How to Make Natural Odour Eating Tablets for Your Bin

We have a big problem with stinky bins at my house, especially in warm weather. Surprisingly, it isn’t the dirty nappies causing the stench, although they’re probably not helping things!

My local government recently introduced green waste compost bins, and less frequent pick-ups. While I applaud the environmental benefits of this change, it means I’ve had to become extra diligent at stopping garbage smells in their tracks.

Hosing and disinfecting my bins regularly is becoming a real chore, and frankly there’s other things I’d rather be doing! I found a fantastic alternative that’s all natural, simple to do and does a great job of neutralising odours.

How to Make A Natural Trash Bin Deodoriser

What you'll need

• 2 cups baking soda (lump free, just press out lumps with a spoon)

• 1.5 cups boiled water

• 15 drops essential oil - any kind will do the trick, I used Tea Tree in mine.

• cupcake/muffin tin/silicone mould/Ice tray

Directions

1. Mix around 15 drops of the essential oil to a cup of water, and combine with baking soda. Blend well, adding water slowly until the mix is quite thick.

2. My research advised to use a muffin tin or mould. I don’t know if it was because of the humid weather where I live, or if my muffin tin was too large, but my tablets took a looooooong time to firm up. I put some mix into an ice tray instead and it worked a treat, drying up in about a day and a half.

3. Once dry enough, get your tablets out of the mould or ice tray and store them in an airtight container.

4. Use paper towel (or old newspaper if you have some on hand) to line the bottom of your bin, put the tablet on top before putting an empty bag in the bin.

And …. Done! Told you it was simple. It is a good idea to replace the tablet every 2-3 weeks, just to make sure they’re working effectively, especially if the weather is warm.

How else can I keep my bin smelling clean?

• Catch the leaks - Seriously, what is that brown liquid film that’s on the bottom of my bin? So gross. Placing either paper towel, or old newspaper/magazine pages at the bottom of your bin is an easy way to soak up the leaks.

• Steal kitty’s litter - Just like it does for little Fluffy, a sprinkling of cat litter in the bottom of your bin is great for absorbing smells.

• Baking Soda to the rescue (again) - A simple sprinkle of this natural cleaning product before you place an empty bag in will keep nasty odours away.

• The power of lemon -  All you need to do is quarter the lemon and put a couple of pieces on the base of the bin. Just make sure you put new lemon pieces in every time you take the trash out!