/matecconf_icmme2019_02017.html

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/gen.39.08.15