Mouse proof kitchen trash?

January 20, 2016 5:08 AM

Can anyone recommend a mouse proof kitchen trash can?

Right now, I live in an apartment that has a mouse problem. I'm moving out and I'd like to keep it from happening in the new place. Obviously, there's a lot to be done to make sure that I don't have the problem in the future, but for right now I'm concerned with one issue only: the kitchen trash.

My current trashcan is a typical Bed, Bath and Beyond step trash can with a plastic liner set inside a metal can. Currently mice are, somehow, getting inside the liner and chewing through the bag. The bottom of the can has (designed, not mouse created) holes in it, so I assume they're getting in that way and climbing up.

Any suggestions for trashcans where this would not be possible? I'm not handy, so no suggestions for DIY solutions, please.

posted by Bulgaroktonos to Home & Garden (9 answers total)

When we suspected a mouse problem, we washed out the trash can (so it didn't have any lingering food odor) and started taking the trash out every night after dinner and avoiding throwing away food-like things in between; if there were a cheese rind left in the night, I might have put it in a plastic container in the refrigerator and then thrown it out the next night at dinner.

We purposely have very small trash cans/baskets that take grocery-size plastic bags, which we recycle from the store (after discarding any with tiny holes), and just keep the trash can really clean when possible.

So, with nothing there for them to eat, they did stop coming. I realize this is not how we usually think of trash cans working, and it was a pain at first, but it got easy after a couple of days.

A little while later we were able to use the trash can more normally.
posted by amtho at 5:23 AM on January 20, 2016 [1 favorite]

I have this garbage can with a latching lid. Got it to keep our dog out of garbage, there's no way mice could get in. It isn't hands free though, so that can be a pain when cleaning up cooking messes.
posted by saffry at 5:24 AM on January 20, 2016

ours is one of those generic stainless cylinders like this. it's the size amtho describes and the inner liner has no holes (which is good because sometimes wet trash leaks through an unexpected hole in the grocery bag). in fact, i'm surprised your liner has holes.

i suspect you can find something similar almost anywhere - it sounds to me like you had bad luck getting one with mouse-sized holes. but maybe it's some new design, or the style in the usa, or something.
posted by andrewcooke at 5:30 AM on January 20, 2016

I use this Ikea bin as a trash can and can't imagine a mouse getting into it (the 11 gallon is ~$25, but the website isn't listing it for some reason). It doesn't latch like saffry's, but the lid does press firmly closed.
posted by rawralphadawg at 5:36 AM on January 20, 2016

Anything with smooth straight sides and no holes in the bottom will work pretty well - mice can't climb sheer slippery walls. They are great at climbing up bin liner bags though.
posted by mskyle at 6:38 AM on January 20, 2016

Or you could keep the one you have and stuff steel wool in the holes.
posted by raisingsand at 6:51 AM on January 20, 2016

My guess would be that they're using the holes/texture of the metal cage like a ladder to get to the top lip, and that the liner alone would be mouseproof. Assuming your liner is rugged, it would be a cheap and easy test.
posted by aimedwander at 7:18 AM on January 20, 2016

I have this one. It latches and has no holes in the bottom.
posted by mudpuppie at 8:10 AM on January 20, 2016

I don't live in a place with mice, so I can't recommend a "mouse-proof" bin, but I do live in a super humid and hot place, where rubbish gets smelly quick and we get lots of other vermin like cockroaches (which can get literally anywhere).

Absolutely seconding amtho's suggestion of a "single day" kitchen rubbish bin that takes a regular plastic grocery bag: we switched to this when we moved to our current place a year ago, and after the initial adjustment of having to take the rubbish out daily or twice-daily, it's turned out great.

I personally went from "I will never ever take the rubbish out because that shit is gross" complete with gag-reflex and super frustration/anger when the bin was too full to pack one extra thing in, with the underlying certainty that the cockies must be having a field day, to the rubbish being a totally drama- and grossness-free chore that I'm happy to share with my husband.
posted by snap, crackle and pop at 2:41 PM on January 20, 2016 [1 favorite]