Taking care of your vehicle entails many things, including maintaining a certain hygiene standard and limiting litter/waste. While there are a bunch of ways to ensure this, a car trash can is a highly effective method. With a trash can in your car, you can simply throw, pack, and neatly dispose of your waste instead of accumulating it. Dumpster trash cans look ugly, and no one wants something that ugly in their cars but car trash cans are designed with aesthetics in mind as well, so you don’t have to worry about them ruining your vehicle’s interior. If you’re serious about keeping your car sparkly clean, you can scroll up and select from our list of the finest car trash cans money can buy. The rest of this buying guide features some tips and tricks for choosing the right car trash cans, how to use them, and answers to some frequently asked questions.
What Is a Car Trash Can?
A car trash can is a container for storing waste, like wrappers, fast food bags, and old food items in your car. It helps you keep your car's interior clean and tidy, avoid littering the road, and keeps your car smelling fresh. Additionally, they are reusable. All you need to do is switch out the trash bag as you would with any other trash can when it’s full.
How Big Are Car Trash Cans?
Car trash cans can’t be bulky like the ones you see in homes, offices, and dumpsters for obvious reasons, so they come in relatively small sizes. The largest car trash cans look similar to small iceboxes.
How to Clean Car Trash Cans
Car trash cans don’t typically get too messy, so don’t fret about spending hours cleaning them just yet. Most times, all you need to do is wash the interior with a mild detergent solution and a clean rag or soft brush. After that, you simply rinse and sun-dry. To prevent foul odors, you must properly dry your car trash can, especially if it is made of fabric.
Factors to Consider When Buying Car Trash Cans
Size Car trash cans come in different sizes (6L, 12L, and more), and the ideal one depends on your situation. For example, if you have a relatively small vehicle with little interior space, it makes sense to use smaller portable car trash cans to manage space effectively. On the other hand, if you’ll be traveling with friends and family in a larger car, there’s every possibility that a lot of waste will be generated, in which case a relatively large car trash can would be better. Type Car trash cans are divided into three categories based on where they can be mounted: floor, hanging, and cup holder. Floor car trash cans sit on the floor of your car, and they’re super effective, but only if you have the space for them. Some of them can be big and feature wide openings, which eats up legroom. Hanging car trash cans offer some placement versatility. You can hang them on different parts of your vehicle, and since they’re typically smaller and portable, they do not take up much space. Cup holder car trash cans simply fit in the cup holder, which is a bad but common spot for storing trash. With a cup holder car trash can, you won’t be able to dirty up your cup holder even if you tried. Leakproof Sooner or later, you might have to dump something wet into your car trash can, and you wouldn’t want it to drip all over your floor, right? Well, that’s why you must choose something that’s leakproof. Such car trash cans effectively contain liquids, and as a result, keep your car dry. Appearance If you’re big on aesthetics, then the appearance of your car trash can is a significant factor to consider. There are no rules in this case; simply choose a design, color, or shape that complements your car’s interior or suits your taste. Outside pockets Outside pockets are great for storing small items that would’ve occupied space in the larger compartments. They offer extra storage space, and you can never have too much storage space. Ease of cleaning Some car trash cans are easier to clean than others. Try to choose car trash cans that seem like they won’t take you hours to clean. Some easy-to-clean car trash cans, especially those made of fabric, are machine-washable and are very common. Plastic car trash cans can’t be washed in a machine but are also relatively easy to clean. Odor-sealing The best car trash cans come with lids that effectively seal in any foul odors. Trust us, you don’t want to be bothered by the smell of rotten food in your car trash cans when driving on the highway, so ensure that you go for car trash cans with odor-sealing lids. Trash bag Some of the best car trash cans also come with plastic trash bags that ensure that their inner compartments are clean and mess-free. At the end of the day, all you’ll have to do is remove the trash bag, dispose of its content, rinse or wash it under running water, dry it, and place it back in the trash can.
