Tricks to keep your trash odourless and pest-free

Garbage is smelly and a hassle, both indoors and outside. These are a few ways to cut odours and keep animals out of your trash.

• To eliminate odours in the garbage disposer, grind cut-up citrus rinds while flushing the unit with cold water.
• If food gets caught in the disposer, turn off the power and use a broom handle to push against the hammer. Once it moves, remove the problem-causing object with a pair of kitchen tongs.
• Never put your hand in a disposer for any reason.
• To prevent jamming, don't pack the disposer tightly.
• Never grind clam shells, glass shards or bottle caps.
• Keep the cold water running fully while the disposer is on, and for a minute after it has finished to clear the drain line.
• Never use chemical drain cleaner in a disposer. It can damage the machine's internal parts.
• Bones make a racket while being ground up, but small bones and fruit pits can do wonders to clean the inside of the grind chamber.
• To further clean and freshen the disposer, use baking soda or a foaming cleaner.

• Wash out garbage cans regularly with a solution of 1⁄2 cup ammonia and four litres of water.
• Sprinkle borax in each clean, dry container to keep it fresh.

You can discourage animals from getting into the garbage with the following suggestions:

• Use heavy-duty cans with tight-fitting lids that can't be chewed through.
• Stretch a bungee cord across the lid of the can and through the top handle, and hook the ends to the side handles.
• Fasten garbage cans to a sturdy post with rope or bungee cords. Then they can't be tipped over.
• Keep garbage cans in a wooden bin with a lid that can be fastened down.

Minimizing odours and keeping animals away from the garbage is simple and easy. With these tips, you can spend less time wondering about smells and noises, and more time on something you'd rather be doing.