We can all agree, bins never smell of roses! If you think about everything that we throw away which rots away inside, it’s hardly surprising that it gives off a horrendous whiff from time to time. Overtime, especially if you don’t regularly wash the inside of your bin, these bad smells can seem to get encrusted onto the bin itself. Read on to discover a simple technique to to freshen a smelly bin!
Often course we all should wash our bin every week, but if you lack the motivation to do it or genuinely don’t have the time it is good to have another temporary solution. When you change your bin you can put one of your homemade tablets at the base of your bin which can help prevent any bad odours and keep your bin smelling fresh!
What you need:
- Silicone molds
- Bicarbonate of soda
- Water
- Not obligatory: An essential oil of your choice (for a smell that is nice and fresh peppermint or sweet orange are good choices. In winter you might like to try cinnamon.)
The proportions vary depending on your molds and the number of tablets that you would like to make… For 520 g of bicarbonate of soda you should use about 45 to 60 ml of water.
Steps:
1) Mix the bicarbonate of soda with the essential oil. You can judge how much essential oil you’ll need to get the smell you are looking for. (However remember that you’ll only need a couple of drops as essential oils are very concentrated.)
2) Gradually add the water while mixing at the same time. The ideal texture that you are looking for is like damp sand which keeps its shape when you press it.
3) Pour the mixture into your molds and press down hard. Leave to dry for about 24 hours before removing the tablets from the molds. If you remove one which breaks leave your tablets to dry for a little longer before removing from their molds.
You can use your tablets whenever you want. Seeing as they last a longtime you can put one tablet at the bottom of your bin before your put in the bin bag. If the contents of your bin bag smells bad you can always put a tablet directly into your bin!