We tried analog-step and sensor trash cans from Simplehuman, Caraway, and Brightroom, among others, to find those that’ll keep your kitchen odor-free
We found the best trash can for everyone, whether you want to talk to your trash can or step on it.
By Angela Lashbrook
A kitchen trash can may not be the most thrilling purchase you can make, but the difference a good one can make in your kitchen should not be underestimated.
Some let out stink. Others won’t reliably open, or they get stuck open, or they’re a pain to clean (essential to keeping your kitchen odor-free).
We tested eight kitchen trash cans, some with pedal open mechanisms and others with sensors (and one with a voice-activated open option!) to find which ones will keep your kitchen smelling and looking fresh.
Caraway 45L Rectangular Step Trash Can
I am very sorry that a nearly $300 trash can flattened the competition for this evaluation. That is a lot of money for something that holds eggshells and credit card offers. That said, it does (nearly) everything I asked it to do exceptionally well, and so I must say that it is the best that I tested, though that price is stomach-churning.
Ease of use: Unlike other fancy trash cans (like Simplehuman or Brabantia), the Caraway doesn’t recommend or require its own branded trash bags. This makes that high price somewhat easier to swallow because you can use whatever 13-gallon trash bags you already have. Multiple bag types, including Hefty Strong Kitchen Drawstring Trash Bags and Simplehuman Code Q 13-17 gallon Custom Fit Liners, fit without issue into the Caraway.
This trash can has an analog foot pedal to open. The lid opens slowly and quietly—no slingshot or whack against the wall here—and has a silent close. The only downside to this product, besides the price, is the closing function: If you open this can all the way, you need to step on the pedal, or press on the lid, to close it again. That may be helpful if you want to keep the can open while sweeping, chopping vegetables, etc., because you won’t have to keep stepping on the pedal to open it and throw away your detritus. But it does mean that you’ll need to attend to it to close it, because the longer it stays open, the longer odors from the bag can escape.
Ease of cleaning: I am not sure you’ll find an easier-to-clean trash can. The soft matte exterior hides most fingerprints (my toddler tested this extensively), even in the dark blue color I received. There are no nooks and crannies for crumbs and sticky stuff to build up. The plastic liner fits snugly into the larger bin, and both can be wiped down with little fuss. I will say, I am 5 feet tall and reaching all the way to the bottom of this 27-inch-tall bin requires creativity, but I manage. Other 5-footers, take note. This is not something that I think anyone else needs to concern themselves with.
Odor control: No stink to be found, and I was pregnant when evaluating, so I truly stand by this (though I would if I weren’t pregnant, too, obviously). Whether it was a horrific-smelling car air freshener or chopped onions, this can kept it in.
Aesthetics: Kitchen trash cans don’t tend to stray far from the silver rectangle look, making the Caraway—available in cream, emerald, clay (a rusty red), midnight (a deep blue), and stone (a cool gray-white)—unique in the product category. The edge of the trash bag doesn’t hang over the outside of the bin, which makes for a cleaner, more streamlined look.
All of which is to say: If I hadn’t purchased another new trash can just before I started testing others for this story, the Caraway is the one I’d buy.
Simplehuman Rectangular Sensor Can
If you want to wave at, or talk to, your trash can to get it to open, this Simplehuman can is the best one we tested. The sensor can is a fussy category; the others I tried often wouldn’t respond to my hand at all. This one had, I’d say, an 85 percent success rate here, which is much better than most. If you want your can to always open when you need it to, however, I wouldn’t recommend a sensor can.
Ease of use: A sensor can requires electricity; this one takes batteries (six double-A) or can be plugged into the wall. I’m giving it points for using plain old double-A batteries instead of the more obscure battery types required by the other sensor cans we tried. As noted, the hand sensor capability is mostly successful; the voice command is about as good for adults (toddler voices are more of a struggle). And despite this can’s recommendation that it take the company’s proprietary Code Q bags, other trash bags (like the Hefty Ultra Strong) fit fine.
Ease of cleaning: This Simplehuman is almost as easy to clean as the Caraway. There are few little hidey-holes for nasty stuff to collect, so it’s a cinch to wipe down. That said, because it doesn’t have a separate liner and the bag fits directly into the bin instead, leaks from a punctured bag seep directly into the bin instead of a liner. A liner would be easier to plunk in the bathtub or backyard to hose down in such cases. That is not a possibility here.
Some fingerprints are visible on the “brushed” stainless steel colorway I tried.
Odor control: Odor control here is exceptional. Nary a stink to be sniffed until the can is opened. I find this surprising, actually, because there’s a plastic pocket inside the can where you can fit a sleeve of Simplehuman trash bags for easy access, and in theory, this pocket—which can be accessed from the inside or outside—would let out odors. Somehow, this is not a problem.
This Simplehuman can comes with a slot for proprietary “Odorsorb” scent pods and includes one sample pod, which I used in testing. Perhaps these are key to the can’s great odor control?
Aesthetics: The brushed silver finish is more elevated than your standard stainless steel. This can also comes in matte black, white, and matte gold if you’re really looking to make a statement (I support that).
Amazon Basics 13.2 Gallon Trash Can
It’s kind of sad that $94 is “budget” for a kitchen trash can, but here we are. As promised, this Amazon can is truly basic, but it performs adequately. If you don’t need too much in the way of bells and whistles from your trash can, this may be the one to consider.
Ease of use: Standard trash bags fit easily and snugly into the Amazon Basics can. The lid doesn’t slingshot open when you step on the pedal, though it isn’t silent like the Caraway or Simplehuman; you can definitely hear it open and close.
Ease of cleaning: The black plastic liner is smooth and easy to wipe, with only a couple of ledges to work around on the liner’s bottom. There is a lip around where the lid meets the liner where debris can collect.
Odor control: Alas, we have now arrived at this trash can’s greatest unmet challenge. The Amazon Basics can was not able to keep in the overwhelming stink of the car air freshener I plopped in there, and my entire basement reeked like nausea-inducing Crisp Autumn Air. Though I wouldn’t recommend it in any can (even my faves), this is not a good option if you plan to throw chicken into your can and keep it there for a couple of days.
Aesthetics: They’re not lying with the Amazon Basics moniker. This is essentially what you’d see in a dictionary entry next to the term “kitchen trash can.”
Other Products We Tested
Brabantia Bo Pedal Bin
This can is on the smaller side—8 gallons vs. the 13 that characterizes most of the cans we tried. It comes with its own proprietary trash bags, though 13-gallon Simplehuman liners also fit fine; I wouldn’t be too fussed about this.
Ease of use: The branded trash bags fit beautifully in this can, as if they were sewn in. That said, they have holes—ventilation holes? I am not sure—near their top, which I’ve never seen in another bag and consider a downside: more odor and trash leakage potential.
This can is smaller than the others in our test and is square, so it has a smaller opening that makes dumping trash (such as vegetable cuttings from a large cutting board) more challenging.
Ease of cleaning: There are too many nooks and crannies in the bottom of this can. Too many! The exterior, however, hides fingerprints well.
Odor control: The Brabantia did not play well with my Crisp Autumn Air air freshener. Its small size, however, means you’ll be more likely to take the bag to the dumpster more often, which helps eliminate any odor buildup.
Aesthetics: Aesthetically, this little can is a winner. It has a sleek exterior and a unique square shape, and comes in a variety of colors, including a delightful lilac pink, beige, two shades of gray, and others.
BestOffice 13 Gallon Stainless Steel Trash Can with Lid
This can’s redeeming quality: It doesn’t come with blades built into the side that shred your garbage bags when you go to take out the trash. At $55, it is also inexpensive compared with the others we tested.
Ease of use: My husband, as he was taking out the trash while I was testing this product, said, “This is terrible.” I also used the word “terrible” in my notes to describe the BestOffice. It’s a sensor can that opened whenever I walked past it, but mostly did not open when I waved my hand over the sensor. If I accidentally hit the lid with my hand, the lid would get stuck at the angle at which I hit it and would then need to be manually closed. There are multiple fussy pieces to the lid, which would come apart whenever I removed a full bag.
The BestOffice requires 4 C batteries, which I don’t think I’d ever needed before I got this can.
Ease of cleaning: You’ll need to fit a wipe or towel around the extraneous plastic rim that, as noted above, for some reason comes off whenever you take the lid off to remove the bag. The bin itself is easy to clean because it’s little more than a stainless steel canister.
Odor control: Odor control was average—I could smell my air freshener tester as I approached this can, but it did not release to the point where my entire basement was awash in Crisp Autumn Air.
Aesthetics: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. These eyes do not behold beauty with the BestOffice, which has a black plastic lid that fits into a brushed stainless steel rim (under which you will find another plastic rim). It is not a seamless, sleek look. It also arrived heavily dented—surprising, given the incredible amount of protective styrofoam packaging this product came with.
It does come in a few colors that might look better than the one I purchased: matte black, peach, and red.
Brightroom Rectangular Step Trash Can
What is it with all these dented cans? This one arrived significantly dented. Apparently, if you really want to avoid this, you should buy these kitchen trash cans IRL vs. ordering online, and handle them with kid gloves.
Ease of use: When pressing on the step to open this can, it slams open and loudly bangs against the wall. The plastic liner into which you fit a trash bag doesn’t fit securely into the bin but rather rattles around.
Ease of cleaning: The plastic liner is easier to wipe down or hose off, but the bottom of the steel bin is basically the Grand Canyon. Wiping it down and even vacuuming it out is a challenge.
Odor control: I could smell my air freshener tucked into this can from the steps leading down into the basement.
Aesthetics: Aside from the dents, this kitchen trash can looks fine. The silver colorway is brushed; it also comes in gold and black.
Glad 13 Gallon Plastic Trash Can
This is the only plastic kitchen trash can we tested. It left much to be desired.
Ease of use: My standard Hefty Strong 13-gallon bags were too small for this can. The foot pedal was stiff and often would not press down at all.
Ease of cleaning: This can is lightweight plastic with no electronic parts, so you can hose it down if necessary. There are quite a few crevices and crannies on the bottom of the can that make wiping it clean more difficult.
Odor control: Despite coming with “Clorox Odor Protection,” this can has next to no odor control.
Aesthetics: It is a black plastic trash can. There’s no style to speak of.
Ninestars 13 Gallon Trash Can
This product arrived dented, misshapen, and scuffed on the inside, as if it had been previously used (gross).
Ease of use: The sensor for this can is more responsive than the BestOffice, but it has an odd flaw (because this must be unintentional, right?): After it closes, you can’t reopen it until the little light on the lid changes from red to green. This takes approximately 10 seconds. If you need to throw something away, then quickly realize you need to throw away something else, you need to wait about 10 seconds to do so. Ten seconds isn’t a lot in the grand scheme of things, but if you’re trying to hustle on cleaning your kitchen, it adds unnecessary time to do that task.
To its credit, however, you can select an option on the lid to keep it open. Personally, I would rather be able to open the can whenever I want.
Additionally, according to the instructions, users should not manually close the lid, but instead wait for it to close on its own.
It takes two D batteries—another battery I had never needed to purchase before and do not envision needing again. Anyone want a huge pack of D batteries?
Ease of cleaning: Like the BestOffice, the Ninestars comes with that extra black rim on the interior of the lid that needs to be wiped down separately to get clean. It does not come with a separate liner.
Odor control: The Ninestars excelled here. Barely a whiff of my air freshener escaped when the lid was closed in my test.
Aesthetics: Like the BestOffice, the Ninestars arrived dented. The Ninestars had two trouble spots: a dent in the side and a misshapen bulge on the front.
How We Tested
I tested these trash cans in my home. I inspected them closely for any flaws while unpacking, tested them for odor control using a car air freshener (an option I thought would be less disgusting in my basement than onions or other kitchen detritus; I do not think that ended up being the case), and used them in my kitchen. My husband and 2-year-old toddler assisted in ease of use testing.
I specifically looked at each of the following criteria:
How easy is it to fit a trash bag into this can? Ideally, each 13-gallon trash can should fit a standard 13-gallon trash bag, even if it comes with its own branded bags. One can was not 13-gallon, and thus was not held to this standard (yet it passed it anyway).
How easy is it to open and close this trash can? Some were pedal-open and others were sensor-open.
How well does it contain odor? I placed a Little Trees air freshener inside a trash bag in each can (with the exception of the Glad can, which did not fit the Hefty or the Simplehuman 13-gallon trash bags I had; in that case, I placed the air freshener directly into the bin). I kept each can in my closed-door basement overnight and assessed odor leakage in the morning. I ran my basement circulation fan for a night to clean out any residual odor before testing another can.
How easy is it to clean? I wiped out each can with a disinfectant wipe to evaluate how easily I could clean away sticky, crumby messes.
How easy is it to remove a full bag from the can? I used each trash can in my kitchen until it was full, then took out the bag to see whether it got stuck, snagged, or otherwise was difficult to remove.
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