Trash Bin Cleaner: How to Freshen Them Up With Shaving Cream

Hometalk Highlights
by Hometalk Highlights

If you're on a mission to banish those unpleasant garbage can odors and restore your bins to their shining glory, you're in for a treat.


We stumbled upon a fantastic trash can cleaner hack by the ever-clever Andrea from Andrea Jean Cleaning, and it involves using shaving cream cleaner to give your bins a fresh, like-new appearance.


The idea is that the alcohol from the shaving cream will fight those nasty odor-causing bacteria and break down the grease and grime to reveal a shiny and fresh bin, that sparkles like new.

Tools and Materials You'll Need:

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Shaving cream cleaning hacks

1. Bin Selection

The first order of business is to pick the lucky candidates for this task. I decided to test this shaving cream cleaning hack on two plastic bins.

Dirty and smelly garbage can

One is a black bin stationed under our sink, dutifully collecting all food waste, which means it can get quite dirty and smelly.

The ultimate solution for smelly bins

The other, a smaller white bin with a removable inner, serves as one of our bathroom bins. It doesn't get extremely dirty, but who wouldn't want to see if shaving cream can work its whitening magic?


Let’s see if this works

Gel based shaving cream

2. The Shaving Cream Showdown

Now, for the real fun. I decided to put both foam and gel-based shaving creams to the test.

Foam shaving cream

While Andrea uses foam, I thought, "Why not explore both to see which one conquers the cleaning battle?"

How to keep your bins clean and odor-free

3. Rub-a-Dub-Dub with Shaving Cream

I began by rubbing the insides of the bins with shaving cream.


I used the gel-based variety for the kitchen bin and the foam for the bathroom bin.

Deep cleaning bins with shaving cream

4. Scrub and Shine

With the shaving cream in place, I unleashed the power of my trusty microfiber cloth and scrubbed the bins.


The process did get a bit messy, but nothing too overwhelming.

10 minutes on the clock

5. The Waiting Game

I left our bins to marinate in the shaving cream for 10 minutes, allowing the alcohol within the cream to work its cleaning magic.

A sparkling solution for your bin

6. Rinse it Off

After the 10-minute magic session, I rinsed the bins and let them air dry.

Tips for eliminating household odors

7. The Grand Reveal

And now, the moment of truth.


I had a look at the bins and was surprised to see they are extremely clean and emit a fresh aroma.


Shaving cream does have a pleasant scent, but it can be a bit strong, so I was concerned the bins would have an overwhelming scent, but actually – there is no scent, they just smell fresh.


Plus, the white bin appears noticeably brighter.

The power of shaving cream in cleaning

I would probably only use the foam next time as the gel-based cream did seem to leave a bit of a residue.

Deep clean your bins with shaving cream's cleaning hacks

8. The Bonus Tip

I finished off by following Andrea’s bonus tip - sprinkling bicarbonate of soda at the bottom of the bin.

Achieve cleaner, fresher bins with this shaving cream cleaning method

I was mindful not to overdo it; you don't want a powder explosion when removing the bin bag daily.


More Cleaning Tips

For more cleaning hacks and tips, check out this Shaving Cream Hacks tutorial.

How to clean with shaving cream

Trash Bin Cleaner: Cleaning with shaving cream

All in all, this was a great idea for deep-cleaning your bins.


I would love to hear if any of you have some clever ideas. Don't be shy – share them in the comments below!

Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
  1 question
  • Pearl Ellice Pearl Ellice on Nov 11, 2023
    I'm really at a loss here to understand what's wrong with good old washing up liquid?? Why waste expensive shaving foam??
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  • Valeria Valeria on Dec 07, 2023
    Yes I will try this, my bins aren’t too dirty, but it may make them smell better!!
  • Cherry Cherry on Jan 11, 2024
    I'm going to try this. I will see how it shines things up. I luv good refreshing smells. TY 4 sharing. 😊
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