Having a dog is something that can bring you a lot of joy in life, but that doesn’t mean that things will always be easy. You have to do a lot of work to take care of a dog, and this also includes walking your dog outside so that it can handle its business.
Of course, you can’t just leave dog poop sitting around in your yard. This would make for a nasty surprise when people are walking around, and that’s why most people will pick up the dog poop with small plastic bags.
Once you’ve picked up the dog poop, you’re going to be placing it into your garbage can or trash bin. The problem with this is that the dog poop is going to make your garbage can become quite stinky over time. It will also tend to attract a lot of flies.
If your garbage can smells really bad right now, then you might be worried about what you can do to get rid of the smell. Thankfully, there are options to consider that will help you to get your garbage can smelling fine once more.
1 – Keep the Dog Poop Sealed in a Plastic Bag
One of the best ways to prevent your garbage bin from smelling horrible is to keep the dog poop sealed in a plastic bag. If the dog poop is in a plastic bag, then it isn’t going to get the chance to spread its bad smell to the garbage can.
You could get into the habit of doing this as soon as you pick up dog poop in your yard. Carry plastic bags around with you that can be utilized to pick up the dog poop.
Once the dog poop is picked up, you can take the time to tie the plastic bag and seal it off. This should do a good job of preventing the smell from spreading.
Some people go so far as to use two plastic bags to keep dog poop from smelling. This can work even better, but it might seem a bit wasteful to some.
There’s also the fact that plastic is not an environmentally-friendly thing to use. Luckily, this isn’t your only option if you’re someone who cares about the environment.
2 – Clean Your Garbage Can
Cleaning your garbage can will be an important thing to do when you don’t want it to smell. Honestly, this is something that you should be doing periodically whether you have pets or not.
You see, garbage is going to cause your garbage cans to become very smelly over time. If you’re keeping garbage in an outdoor garbage can, then it’ll get especially foul-smelling in the summer months.
Taking the time to clean out the garbage can properly can help you to turn things around. You can use soap and water to clean out the garbage can thoroughly, and some people will even use more advanced cleaning products.
Getting rid of bacteria and other things that will cause the garbage can to smell will be the goal. If you clean your garbage cans semi-regularly, then it’ll be less likely for them to get very smelly.
Some people like to clean using bleach and water so that they can really get rid of strong scents. Bleach is an incredibly powerful cleaning agent, but it could wind up discoloring your garbage can or garbage bin depending on what material it’s made out of.
If this doesn’t matter all that much to you, then cleaning the garbage can with bleach will get you good results. You can rinse the can out well and it shouldn’t smell bad any longer.
You will need to air the garbage can out a bit so that it doesn’t smell strongly of bleach, though. Regardless, this is a good option when you want to clean a very dirty garbage can.
3 – Neutralizing the Smell
Neutralizing the strong dog poop smell might be something that you will have to do. If you’re finding that the odor is lingering even after cleaning out the garbage can, then you can try some different ideas to fix things.
Some people have had luck using charcoal to neutralize the dog poop odor. Placing charcoal in the garbage can and allowing it to sit there for a while should help to get rid of the odor.
You can get similar results when using baking soda. People use baking soda in their refrigerators sometimes to neutralize strong odors, and it can work for garbage cans as well.
Vinegar is another thing that does a good job of getting rid of strong smells. As you likely already know, vinegar has quite a strong scent itself, and spraying some distilled white vinegar in the garbage can might do the trick.
Certain people recommend spraying some hydrogen peroxide in the can along with the vinegar, but you’re supposed to add it several minutes after the vinegar. Once you do this, you’ll be able to rinse and wipe down the can to get it clean and smelling better.
Note that mixing peroxide and vinegar in the same bottle is dangerous. For this reason, it might be better to just use the vinegar to err on the side of caution.
You don’t want to create a toxic gas and endanger yourself in any way. Getting rid of the garbage can odor is important, but it isn’t worth risking your life.
If all of the above information sounds too complex, then you could try a standard commercial odor neutralizing spray. Spraying these sprays usually does a pretty good job of neutralizing strong odors, but your mileage may vary depending on how bad the smell is.
Remember that you should not forego cleaning the garbage can. You’ll want the garbage can to be clean even if you do manage to neutralize the odor using a commercial spray.
4 – Using Dog Poop in Compost
Of course, you don’t necessarily have to throw your dog’s poop into your garbage bin. There are things that you can do with the dog poop that would be better overall.
Many people have taken to keeping compost bins in their yards. Making compost is great because it can provide nutrients that will help plants to grow.
If you’re someone who likes to garden, then using compost is highly recommended. You can compost many things instead of throwing them in the trash.
Those who are already composting likely throw things such as banana peels and other organic garbage into the compost bin. Putting dog poop in the compost bin is also possible, and it’s going to do a good job of giving nutrients to the soil that is being created.
Yes, the compost bin isn’t going to smell all that pleasant, but this is why you don’t keep it near your house. It’s probably good to have a locked compost bin somewhere that is a fair distance from your home.
You want the lock on the bin to prevent animals from getting into the compost bin and making a mess. If you’ve been considering composting for quite some time, then this could be a solution to your woes.
Final Thoughts
Now you know how you can neutralize dog poop odors in your garbage bin. Garbage bins and garbage cans will get very stinky over time if you don’t take the right actions.
Dog poop can really make your trash cans that much more unpleasant, but you can turn things around. Just cleaning the garbage cans semi-regularly will do wonders, but you should also consider odor-neutralizing methods.
Spraying a commercial spray might do the trick, but cleaning the bin out with vinegar is another worthy option. Even things such as baking soda and charcoal can be of use when you’re trying to get rid of dog poop smells.
If you want to utilize the dog poop for something positive, then you can start throwing it into a compost bin instead of the garbage. It’ll keep you from making the garbage can smell like dog poop and it’ll be good for the compost.
Just choose the option that makes the most sense for your situation. There are many ways to solve this problem, and you only need to figure out the right path to take.
I have two Associate’s degrees, one in Medical Assisting and the other in Computer Technician, and I am roughly five classes from a bachelor’s degree. Though I never ended up working in the medical field, I have five and a half years of experience in IT. I recently became a stay-at-home mom to my two young boys and also have two dogs and two cats. I grew up with pet dogs, cats, hamsters, budgies, cockatiels, and fish and also love horseback riding. In my spare time, I love to bake and read pretty much anything I can get my hands on.