Irish households are being urged to add a simple kitchen item to their wheelie bins to help keep them fresh and reduce problems as warmer weather returns.
File photo of wheelie bins in Lucan, Dublin(Image: Colin Keegan, Collins)
Households across Ireland are being urged to make a small change to their wheelie bins as the weather heats up, with experts saying one everyday kitchen item could make a noticeable difference from now until September.
As we head further into spring, flies become more active and are often attracted to outdoor bins, especially those containing food waste. Once they get inside, they can quickly lay eggs, which can turn into maggots in as little as 24 hours.
This issue tends to escalate around late March when temperatures consistently reach double digits. These warmer conditions create the perfect environment inside bins for pests to thrive until astronomical summer ends in September.
Many people try to tackle the problem by hosing out their bins, but this often only removes surface dirt and doesn’t fully deal with the bacteria or residue that has built up over time.
However, a commercial cleaning expert behind the Instagram account @thecleangroup has shared a simple two step method to help keep bins under control, saying it will “keep those maggots from feasting on your bin juice for good”.
The first step is to deal with anything already inside your bin. This can be done by pouring boiling water into the bin, which the expert says is effective as “boiling water kills maggots instantly”.
Afterwards, the bin can be rinsed out or given a light scrub with washing up liquid. Alternatively, the cleaner notes that “a quick blast with the garden hose will do”.
The most important step involves something most households will already have in the cupboard – salt. Sprinkling a handful of table salt into your bin each time it’s emptied can help stop the problem returning, as “flies hate salt”.
The expert explained: “It [salt] stops any stray eggs or larvae from hatching, soaks up your bin juice and will kill any flies who eat it.”
Food waste can also leak liquids into the bottom of bins, creating both bad smells and an ideal breeding ground for pests. To help with this, the cleaner also recommends placing newspaper at the bottom as it “absorbs drips”.
Newspaper is effective at soaking up excess moisture, helping to keep the bin drier and less appealing to flies. It can be laid flat or scrunched up, and should be replaced every few weeks to keep things as fresh as possible.
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