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How to clean a smelly wheelie bin
By the TT Home Waste Club team · Updated 15 October 2026 · 2 min read
Wheelie bins are warm, damp and full of food residue, so a few hot days can turn one into a smelly mess. The good news is that a proper clean takes about 15 minutes and costs almost nothing.
What you'll need
- A hose (or a couple of buckets of water)
- A stiff brush or old broom
- Dishwashing liquid or a bin-safe cleaner
- Rubber gloves
- Optional: bicarbonate soda or white vinegar for lingering smells
Step by step
- Empty it completely. Right after the truck has been is the cleanest time to do it.
- Move the bin onto grass, gravel or a garden bed. Don't wash it next to a stormwater drain: stormwater runs to creeks and bays untreated, so dirty water shouldn't go down it.
- Rinse out the loose residue with the hose, tipping the bin on its side if you can.
- Scrub the inside with dishwashing liquid and hot water. Don't forget the lid and the underside of the lid, which is where grime hides.
- Rinse well, tip out the water and leave the bin upside down in the sun to dry completely.
- Deal with any lingering smell. Once dry, sprinkle bicarbonate soda inside, or wipe it with diluted white vinegar. Never mix cleaning products: in particular, never combine bleach with vinegar or ammonia, as that releases toxic fumes.
Keeping it fresh between washes
- Bag food scraps, and wrap meat and seafood waste. In summer, freezing smelly scraps until collection day helps a lot.
- Use bin liners so residue doesn't stick to the bin.
- Drain liquids before they go in.
- Keep the lid closed and the bin in the shade where you can.
- Sprinkle a little bicarbonate soda in the bottom after each wash.
When professional washing is worth it
A home clean gets rid of most smells, but it's a chore, especially with three bins, and hot water and scrubbing don't always shift built-up grime. A professional high-pressure wash does the job for you.
TT Home Waste Club members get bin washes included:
- Essential Club: 1 once-off bin wash (all 3 council bins)
- Family / Executive: 2 bin washes / year
- Estate / Premier Concierge: Quarterly bin wash (all 3 council bins)
See how bin cleaning works, or have a look at all the memberships.
Need more room than your council bin gives you?
TT Home Waste Club adds extra bin pickups, bin washing and skip hire savings across Melbourne.
Related services
- Bin Cleaning & Sanitising — High-pressure washes that keep bins odour- and grime-free
- Extra Bin Pickups — Never wait two weeks for an overflowing bin again