After one of my yard work helpers scolded me for having dirty yard waste, garbage, and recycling containers, because there were ants on the lids of a couple of them, I decided I’d clean them.
Here are my tips:
- Use the jet function on your hose nozzle to clean the inside and outside of the containers.
- Tip the containers over on the grass so the water runs out on the lawn, not down the driveway.
- Squirt some dishwashing soap in the water pooling in the side of the tipped-over container.
- Gather all your long-handled brushes that you use for other jobs. I started with the blue brush, which was good for cleaning the sides of the yard waste container. However, it wouldn’t reach the bottom. Then, I tried the orange brush that works great for scrubbing gutters. However, it didn’t remove all the dirt in the bottom of the container. Finally, I tried the green brush, used for gently cleaning my metal roof. It worked great. It had the longest handle.
- Use the jet function on your hose nozzle again to rinse out the container.
- Tip the upside down to drain out all the water.
The yard waste bin, pictured above, looked great after cleaning. However, as soon as I was finished, I filled it with leaves and pine needles that I’d raked up. Of course, there was probably some dirt involved.
The recycling container wasn’t dirty at all.
As for what was attracting the ants, it probably was food in the yard waste container. In my city, you can put food scraps in with the yard waste.
I’d suggest rinsing out your yard waste, garbage, and recycling containers about every other month. Then, they won’t be so difficult to clean.
