Hence that state of mind at once gloomy and euphoric which one associates with carrying out the rubbish
-Italo Calvino
Field Note
I boldly admit to borrowing this opening house-righting undertaking from Swedish Death Cleaning, yet I swear by it. On those days when I am teetering on the brink of chaos – overwhelmed by the house, my life, and everything in between – I begin with the simple act of taking out the trash. Perhaps it’s merely symbolic, or perhaps I am overthinking, but there’s an undeniable… something that transforms the entire house into significant steps towards cleanliness despite the floors remaining decorated with dog hair, the laundry approaching Vesuvian levels, and the bathrooms requiring HAZMAT suits and most likely a special license.
Plus, it imparts olfactory contentment. (It smells better.)
Nature recycles everything – trees do not retain their leaves on the off-chance that they might need them next year. There is quite a difference between consumerism-driven waste and just time to create space for a new season and growth and change. Half of what we’re doing is simply just trash, no philosophizing required. But the other half is of getting rid of what no longer serves us and needs to be shed to make room for a new season.
It is also quite possible that I am extremely susceptible to subliminal messaging or whatever it is that tells my brain that taking out the trash equates to a clean home. Let’s not overthink that either.
In Field Guides 01 and 02 we got a routine down, so now let’s move on to ridding the house of the unnecessary.
The Mission
Remove the rubbish – the physical items that no longer have a place in your life or home.
The non-negotiables
take out the trash (literally)
Walk through your house with a garbage bag and pick up anything you can see that belongs in the bin. I am always so sure that my youngest only eats in the kitchen and dining room, but lo and behold, there are millions of bits of granola bar wrappers ev-er-y-where. So either they’re breeding in the air vents, or my rules are never as closely followed as I’d like. I run a tight ship. Either way, the point is that there are always just little bits and things that can probably just get tossed. So do a quick walk-through. Don’t go through drawers or under beds or any of that – just focus on what you see.
empty all the bins
Bathrooms, kitchen, etc.
take it all out
Put it in the bin outside or in your car to take to recycling, whatever your system is of physically removing trash from your home, do that. And yes, that stack of empty Amazon shipping boxes. Take those too.
deep-clean the bins
I love the Angry Orange cleaner for the tough jobs. Honestly, mostly for the smell. My all-purpose cleaner is fantastic and smells lovely, but something about that citrus just smells CLEAN, you know? So give it a good spray, inside and out, let it sit for a few minutes, and then wipe. Use a cotton swab (or a steamer for you fancy people) to get in all the little nooks and crannies. Alternatively, you can fill up a bathtub with warm water and dish soap and give them a good soak and scrub in there if you have a lot to manage.
The Maybe-negotiables
get bin liners you love
Weird? Yes. But sometimes the old plastic grocery sack bin liner aesthetic just really gets to me. Pick some liners that work and cut down on odors (without the chemical smell), and stock your home with them. Because sometimes it’s the smallest things that make a big impact, as silly as bin liners are.
guard against smells
Put a dryer sheet in your bins before putting in the liner. I’ve seen tons of methods with cotton balls and oil, baking soda, fancy disks of things, but for me, nothing works as well or is as easy as just a dryer sheet. However, I will say, for outdoor bins, the granular deodorizer is magic.
My Routine
(usually in this order)
- When bins are full: take it out immediately
- When the donation basket is full: put it in the car and drop off next time I go into town
- Mondays: take everything out and deep clean the bins
Smarter, Not Harder
(smart home integration)
Put bin liners on an automatic shipment. You might have to adjust it often at first to get the right frequency but it’s one less thing that takes up mental space.
Set reminders on your devices for when it’s time for the weekly bin day and deep clean.
Maintenance
Immediate
Clean up any spills when they happen. Seems intuitive but you would not believe the gross stuff that just gets dumped and the lid put on or the door closed and the whole mess is forgotten about. Or maybe that’s just my house (but please be kind and pretend like it’s yours too)
Routine
Whenever you switch your bin liner, give the inside of the lid and the outside a quick wipe-down with all-purpose cleaner.
Deep Clean
Set a weekly reminder in your calendar to thoroughly wipe down and clean all the crevices. It sounds like a lot now, but after 3 weeks, I promise it will be a 1-minute task and EASY. I do mine on Monday nights since my trash day is Tuesday, and so I know I will be emptying all the bins that night.
Common Pitfalls
Thinking you’ll use it again
No. You won’t. Do not save that cardboard box, plastic container, or manual for appliances you no longer own.
Remedy: Into the bin!
making the job bigger than it is
This step is not decluttering or reorganizing.
Remedy: Take out the trash. That is it. Stop there.
Field Kit
Angry Orange Cleaner
It doesn’t get any better than this cleaner for tough messes. Cleans SO well and that orange scent makes the whole house smell deliciously clean and fresh.
bin liner storage
More useful than you’d think – not just aesthetics.
Dumpster Defender
You would be shocked at how well this works…even on 15 year old bins.
Your turn:
Do you have a favorite method for keeping trash odors down?
Related: if you have any tips for ones that keep dogs out, pass it on! Carl (dog 1), is a Houdini with trash cans. Motion detection lid, step on lid, push top lid, he can open them all. Which is never a problem until he wants to punish us for going to get ice cream without him (yes, seriously. Just ice cream. He knows). It’s really a whole thing and hilariously annoying.
go enjoy that clean-smelling house
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