Are there kitchen trashcans that have decently sealing lids?

August 20, 2013 2:36 PM

We are currently having roach problems in our apartment, and sadly the monthly visits by our landlord supplied pest guy are not having any effect. We are being ultra-careful about leaving out food/water, but this seems pointless when there is a trashcan in the kitchen containing perfect roach food! Our current trashcan has a hinged lid but it doesn't seal. I've tried to look online but can't find any trashcans specifying that they are air/bug tight. Do they exist?

We will also be doing some extra sealing around the skirting boards etc and probably going the borax paste route.

We do empty our can as frequently as our walk-up apartment living allows!

posted by blu_stocking to Home & Garden (13 answers total)

Best answer: Check with a hardware or feed/pet store to see if they have 13-gallon bins designed for pet food. They should have a latch that seals the lid airtight. I use one for my kitchen trash and it works like a charm to keep fruit flies, etc. out. I may have also seen these at Target.
posted by corey flood at 2:40 PM on August 20, 2013 [1 favorite]

Another option is to get a smaller can and take out the trash daily.
posted by Murray M at 2:44 PM on August 20, 2013 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks corey, I was just looking at those containers, and the kind with gamma locking lids. Do the the latches allow you to use a trash-bag tucked over the can like in a regular trash-can?
posted by blu_stocking at 2:52 PM on August 20, 2013

If not, you could put a smaller can -- one that takes a bag -- in the bigger can.
posted by The corpse in the library at 2:54 PM on August 20, 2013 [1 favorite]

Yes! I just use regular 13-gallon kitchen trash bags and they work perfectly. They don't interfere with the latching mechanism at all.
posted by corey flood at 3:06 PM on August 20, 2013

Maybe look into fire safe metal trashcans? Their lids are pretty tight.
posted by joan_holloway at 3:12 PM on August 20, 2013

I use a simplehuman trash can and although I'm thankfully not dealing with vermin, I notice that it's great for blocking smells, and the lid rests inside the base -- I don't know if I can explain it right. Let me put it like this: If I want to open it without using the foot pedal, I have to use my fingernails to pry it up.

It's worth a look, I think. They sell them on line but I bought mine at my local hardware store, so you could check it out in person. This is the one I have. There are less expensive ones, but they are plastic or have plastic lids, which are lighter and, therefore, less vermin-proof. Or so I believe.
posted by janey47 at 3:16 PM on August 20, 2013 [1 favorite]

Best answer: After we got a puppy, I'm looking at this. It's expensive, but it shuts tight, unlike the container we have now, which I fear he'll learn to open any day now...
We have one in our summer-house both because of vermin and because we eat a lot of fish there and thus have smelly garbage, it works like a dream. It replaced a similar design which was 40+ years old, and I feel the high price should be seen in this context
posted by mumimor at 3:31 PM on August 20, 2013

I can verify that the simplehuman plastic trashcans are not airtight - they have lid-locks, but can easily open without the foot pedal and at the bottom (where the wheels are) it's actually open. I discovered this when flushing the can with hot water.
posted by sm1tten at 3:37 PM on August 20, 2013

Response by poster: Thanks! That Vipp can looks perfect, but I do wish there was a less expensive option. I can't understand why there aren't more of this kind of trashcan!
posted by blu_stocking at 3:54 PM on August 20, 2013

Why get a trashcan?

I'm a big fan of the Gamma Screw Lid. It works well with five gallon buckets, maybe seven if they are the approximate same diameter. Additionally, you could get an airtight fermenter bucket ...

Instead of just putting a trash bag in there, line it with a stiff paper bag (this may be too big, maybe a grocery sack like we use), then hang and clip the plastic bag over the paper bag and take the plastic bag out when full.
posted by tilde at 4:59 PM on August 20, 2013 [1 favorite]

What about getting a fancy pants $50 stainless steel trash can and sticking some heavy magnets onto the lid?
posted by oceanjesse at 8:47 PM on August 20, 2013

I have this Simple Human pet food canister. I use it for my dogs' food and love it.
posted by parakeetdog at 11:56 AM on August 21, 2013