Do I just bleach a black bin to clean it?

[Snafflebrain]

Black wheelie bin has got a bit whiffy. Nothing horrific like maggots in there. Do I just scrub it with a bloom and hot bleach or is there a mumsnet trick I'm missing that will get it smelling nice again with a bit less effort? Also I'll have DC in the garden with me so whilst I can keep them away from the bleach if I can get the same job done with fairy liquid or something less toxic I could rope them in to help

I'd chuck bicarbonate of soda in there for a day to absorb the smells, then jet out

Rather than bleach, I use an own-brand GP cleaner equivalent to Flash.

If the bin is very dirty, slosh it around with a couple of buckets of hot water then tip it down the drain. If concealed layers of grime, use a hose. If just a bit smelly, put a mop in there and rub up and down the sides. If you use a watering can rather than a bucket, you can let it flow down the sides and do the inside of the lid as well.

If you have been throwing unwrapped food waste in, there might be greasy rotting material stuck to the bottom.

Stand it upside down to drain.

On a sunny day, it will dry out quickly.

I squirt Zoflora in every week to freshen it up.

DH uses Jeyes Fluid on ours every so often, and a power hose. Or there's a service called Wheelie Clean where a guy comes out with a specially modified van that washes them; we've done that a few times too.

I pour a cheap bottle of disinfectant in , then a few kettles-full of boiling water.
Leave for a few hours, then brush out and leave tipped up to dry.
DH does it if he's home: easier with longer arms to clean bin and turn it over.

Line it with a wheelie bin liner after cleaning. Brilliant things.

My husband uses this bin powder to remove any odours from our wheelie bin and keep it smelling fresh.

I've used Jeyes bin powder and it definitely works. When I run out, I use the baby sterilising fluid from poundland put it in a spray bottle and squirt. It works too.

try bin powder!

I think you need to do some scrubbing, just chucking chemicals on is like swishing your dishes through bubbly water and thinking they're clean.