How to stop a food waste bin smelling in 1 simple step

Cleaning experts have revealed the trick to stop your food waste caddy from smelling this summer, and all you need is a sprinkling of bicarbonate soda.

Since the new recycling rules were rolled out in March, many of us are getting to grips with a new food waste caddy. While there are rules about what you can put in a food waste bin, as the temperatures start rising, unfortunately, they can start to stink.

If you don’t want to end up attracting flies to your bin, you need to know how to stop a food bin from smelling. Luckily, a simple cleaning trick involving bicarbonate of soda is all you need.

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How to stop a food waste bin smelling

Food bins are not the most glamorous of items, it’s true. Transporting stinky food waste to the big brown bin outside is one of my least favourite household chores, but keeping on top of your food waste hygiene makes the process easier (well, certainly less smelly).

Of course, you can pick up an odour-masking food waste bin. Many Ideal Home editors swear by the Joseph Joseph Food Waste Caddy (£34, Amazon), which uses a ventilated design and filter to reduce moisture and odours. You can also pick up charcoal filters for £6.99 at Amazon, which stick directly to your bin and absorb bad odours.

However, you don’t need to part with your cash. A good, old-fashioned dose of bicarbonate of soda does the job just as well. Which luckily, most of us will already have in our cupboards.

‘When food waste bins are kept outside in the garden, warm weather can make smells develop very quickly. Heat speeds up how fast food breaks down, especially items like meat, fish and fruit peelings,’ says Emma Mannion, cleaning expert at Astonish. ‘The most effective way to prevent odours is to focus on keeping the bin as dry and clean as possible. I recommend lining the base of the caddy with kitchen roll or newspaper, sprinkling in bicarbonate of soda, and making sure food waste is well wrapped or sealed before it goes in.’

‘This works because it’s preventative rather than reactive. Outdoor food waste bins are exposed to higher temperatures, which means moisture and food residue build up faster. Once liquid collects at the bottom, smells can quickly become strong and difficult to shift. By absorbing moisture and neutralising odours early on, you stop the smell developing in the first place, rather than trying to mask it later with fragrance.’

Why do food waste bins smell?

Cleaning with bicarbonate of soda is a good idea if you’re looking to neutralise odours. For this reason, it’s also worth knowing what causes your bin to smell so bad, especially during summer.

‘When food waste sits in a warm, damp environment, it starts to release gases as it decomposes, and those are the smells people notice. Dry materials like paper absorb excess liquid, while cooler temperatures slow down bacterial activity. Even something as simple as leaving the lid slightly ajar outdoors (if safe to do so) can improve airflow and prevent that build-up of trapped odours,’ explains Nigel Bearman, a cleaning expert at Daily Poppins.

As well as adding newspaper or kitchen roll and bicarbonate of soda to the bottom of your bin, Nigel has a couple of extra tricks you can use, too.

‘Rinse your food bin regularly with hot water and a mild disinfectant, especially in summer, I’d say every few days if it’s heavily used,’ he says.

‘Freezing particularly smelly items like meat scraps until collection day is another trick you can use if you have the space. Try not to let waste sit too long; emptying it little and often is one of the easiest ways to stay ahead of the problem.’

No one wants to have a stinky bin or the pest problems that come with it. So, prevention is always better than a cure in this case. Every time you empty your caddy, give it a quick rinse before adding kitchen roll and bicarbonate of soda. No more stinky bin for you.