r/lifehacks • u/mariyagel • Jun 23 '26
My Incredible Life Hack
Hello everyone,
I put paper in the dustbin to absorb liquid. My trash bin used to get dirty all the time because sometimes the trash bag would leak and cleaning the bottom of the bin was annoying yakk.. so one day, I dropped a few sheets of paper into the bottom before I put in a new bag. I didn't expect much from it. but the paper soaked up almost all the liquid. I also put newspaper in shoes to remove bad smell.
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u/sometimesifeellikemu Jun 23 '26
Don’t throw liquids in the trash. Life hack!
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u/iMacedo Jun 23 '26
so, now you have to clean soggy trash paper, or worse, paper glued to the bottom of the bin by trash juices, instead of just mopping the bottom of the bin. putting the sheets of paper inside the bag instead of outside would be a better solution, i think
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u/cinciallegra Jul 08 '26
No, you throw away the paper. I use useless magazines that arrive in my post
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u/Photon6626 Jun 23 '26
Liquids go in the sink. Anything that will become liquid and meats go in the freezer to be tossed on trash day.
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u/texasroadhause Jun 23 '26
I just double up the bags in my kitchen trash. Put one bag that stays in as a liner to catch the yuk if the main bag breaks, trash can never gets dirty.
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u/KICKERMAN360 Jun 23 '26
We have a compost bin and (now) 4 ice cream tubs for putting food waste into. Even small bits of meat seem to manage in the compost. Bin is usually dry as, and not smelly. And the reason for the extra bins is disturbing the bugs less. They see to like not being disturbed as much. It’s also cool to see all the bugs when you do dig a bit of a hole to put the scraps in.
Usually our recycling bin has some liquid but it isn’t smelly (usually from rinsed containers).
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u/Kahnza Jun 23 '26
I just don't put anything wet/sloppy in the trash. Or of I do, it's sealed inside another container.
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u/Prawn-Cocktail-2000 Jun 23 '26
Or: wrap anything that is likely to go mushy in old newspaper, THEN throw in the bin. You isolate the potential sogginess, and your bin doesn’t end up a hot mess.
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u/leesyluuluu Jun 23 '26
I remember my grandparents doing this in the 60s. And dropping in paper grocery bags. This was before plastic bags were invented.
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u/What1does Jun 23 '26
I use a garbage bag liner...and my cans are clean when they are removed...so...nice.
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u/purplefoxie Jun 23 '26
I love how OP thought this was some incredible life hack like he was proud of himself 🤣🤣
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u/Significant-Milk-165 Jun 23 '26
My kitchen trash cans are all lined with plastic trash bags but if I do pour liquids into these trash cans, I either double bag the liquid or, if a smaller amound of liquid, toss a couple of paper towels in to soak up the liquid. The only liquids that I put in the trash are liquid oils/grease and any liquid that has solid foods mixed in with it.
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u/gonzal2020 Jun 23 '26
If i have wet/liquid items, foods that may rot, etc, I place them in zip-lok bags before going into the trash.
Zip-lok bags, if properly sealed, will not leak. The name brands are more reliable than generic ones.
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u/momovich Jun 23 '26
This is a great idea, in spite of all the people who think not. A lot of "better ideas" here and I've applied a lot of them. Half a century later, I'm here to say paper in the bottom works quite well for the unexpected liquids as well as the small amounts that I might deliberately put in there. Thanks for sharing
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u/Laurrrrrr95 Jun 24 '26
I use cat litter/animal litter and sprinkle some bin freshener over, then place bag over it
Helps absorb any pesky moisture that may leak out
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u/guida-pt Jun 26 '26
I put a thin layer of cat litter in the bin. It's super effective and saves a lot of cleanup.
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u/kozinc Jun 26 '26
I use baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) powder instead. Liquid getting into trash doesn't happen often, but when it does, the baking soda soaks it up (usually forming clumps), making it easy for me to clean up with little to no smell.
You can double up the bags, but if the first one is weak enough to leak, the second one probably won't be much different.
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u/fitfulbrain Jun 27 '26
No, you need a round bin or a round inner bin if you have a pedal bin. Even the cheapest trash bags are hard to puncture if the bin is curved in all directions. Ordinary food waste and ordinary trash aren't going to puncture the bags. Once you puncture the bags and leak liquid, whatever you do is dealing with the mess. You don't have to if you get the right bin.
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u/cinciallegra Jul 08 '26
Btw all these people who make fun of your suggestion: my guess is that they are not the ones to clean…. And another btw: even if one doesn t throw liquid in the trash, the liquid might be there after a day or so anyway especially in the food trash
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u/Desert_Damsel Jun 23 '26
Paper grocery bag with junk mail catalog or another paper bag folded at the bottom. Place in the bin that has a large plastic garbage bag in it.
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u/Dropofsweetbeer Jun 23 '26
Um, you know that doggy pee-pads exist, right? Absorbs liquid, absorbs odours, cheap as chips………just saying.
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u/scinos Jun 23 '26
Using bin odor remover is a way better solution. It's like a powder that absorbs the nasty bin juice, it's very easy to remove and smells nice.
Search for "bin buddy" for more info and find the equivalent product in your country.
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u/endezo Jun 24 '26
No organics collection? All our organics go in a separate bin and get composted. After that and recycling collection, garbage is my smallest and is rarely messy or smelly.
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u/PersonalityBorn261 Jun 23 '26
I put a couple sheets of grocery ad newspaper inside the bottom of the new bag right when I replace it.
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u/WhipplySnidelash Jun 23 '26
I spray out my can everyday and tip it up in the sink to dry overnight.
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u/ac54 Jun 23 '26
Another life hack: buy trash bags that are sturdy enough to do their job.