Maggots in wheelie bin

[candlefloozy]

Help! I live in a flat with no garden. So no access to a hose. My wheelie bin has loads of rubbish stuck in the bottom of it. It was smelling the other day and today I've opened it and it's full of maggots!!! How do I clean it??

A few kettles of boiling water and some bleach, swill around well? Empty and wipe round as best you can with rubber gloves and more bleach?

Is anyone else putting unwrapped food waste in your bin? Because that's probably what's attracting flies.
Any meat/fish etc. food waste we have (very little) goes in a bag in the freezer until the night before the bin men come. Otherwise the smell is bound to attract flies, especially in summer.

Everything is in a
Bin liner. Unless it's got ripped?? I really don't know. Could I just empty it down a drain once I've put bleach and water in it?

some materials release fluid as they decompose. Potato peeling are very bad for it.

You can tie your rubbish in small plastic bags but anything wet may leak, and that makes the bin vile. If everything is wrapped and the lid is kept shut, not many flies can get in to lay eggs.

In the old days people used to wrap such things in newspaper to absorb the bin juice, but I expect yours goes in recycling now.

Rinse out the bin with water every time it is emptied, and leave it with the lid open to dry. A hosepipe will often do but you might want to use a bucket of hot water and GP cleaner. If you hose it out and empty it on the garden or road, birds will eat the maggots for you.

If you want to scrub it out with a broom or mop, lie it down first. Occasionally people fall head first into bins otherwise.

Yes, you can empty it down the drain in the street. I don't think you even need bleach. The boiling water will kill the maggots and bleach is very damaging to the environment. As it's an outside bin, it doesn't need to be sterilised, just reasonably clean. Use an old washing up brush to loosen any stubborn deposits.

Thanks for replies. @PigletJohn I don't have a garden or hose. That's been my problem. I'll use hot water then. Thanks everyone

Invest in a bucket. Just for future reference. If it's raining leave bin open and let it take in rain water, or chuck some water in the bin. There is no need to empty the water, just put bin out on collection day and let the bin people empty it. This is a great way to get any papers that may be stuck to the bottom of the bin loose.

Also if mine is really bad I use a hard sweeping brush, water and washing up liquid. Lay the bin on it side and brush the inside of bin, turn bin and repeat procedure to all sides.

Bleach doesn't kill maggots - you need lots of salt. Their life cycle is only about 10 hours so unless the bin is empty they will continue to breed in the rubbish.

Yeah salt! Lots of salt, and then boiling water.

Bleurgh. Our green bin takes food scraps and despite liners gets 'friends' in summer.

Salt, boiling water and then ounces it's empty a good blast with the karcher if you have one.

Thank you everyone for your replies. They've been really useful. I've used boiling hot water and that seems to have got rid of them.
Thanks for tip for leaving the water in the bottom. I'll do that. There is a bin cleaning company locally but he won't be coming for another four weeks

I have a cheap sponge floor mop for the bottom of ours. I pour some boiling water in and swoosh it around and use the mop on the bottom and edges, then tip it into the gutter.

We had this the other month, literally put the bin out the front for collection in the morning, came out a couple of hours later to add an extra bag and the bin was COVERED in maggots. Gross!

Poured boiling water all over the lid and rims, then salted the survivors. Checked in the morning and they were all gone/dead so once the bin was emptied have it a good clean.

Don't know how they got in as we are very careful with bagging! It had been very warm though so that didn't help.

Second wheelie bin cleaning professionals. I have a regular monthly appointment so it never gets too bad. It's only a few quid.