When Clara discovered crawling almost two months ago, she discovered more rooms to play in. And when she made the kitchen her new favorite play area, she made our garbage can her new favorite toy. In a word: yuck.
See, our new house garbage solution over the past five months has been embarrassingly “interim.” The cabinet under the sink is too small for even our tiny garbage pail, so it landed in a random corner. Completely out in the open and waiting for little hands to find their way to it. Sooooo… we moved it into the nearby laundry room (which Clara has yet to turn into her playground).
Not our proudest housekeeping moment, but then again this whole laundry room has been living in neglect ever since the new washer & dryer arrived months ago (note the mess of shoes in the foreground). So at least the garbage can fit right in with the whole not-good vibe.
But on a recent trip to HomeGoods we chose to upgrade our trash situation, courtesy of this larger enclosed can.
I’ve always been a bit wary of the durability of these flip-toppin’ foot-pedallin’ garbage cans, and I was even more so when I saw the price tag. It took just about everything in me to pay $60 for it, so thank goodness it wasn’t still priced at over $100 (Sherry googled around for OXO reviews and said they were a great brand that sold many over-a-hundred-dolla cans, so the $60 deal was in fact legit). Maybe I’m just not up to speed on the garbage containment industry, but when did these things get so darn expensive? Did they start making waffles and changing diapers too and I just missed the memo?
Then again my sister does own (and love) an $100+ SimpleHuman trash can that calls for custom bags. So at nearly half that and without a need for custom bags we decided this guy was the can for the job. Har har. See what I did there? I replaced man with can. Oh the hilarity.
In the end, sixty beans is well worth this scene: Clara being able to play without us having to worry about little fingers fishing out an old teabag or clumps of lint. Instead, she can focus on practicing her gang signs (apparently she’s sending big ups to her homies on the west side).
And once we give the kitchen a much needed overhaul with sleeker appliances and more updated looking cabinets it should fit right in. Plus Clara doesn’t seem to have any affinity for the can’s step-lever on the bottom (something we initially worried about) so it’s nice to know that she’s kind of over the idea of playing with the trash now that it’s tucked out of sight.
Our new can also earned bonus points from me for this little feature – which we didn’t even notice when buying it: a bag lock that helps keep any old grocery store garbage bag taut around the can. It actually seems to work too (there’s a bag in it in the pic above and we love that it doesn’t flop out and look messy – or collapse into the depths of the can when we toss things in).
And not only does it look neat and keep our baby out of trouble. It might help her learn something too thanks to its magnetized sides which are compatible with Clara’s magnetic letters (which are a fun Etsy purchase – more info here). She discovered that herself – isn’t she smart?
As for me, I’m just happy not to have to do laundry next to an open garbage bag. Moving it out of this room even inspired us to tidy up our shoe mess with a basket that we already had around.
Not a big improvement, but at least it’s a step in the right direction, right? Booyah. Pun wholeheartedly intended.
Psst- We weren’t paid or perked for this post, we just dig our new trash containment device.
I can’t believe how expensive trash cans are! We actually bought ours at Home Depot and love it. It’s not a pedal kind (although it is a flip top), but it gets the job done and has a mechanism to keep bags from falling down.
Also, love the picture of Clara. Too bad she didn’t make the East side sign.
I know right? Maybe she’ll represent for the East coasters next time.
xo,
s
I guess a good kitchen trash can is hard to find! My mom got a really nice, sleek looking one years ago, and has yet to divulge the price of it to a single person! We have to admit, though, the bags are locked in tight, the stink never escapes from the can, and the looks of it don’t stick out like a sore thumb in a pretty kitchen. Gotta do whatcha gotta do, right?
Clara and her gang signs are definitely the highlight of this post. Not that I don’t love the new can, I just thought that picture was hilarious!
Silent laugh-snorting at the office here over the gang signs…and, actually, silent laugh-snorting kinda hurts! Too funny! LOVE. it.
Isn’t it CRAZY the things we have to change once we have little ones????!!!! My son has figured out the step lever…and since Clara is a smart girl I’m sure it’s only time…. :)
My hand would shake when turning over the credit card for a $60 trash can. But that does looks so much better. Makes me think that my garbage can looks like…well…trash…
I like it – it looks like something well made from the 50s.
Crazy people who paid over $100 for a garbage can??
::Raises hand::
I also have the Simple Human stainless steel can, but mine works with any bag since it tucks in like yours does. It’s against my kitchen island, so I felt like I needed a pretty one since there was no logical corner to put it in. We got it at Bed, Bath & Beyond with a 20% of coupon and some gift cards, so I felt totally justified :) And to further justify I’ll just have to show you! http://thelilhousethatcould.com/2010/10/08/recycling-pretty/
Oooh, she’s a purty girl. Love it.
xo,
s
oohhh awww… that IS sleek and pretty! Nice job!
Thanks guys! I consider her to be more like an appliance… she isn’t trashy and is worth the $100 :)
I also have a simple human can… It was crazy expensive but takes any bags, and also has a separate section for recycling inside the can. Worth every penny! We use it constantly and it’s sitting out in my kitchen… I seriously LOVE my simple human can and would buy one again in a heartbeat.
Speaking of garbage pail kids (which I was obsessed with when I was younger), did you look up Clara’s name?
It’s Off-Color Clara… http://i20.ebayimg.com/08/i/001/17/4b/cc68_35.JPG
Have you done any painting projects with her yet? lol
Noooo way!!!! We’ve never seen that. Well, since grade school I guess. Amazing and hilarious.
xo,
s
Oh yeah, that would be gross. We have a trash compacter and I hate it! We refuse to buy the special bags and standard sized bags are either way too big or just a smidge too small, so I have to stretch the bag out to get it to fit. Then it usually falls down. I can’t wait to get rid of that thing when we get around to renovating our kitchen. Have you thought about making a designated trash pull out cabinet? Also, have you seen this: http://pinterest.com/pin/19151730/ Seems like a cool idea, no?
Wow-that is amazing! Seriously, I’m in love. I’d live to upgrade to that someday…
xo,
s
I know! Now I just have to convince Ben that it’s a great idea. Though I think I’d stick with a simple cutting board, not the drawer due to a lack of space. Just thought you’d like it. :)
When we replaced our island we opted for a cabinet that opens like a drawer (the whole thing slides out, not just a cabinet that opens and you have to pull out the trash) and the trash can is hidden in there. It’s sleek and slim and the garbage fits perfectly. Absolutely worth it.
Haha, it was just a couple months ago I insisted on buying a nice stainless flip-top trash can at Costco. It was also around $60 and my husband nearly had a stroke over the pricetag. Doesn’t do much to keep our toddler out though, while he hasn’t figured out the press-step thingie he just lifts the lid up. LOL
We just adopted a doggie last week and the fancy trash can has already proven it’s worth with him around. :)
I managed to find a nice silver, sleek pop-top one at goodwill a few years ago (probably my best goodwill find) for $3. Granted it still often sucks the bags down when you throw a large item in but it works. We have a dual system with 2 equal sized trash cans – 1 for trash, 1 for recycling. It always makes me wonder why high end, fancy designer kitchens don’t have more a good trash system/area built in.
If you think trashcans are expensive, have you checked out laundry baskets recently?? I can’t find a decent one for under $85! For dirty clothing!
Also, the shot of Clara throwing gang signs accompanied by this line “big ups to her homies on the west side” made me snort my morning tea all over my desk!
I was about to upgrade our $7 Target trash can to an an under the counter one when my mom gifted us a Simple Human trash can with a recycling bin in the same can for my birthday. It even has a bag gathering slot/hole so that we can use bags we buy in bulk from BJ’s. Maybe it’s trashy (see what I did there?) or weird to love a garbage can, but at least our dog doesn’t try to steal the recycling anymore!
I can’t imagine buying custom garbage bags like your sister! That Simple Human garbage can must sing show tunes or something…
One of the first “arguments” my husband and I had after we were married was about garbage bags. I couldn’t believe he wanted to BUY garbage bags. I had always grown up using leftover grocery plastic bags. I ended up conceding on that one. : )
My husband and I had the same argument when we first got married! But he ended up conceding instead, and to this day, we still use grocery store plastic bags rather than purchasing garbage bags.
We have a stainless flip top simple human trash can from Bed Bath and Beyond. We had it on our wedding registry but ended up buying it ourselves. It was over $150! Good thing BBB has those 20% off coupons. It still works and looks perfect though 3 years later so I guess it was worth it.
I couldn’t help but notice your laundry detergent in all the pictures… Are you no longer using Charlie’s Soap? For some reason I thought you switched over to using Charlie’s for everything after trying it on Clara’s cloth dipes.
It’s hard to find out here so we use Seventh Generation too (we sort of alternate depending on what’s available). Thankfully Clara and the cloth diapers seem compatible with both.
xo,
s
You can actually buy Charlie’s Soap at amazon. If you bought 2 containers at a time (or use Amazon mom) shipping would be free.
Thanks for the tip! We’ve been meaning to check out a site like amazon for it. Sometimes we run into it in small eco shops, so we love to support them whenever we can.
xo,
s
Have you guys ever tried soapnuts? They are suppose to be fabulous for cloth diapers. We use them for regular laundry (though every now and again I alternate with regular detergent). I love them…and you compost when done!
We’ve heard they’re amazing and would love to try them (just haven’t seen them yet)!
xo,
s
I have a TON of them, including “trial” bags that I sell on through my handcrafted soap company. I can send you some trial sizes if you want, they were of almost no cost to me (and I give them away a lot to friends haha, I get excited about it). There are about 5 and they come in the muslin bag you need. You should be able to get about 5 washes out of them. Hot water makes them deteriorate faster so maybe 3 on hot? I only ever wash in cold myself. Once you’re done – throw em in the woods or compost them!
You’re so sweet! Wow. We have a no-freebie policy (we just like to pay for stuff to keep it real) but thanks so much for the kind offer! We hope to run into them soon around town (or on a road trip, which is actually where we got our first container of Charlie’s!).
xo,
s
This is the site, if you want to take a look at them. Just look under “all soaps”.
http://www.greenbarnsoaps.com/
Sorry for the layout right now, I’m in the process of making a new (kickbutt) website with a whole customer account area, super easy check out, coupon codes, etc. This is still secure, but I don’t have time until after my wedding to set up my secure domain, etc. for the way the other ecommerce stuff has to run. So for now – enjoy as is!
Thanks so much! We can’t wait to check ’em out!
xo,
s
Don’t know if these are the soap nuts talked about above but one of the daily deal sites has them on sale today for 50% off
http://www.greenbabybargains.com/
Sweeeet! Thanks so much for sharing.
xo,
s
you can also buy charlie’s soap on their website – http://charliesoap.com/ . looks like it’s cheaper than at amazon, plus i feel like they’re constantly sending out special offers.
So good to know. Thanks for all the suggestions guys!
xo,
s
Hahaha looks like this turned into a soapnuts discussion. Ok, last item them I’m outie on this one.
I don’t have the smaller bags for any reason other than exposing people to their awesomeness. My favorite and suggested place is here:
http://stores.buysoapnuts.com/-strse-1/1-kg-Greener-Living/Detail.bok
They are certifying their stuff fair-trade and are fabulous.
Love it!
xo,
s
Kids always find the grossest things to get into!
I really love the classic white look of your garbage can.
Just curious – since I know y’all recycle, where do you put your recyclables? Directly outside each time you have an item?
We have a large tupperware bin in the pantry cabinet (we have a large cabinet across from the sink that swings open kind of like a huge armoire and the recycling bin sits on the bottom of that little cabinet). Since our carport is right off of the kitchen we walk the tupperware bin and its contents out to the larger recycle bin about once every few days. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Booyah.
It amazes me at how expensive garbage cans are! When I received one for graduation last year, I can’t say it was the most thrilling gift I received! But now I know how expensive they are!
Wow! That’s a spendy trash can… BUT… it seems totally worth a safe, secure, and effective closure to keep little hands out and clean (and contain any bad kitchen smells)! Yay for Home Goods! That store literally has everything!!!
(PS- you guys should totally leave the “yuck” on the can, cuz it’s giving it some major character!)
When I finally upgrade the appliances in my kitchen to stainless, I’ll upgrade my grubby old plastic trash can too. One of my friends has this spiffy one that only opens when you wave your hand in front of it. Thank goodness you two found one that Clara isn’t too terribly interested in!
I used to have a teeny tiny step can that was previously in the bathroom, back when I lived in a rinky dink apartment. My boyfriend at the time HATED how small it was though, so for Christmas a couple years ago, my “big, awesome, amazing present” (his words, not mine) was a cheapo trash can from Walmart. Seriously. Didn’t get anything else for the holiday. I even got a car battery for my birthday the next month. That’s a romantic man right there.
Actually, we have a Simple Human can (bought for much less than regular price at Ross) and don’t use the special trash bags…just regular tall kitchen bags (its a tall can). Its great! Definitely worth the price, and I have learned the hard way that the cheapo Target one for $30 won’t last. The step-open-lid function stopped working after about 3 months.
How were you guys living with such a tiny can for so long? And Clara is the cutest gangsta eva!
I know right? It would get so full that we would pull up the sides of the garbage bag like a foot higher than the can to try to balance it so it continued to contain stuff that we shoved in. All in all, it was an awful method. Haha.
xo,
s
Bahahah! I love the gang sign! LOL.
On a completely unrelated note, how do you like your washer and dryer stacked? We have the same ones and want to stack them to get some extra space in our laundry room, but I’m skeptical…mainly because I’ve never had a front load washer before and have never been able to stack! Every had any problems?
No problems so far. We did like the folding space we had from our old set up (with our front loaders next to each other with a counter over the top of them) but there’s no more bending than we used to have before (since they were both low before so we bent down with the old set up too).
xo,
s
You guys are a riot. A post about trash cans and gang signs including puns? I love it.
I love both of your writing styles, but John’s is definitely right up my alley. Ever since I finally figured out puns (oh, in about 11th grade) I’ve tried to incorporate them into daily conversations.
Haha! Too cute with the “YUCK.” I really never understood why garbage cans are so expensive! Even the “dollar store” ones are about 20/30 bucks. WHY? Garbage goes into it. So odd.
Investing in a good quality garbage bin is smart. When we moved into our apartment we got a cheap-o kind from Target and the lid on it broke a mere 6 months later :(
The BEST trash decision I ever made was to purchase this Rev-a-Shelf trash can slide out for our kitchen cabinet.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_278250-1214-RV-18PBC-5_0__?productId=1078999&Ntt=rev-a-shelf&pl=1¤tURL=%2Fpl__0__s%3FNtt%3Drev-a-shelf
AND then to purchase the cabinet door mount kit so the whole shebang slides out.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_272559-1214-RV+DM17+KIT_0__?productId=3107259&Ntt=rev-a-shelf&pl=1¤tURL=%2Fpl__0__s%3FNtt%3Drev-a-shelf
This is definitely WAY better than a trash can sitting out. Ever. It was worth every cabinet content jockeying/relocation of items to give up a cabinet dedicated for the trash.
Thanks for these links! I wished we had pull-out trashcans like this in our kitchen, and had no idea it would be so easier to add them. How I love Lowes. :)
“So easy to add them,” that is. I do speak English, honest.
Glad to help!!! My kitchen isn’t especially huge and I hated it under the sink anyway. It is near the sink and the best part is I can brush crumbs and debri straight into the trash!! Yay!! Best $100 I ever spent.
We have a Simple Human can (non-custom bags) and I initially balked at the price, too. Big time. But my husband won out and I do love it – it keeps smells in – and with our first baby coming in August, I’m sure having a lid will be REALLY nice.
Where did you get the magnetic letters at? They are so cute!
Those are from etsy. Here’s more info for ya: http://blogs.babycenter.com/life_and_home/not-your-mothers-magnetic-letters/
xo,
s
I also couldn’t believe how expensive garbage cans are (and I would add teapots to the same OMG category). A very smart friend told me that part of the reason they are so pricey is because you don’t replace them all that often so over the long haul a $60 can doesn’t seem so bad for 5-10 years of usage!
That’s a good way to think about it! I think growing up we had the same stainless trash can the entire time. So maybe ours will break down to pennies a day. Haha.
xo,
s
I’ve seen under the sink ones priced from anywhere between $75.00 and $175.00. Its unreal, it holds garbage for petes sake!
We had a similar can in our pre-renovated kitchen and liked it. My daughter never showed an interest in opening it with the step-lever. Alex, on the other hand, wants to do anything remotely mechanical and is working like crazy on the step-lever can we have in our master bathroom. So far, he isn’t heavy enough to open it but it’s only a matter of time!
WHen we remodeled our kitchen in January, I had them make a built in – pull out drawer for the trash can. I hated seeing it in the room- an evil necessity!
I see a weekend project/redo of the laundry room in your future with some wall racks etc :)
BEST CLARA PICTURE EVER. Hahahahaha. Loving the gang signs. Next thing you know she’ll have a gold chain hanging from her pacifier and she’ll be wearing colors. Watch out world. Gettin’ dirty dirty in the souutth.
We recently upgraded our plastic Ikea garbage can to a brushed metal one from Overstock that has a motion-sensored lid, but not before doing research and also being shocked at the price of garbage cans these days! I think we ended up spending around $80, but it was well worth the price. Plus we use less plastic bags (only one kitchen trash bag a week instead of several small grocery bags).
Looks good! I am in the same boat as my almost two year old little guy is amazed at the swinging lid of our kitchen trash can. And we don’t make it any easier for him to keep his hands out of there because I usually say, “Don’t touch…yucky!” But then when I am parked on the couch and am too lazy to get up I say, “Here, go throw this in the garbage.” Haha…nothing like confusing the boy. But anyway….I really, really, really need to find a solution to a place to hide my garbage and 2-3 containers of recycling….still searching. I would love the slide out ones in the cabinets but I don’t have any cabinets to spare! Oh, the troubles in life. :)
Just be glad that Burger isnt big enough to get into the trash! Our German Shepherd has figured out how to open our flip-top-foot-pedal trash can. Luckily he doesnt nose around in it all the time, but if he smells something tasty (cold cut deli wrappers, left-overs) he goes straight for it. My poor husband has definitely come home a few times to a not so fun trash-tastic scene and we now keep a brick near the trash…
He used to stick his nose into our open trash can in the laundry room! Haha. It was just a short enough bin for him to get a good sniff. So gross. That system had to go!
xo,
s
This is our issue! My beagle gets into our foot-pedal-operated trashcan on a regular basis, and it drives me crazy to come home to coffee grounds strewn over the kitchen floor. I’m thinking of installing trashcans inside the cabinets.
We had a regular step can until my son was a toddler, when he started helpfully throwing things away for us. Right around this time our TV remote disappeared, presumably right into the trash, and we realized we needed something more kid-proof. It took some searching but I found a SimpleHuman step can with a locking mechanism that was narrow enough to fit in our small kitchen. It was also inexpensive enough that I was able to get one for the recycling too. I got it at BB&B but you can see it here at The Container Store: http://t.co/CerPmZj
We have one of those cheapies from Ikea and at the moment, it’s just sitting in a corner of the kitchen. Mocha — our precious cockapoo — loves to dig through it to find all our discarded tasty and not-so-tasty things. Our solution is much less expensive than your $60 solution though… all we have to do is get our butts in gear and put the hardware — which we have! — on the sink cabinet so it’s actually easy to open the door, thereby making a convenient home for our boring garbage can.
Yeah, that’s probably not happening for another few weeks…
our simplehuman can use regular bags. since the liner comes out, gather the extra at the back and “just cinch it” when sliding the liner back down. works great for us!
Did you consider one of those pull out trash bins that go inside the cabinet? They are really easy to install.
http://www.homedepot.com/buy/kitchen/storage-
organization/closetmaid/17-5-in-h-24-qt-pullout-trash-bin-51046.html
Yup, we had one of those in our last house and loved it. But as we mentioned in the post, this house’s sink cabinet base is extremely tiny and narrow. So even our small original trash can couldn’t fit under there. So any pull out system (if they even make them that small) wouldn’t have been the best solution for us since we like to be able to toss out a good amount of trash before removing the bag and starting all over again. Bummer!
xo,
s
I have mine in my island, so perhaps John can build a place for the pullout trash to be added then. Just an idea.
OOh that would be fun! I love imagining all the fun stuff I want to squeeze into our island someday!
xo,
s
If that one doesn’t end up working out (but I hope it does!) check this one out at BB&B. With a soon-to-be crawling baby and 2 large dogs the locking lid as really come in handy! http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=17096702&RN=1020&
I know you frequent IKEA occasionally, and if you decide to go that route with your kitchen, they actually have the pull-out cabinet/drawer for trash. My husband and I recently renovated a house, and used IKEA cabinets. We have one drawer for trash and one for recycling. And there are also small drawers built-in for storing trash bags. Works great, we love it! Also the slow-close cabinets means no slamming!
Important question here – is the lid easy to open? Why do I ask? We have a 16 month old and we have a foot lever/top lifting garbage can (cheap $25 Rubbermaid from Target) and she can easily open the lid and, if the can’s full, stroll about the house with whatever nastiness she finds in there. It’s a nightmare and now my can lives up on my kitchen counter when she’s mobile (not in an area where I prepare food lest you just threw up a bit there). If this one “sticks” a bit or is hard for little hands to open, I’ll pay $100 for it!
Hmm, the lid doesn’t seem super easy to flip back or anything (it’s not particularly light weight). But it doesn’t stick or anything. You just have to grab it the right way to flip it open, so I’m hoping little hands might not be able to figure it out very easily. I guess it’s going to be one of those things that we just play by ear to see if it’s something Clara’s going to begin to show interest in again as she grows. But so far so good!
xo,
s
Susan – we have the same problem. Disgusting, isn’t it? I can’t vouch for it yet since I just ordered it, but this one from Crate & Barrel cost $50. Good luck!
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/kitchen-and-food/trash-cans/simplehuman-13-gallon-semi-round-trash-can/s686461
I had to buy a locking Simple Human garbage can (this one http://www.kent.ca/kbs/en/product.jsp?skuId=5494092&navAction=jump&prdId=5494092&catalogId=864) so that my daughter would stop garbage diving every chance she got. Best $50 I ever spent!
OK….so for the 2nd time today, I literally spit coffee all over my desk. The gang sign reference was TOO MUCH for me…..soooo funny! Thanks for the laugh.
My first “spit coffee out of my nose” moment was when the hubby called to tell me that our little 1 year old popped up right between his legs while he was shaving this morning and “headed” him right where it counts…..you see, my hubby’s allergies have caused his hearing to be totally out of commission and he never heard her coming. hahahaha!!!
The sun is shining and I’ve had two great laughs today….it’s going to be a good one, I have a feeling! :-)
Haha, now you have us laughing. Poor hubby!
xo,
s
Love the garbage, but love the letters even more. Who made those adorable letters?
Lori
http://www.wom-mom.com
They’re an etsy find. More info here: http://blogs.babycenter.com/life_and_home/not-your-mothers-magnetic-letters/
xo,
s