I Tried This TikTok Hack to Get Rid of Garbage Can Smells—Why I Won't Do It Again

Of all the irksome home issues to have, an unwanted smell in your kitchen ranks high on the list. Sometimes, it comes from your refrigerator. The sink is another known culprit. More often than not, though, your trashcan is to blame.

There are plenty of potential solutions, but this TikTok video from user @makelifesimpler_ offers one possible option and I had to test it out myself.

How It Works

According to Beatriz, this method truly couldn’t be simpler. You simply take the soft half of a Velcro pad and the essential oil scent of your choosing. Then, add 3-5 drops of oil to the pad and stick it to the underside of your trash can lid.

Theoretically, the scent of the oil should overpower the odor of the trash itself, covering up any food waste smells that might offend.

My Approach

The first step was, of course, sourcing Velcro pads. I ordered mine straight off Amazon, though I’m sure you could pick these up almost anywhere. Big box stores, craft supply shops, or the hardware store are all a safe bet.

I already had some essential oils on hand, so I pulled those out and assessed my options. Tea tree oil’s scent seemed like it would be a little too strong, so I went instead with a simple lemon oil.

As instructed, I separated one soft pad from the set of eight and added five droplets of oil. Then, I fixed it to the underside of my stainless steel trashcan lid.

My First Impressions

When I first attached the pad, I wasn’t sure it would stay. The oil seemed to really seep through, and it slid around when I pressed it on. I also didn’t think I could really smell the lemon, but I figured I’d wait and see.

One other concern? I was worried if the pad did stick but then fell off, it might leave one of those gooey patches on the lid forever, which would only cause trash to get stuck in its wake.

Even so, I proceeded as instructed and waited for my family to comment on how weird it was that our trash smelled so nice now.

Days Two Through Five

I’ll be honest. I forgot, almost instantly, that the pad was there. There was no noticeable scent, and it’s well hidden on the lid. This could be seen as a pro. Nothing about this hack was complicated or annoying, and it didn’t result in any added hassle.

Unfortunately, it also meant the lemon scent didn’t really seem to have an impact. On day five, after our trash was emptied, I gave the Velcro a quick sniff and noticed it really didn’t have any scent left to it. I decided this time to try a few drop of orange essential oil and see if that made any difference.

The First Lesson

While this hack was incredibly easy to install, it was less easy to top up the oil. Our kitchen trash can is fairly large, with one side for trash and the other for recycling.

Removing the inset bins and tipping the whole thing over just to drop on some essential oil seemed silly, so I did my best to drip it onto the pad from a side angle.

It worked fine enough, but there was some natural spillage onto the lid, and essential oils aren’t the easiest to wipe off. It just sort of smeared around at first, and I found the process annoying.

Does the Scent Matter?

I knew right away that the orange was a stronger scent than the lemon, but it still didn’t make a difference. By the next day, I couldn’t smell anything resembling orange at all.

It’s possible the brand of oil was a problem, or maybe an even stronger scent would be better. But by this point, I was ready to call it a wash.

I didn’t necessarily want to add a ton of fragrance to our trashcan, so I wasn’t about to try out other scents. I was surprised I never noticed even a waft of lemon or orange throughout this whole process.

The Pad Remains

Despite our rocky start, I will say, the pad itself stayed put. This would be great if this hack worked, but now, it kind of grosses me out. Our bin isn’t usually overly full, but there’s a reason trashcan lids are always easy-to-clean surfaces, right? I’m starting to view this thing as a tiny germ collector.

My Verdict? No, Thanks

In the end, I don’t think this is the solution for me. While I’ll admit our trash never smelled overly bad during this particular week, it didn’t smell better, either.

Maybe it’s one that would work well on a smaller can, like one dedicated to food scraps, perhaps. But as for me, I’m still open to a new solution to the occasionally smelly garbage conundrum. 

Read Next: I Tried TikTok's "Core 4" Cleaning Method, and My Desk Is No Longer a Complete Mess

Read the original article on The Spruce.