Cleaning a garbage bin: instructions, household remedies, and where to dispose of the dirty water

In short: Clean the garbage bin right after it’s emptied: remove any debris, add warm water with dish soap or vinegar, scrub with a long-handled brush, rinse, and leave it open to dry in the sun. The dirty water belongs in the toilet, not the storm drain. Cleaning your compost bin is especially worthwhile: In 2024, 128 kilograms of organic waste per person were generated in Germany (Federal Statistical Office).

Cleaning garbage bins is on hardly anyone’s list of favorite things to do. Still, almost everyone ends up facing the task at some point in the height of summer, holding their breath and wondering how to get the thing clean without splashing dirt all over the driveway. The good news: with the right timing and a couple of household remedies, a thorough cleaning takes less than fifteen minutes.

This guide walks you through the complete process, compares common household remedies, explains what’s special about cleaning a compost bin, and answers a question many people overlook: where can you dispose of the dirty water? If your bin mainly smells bad, find quick odor remedies in the article Garbage Bin Smells: What Helps Right Away?. For larvae, see the guide to Maggots in the Garbage Bin.

What do you need to clean a garbage bin?

You don’t need any special products; simple household remedies are enough. You probably already have most of them at home or in the garage:

• Long-handled brush or toilet brush with a handle: This lets you reach the bottom of a 240-liter bin without leaning inside.
• Garden hose or one or two buckets of warm water.
• Dish soap, vinegar, or soft soap as a cleaner (see the table below for more).
• Rubber gloves, and safety goggles if using vinegar essence.
• Bucket and strainer to catch the dirty water.
• Newspaper for afterward.

A pressure washer is handy, but not essential. It mainly saves you from scrubbing the corners and under the lid rim.

Cleaning a garbage bin: the guide in 7 steps

The best time is collection day, immediately after the bin has been emptied. The bin is empty, the residue has not dried hard yet, and it has time to dry completely before the next use.

1. Remove leftover dirt: Use a glove or small shovel to remove loose debris from the bottom and put it in the appropriate bin.
2. Soak: Fill the bin with two to three liters of warm water and a splash of vinegar or dish soap, then close the lid. Ten minutes is enough to loosen dried-on residue.
3. Scrub: Work from top to bottom with the long-handled brush, cleaning the inside walls first, then the bottom. Pay particular attention to the grooves in the bottom and the fold beneath the edge of the lid, where most bacteria and often fly eggs collect. The long handle also lets you reach difficult spots.
4. Lid and handles: Wipe the lid inside and out, as well as the handle strip. Several people touch it every week.
5. Collect dirty water: Tip the bin over a bucket, catching large pieces with a sieve. The section below explains where the water can be disposed of.
6. Rinse with clean water: Rinse with clean water or a garden hose until no suds remain. Collect this rinse water too.
7. Let it dry: Leave the bin upside down or with the lid open to dry, preferably in the sun, where it will dry fastest. Only once it is completely dry, line the bottom with a few layers of newspaper and put it back in its usual spot, which should ideally be in the shade during everyday use.

If you briefly take the bin out of the box to clean it, sweep the spot where it stands at the same time. Debris that has fallen beneath and behind the bin is an often-overlooked source of odors.

Which household remedies are suitable for cleaning garbage bins?

Mild household remedies are enough for regular cleaning. Harsh chemicals offer no visible benefit, are anything but eco-friendly, and interfere with composting when used on organic waste bins.

What does not belong in the bin: chlorine cleaner, drain cleaner, lye, and brake cleaner. The Alb-Donau-Kreis waste management service recommends using household remedies even in the case of maggot infestations, such as diluted vinegar essence (1:10) or table salt (AW Alb-Donau-Kreis).

If you mainly want to tackle odors and are considering using baking soda, cat litter, or coffee grounds, the details are explained more fully in the article Garbage bin smells.

Cleaning an organic waste bin: What’s different about it?

The organic waste bin is the most demanding bin in the household. It contains organic waste with a high moisture content, which quickly begins to rot in warm weather and attracts flies and other pests. At the same time, it’s the bin where you need to be most careful with cleaning products, because its contents are processed into compost or biogas.

Here’s what matters when cleaning an organic waste bin:

• Use only mild products: Water, dish soap, or diluted vinegar is enough. Anything that doesn’t belong in compost should be kept out.
• Keep the biofilter lid dry: Some organic waste bins have a lid with a filter insert. According to AW Alb-Donau-Kreis, you shouldn’t spray it with vinegar water or other products.
• Rinse it regularly: Die Bremer Stadtreinigung recommends simply rinsing out the organic waste bin with a garden hose after it’s emptied and leaving it open to dry in the sun (Die Bremer Stadtreinigung).
• Dry first, then add newspaper: Once the bottom is dry, line it with a few layers of newspaper. This absorbs moisture and prevents scraps from sticking to the bottom.
• No plastic or compostable plastic bags: Plastic bags don’t absorb liquids, so the waste sweats inside them and starts to smell faster (Verbraucherzentrale NRW). Paper bags are a better choice.
• Don’t pour in liquids: Leftover soup or salad dressing will undo all your cleaning.

In winter, the problem is reversed: moist organic waste freezes to the bottom, and the bin isn’t emptied completely. Here, too, a layer of newspaper at the bottom helps because it absorbs moisture, so the contents don’t freeze as firmly.

If maggots have already settled in your organic waste bin, normal cleaning is not enough. First, kill the larvae with hot water and remove the eggs from the rim and lid. The full procedure is explained in the article on maggots in the garbage bin. For the kitchen bin, there’s a separate guide to maggots in the trash can.

Cleaning a garbage bin: Where should you dispose of the dirty water?

This is where most mistakes happen. Many people simply pour the washing water into the storm drain outside their home. But in many municipalities, storm drains are intended only for rainwater and lead directly to a stream or river, with no wastewater treatment plant in between. Hanover Municipal Drainage puts it clearly: The drain empties into the river, and anyone who disposes of cleaning water or other pollutants through it commits an administrative offense punishable by a fine (Hanover Municipal Drainage).

Here’s how to dispose of it properly:

• Pour dirty water down the toilet: Hanover Municipal Drainage recommends emptying cleaning buckets into a toilet, sink, or bathtub. From there, the water flows to the wastewater treatment plant.
• Sieve out large debris first: Food scraps and larvae don’t belong in the toilet; put them in the residual waste or organic waste bin.
• Don’t pour it onto a lawn or flower bed: Fats, germs, and cleaning products will seep into the ground.
• Don’t pour it out onto the street: Even if it’s only a few liters, the water will eventually flow into the nearest storm drain.

That’s why the method using little water and a brush is often better than using a garden hose: Two buckets of dirty water can easily be poured down the toilet, but twenty liters from a hose on the driveway cannot. If you want to use a hose regularly, choose a spot where the water drains into a wastewater drain, or ask your local municipality what is allowed in your area.

How often should you clean the trash bin?

There are no set rules. How often you need to clean it depends on what goes into the bin and how warm it is. As a rule of thumb:

Regular cleaning prevents bacteria from building up at the bottom and the bin from starting to smell. Your nose is a good indicator: if the bin smells shortly after being emptied, the buildup at the bottom is too thick. Another sign: as soon as the first flies appear in spring, a thorough cleaning is a good idea. If you get started before summer, it will be much easier in July.

Who is responsible for cleaning the trash bin?

In many municipalities, the bins don’t belong to you at all but to the city or waste management provider. You still have to keep them clean. In Munich, for example, the garbage bins are owned by the city and are “provided to those responsible for careful use, including keeping them clean” (Munich Household Waste Disposal Bylaw). The same bylaw also requires the collection area to be kept clean.

If you live in a single-family home, you’re responsible. In multi-unit buildings, the property manager or caretaker usually takes care of it, and the costs may then be included in the operating costs. Your building rules or rental agreement explain how it’s handled where you live. Each municipality sets out the exact obligations in its own waste management or collection regulations.

Having your bin cleaned: When is a cleaning service worthwhile?

If you don’t feel like scrubbing with a brush and bucket or don’t have a suitable place for the wastewater, you can also hire someone to clean your bins. There are two main options:

Municipal bin cleaning: Some cities offer cleaning themselves. In Munich, the city cleans dirty containers for a fee upon written request. In Bocholt, the organic waste bin is cleaned as a paid add-on after collection in a special vehicle using high-temperature water and pressure (City of Bocholt). In Feldkirch, Vorarlberg, organic waste bins in residential complexes are washed several times a year as part of regular collection (Vorarlberg Online). So it’s worth checking your waste management provider’s website.

Private bin cleaning: In many regions, mobile providers follow the garbage collection trucks in a cleaning vehicle. The water is collected in the vehicle, so you don’t have to worry about anything. You’re usually charged per bin and cleaning, or through a seasonal subscription.

A service is especially worthwhile when:

• there are several organic waste bins in a residential complex,
• you don’t have a suitable place to clean it with wastewater draining into the sewer,
• you want the bin to be truly hygienically clean after a maggot infestation.

Ask the provider whether dirty water is collected in the vehicle and disposed of properly, how often cleaning is carried out, and whether all types of bins are included. Current prices vary widely from place to place.

Clean less: location, shade, and lids

The best cleaning is the kind you need less often because the bin stays clean longer. Three factors determine how quickly a bin gets dirty again: heat, moisture, and open lids.

Shade: The warmer a filled organic waste bin gets, the sooner decomposition begins. Bremen’s waste management service therefore specifically recommends placing it in a shady spot. Sunlight is only your friend when drying an empty, freshly cleaned bin. An enclosed enclosure keeps direct sunlight off the bin, even when the parking area itself is in the sun.

Keep it dry: Water collecting at the bottom creates a breeding ground for bacteria and unpleasant odors. The Dagobert garbage bin box has an open bottom, which the product description says ensures good ventilation. The Alubert also has an open bottom to allow air circulation and keep things dry. An open bottom has a practical added benefit: you can sweep the area beneath the bins without having to clean the bottom of the box.

Keep the lid closed: According to Bremen’s waste management service, keeping the lid closed at all times is one of the most important ways to prevent flies and odors. Inside a closed box, the wind can’t lift the bin lid.

Incidentally, Munich’s regulations require bin storage areas to be protected from the elements wherever possible. The article Hiding garbage bins shows how to keep your parking area both clean and discreet. The guide Planter roof or hinged lid will help you decide which suits you better, and you’ll find the full selection in the garbage bin box collection.

And the box itself? Simply wipe it down with water when needed. Avoid harsh cleaners here, too: hydrochloric acid, chlorides, and hydrocarbons are off-limits for care. You can find out what the hinges and gas struts need in the care instructions for your BIO Stefan box.

Frequently asked questions about cleaning garbage bins

What’s the best way to clean my garbage bin?

Right after collection: Remove any residue, pour in two to three liters of warm water with dish soap or vinegar, let it sit briefly, scrub with a long-handled brush, rinse it out, and leave it open to dry in the sun. Then line the bottom with newspaper. Pour the dirty water down the toilet, not into the storm drain.

What can I use to clean the garbage bin?

Household products: dish soap for grease, diluted vinegar or citric acid for odors and limescale, and soft soap for dried-on residue. Once dry, baking soda helps absorb odors. Bleach, drain cleaner, and brake cleaner have no place in the bin; residues can disrupt composting in the organic waste bin.

Where should you dispose of the water after cleaning the bin?

Down the toilet, into the sink, or into the bathtub. From there, it goes to the wastewater treatment plant. In many municipalities, street drains lead directly into a body of water, so cleaning water must not be poured down them and doing so could result in a fine. Strain out any larger debris first and dispose of it with the rubbish.

How often should you clean the bin?

In summer, rinse out the organic waste bin after every collection and clean it thoroughly every two to four weeks; clean the general waste bin about every two to four weeks. In winter, and for paper or recycling bins, much less frequent cleaning is enough. If an empty bin smells, it’s time to clean it.

How much does professional bin cleaning cost?

It depends a lot on the location. Private companies usually charge per bin and cleaning or offer seasonal subscriptions; some cities offer cleaning as a paid add-on. Contact your local waste management service or regional provider for the current price.

Can I clean the bin with a pressure washer?

Yes, it saves you scrubbing, especially in the corners and under the rim of the lid. Make sure the dirty water doesn’t run into the storm drain, and don’t spray directly onto a biofilter in the lid. Because a pressure washer spreads a lot of water, it’s best suited to areas with a drain connected to the sewer system.

Who is responsible for cleaning the bin?

In general, the users, even if the bin belongs to the municipality. In Munich, for example, the city lends out bins "for careful use, including keeping them clean." In apartment buildings, this is usually handled by the property manager, as set out in the building rules or lease.

Conclusion: Clean in fifteen minutes

Cleaning a bin is less work than most people think, as long as you get three things right:

• The timing: right after collection, before anything has dried on.
• The cleaning products: warm water, dish soap or vinegar, and a long-handled brush - no harsh chemicals.
• The dirty water: collect it and dispose of it down the toilet, never in the storm drain.

Anyone who provides a shady, dry spot for it and keeps the lid consistently closed will need to reach for the brush much less often. And if it still smells or attracts maggots, the guides on smelly bins and maggots in bins can help.