What Should I Consider When Buying Wastebaskets for my Home?

Household wastebaskets can seem like a trivial item to buy, but a wastebasket in every room, or nearly every room, can really help to keep a home neater and cleaner. Once family members get used to a wastebasket in a room they are likely to use it. Indoor garbage containers are available in a wide range of styles, sizes and materials, so when buying wastebaskets think about what your needs are for each room in your home.

Wastebaskets with a swinging top flap are handy because the garbage container remains closed until waste is added. This is especially nice for kitchens and bathrooms where garbage can be especially unappealing to look at. In rooms such as the home office where balled up paper is basically the only item thrown out an open top mesh wastebasket may work because a liner isn't needed.

When buying wastebaskets that will require a liner, or plastic bag, make sure you'll be able to have a size of liner that will fit the container. In small wastebaskets you can reuse a plastic grocery bag as a liner especially if the wastebasket will be stored out of sight in a cupboard since colored printing on the bag may show. Keep in mind that when you don’t use a liner you either have to bring a bag to the waste can to empty it or carry the wastebasket elsewhere to empty it.

You can find many different sizes, shapes and colors when buying wastebaskets. There's one to suit every room from the laundry room for holding dryer lint to the kitchen for holding potato peels and messy garbage. The step-on kitchen wastebaskets and the swing-top ones as well are often favored by cooks as you don't have to have your hands free to use them. The swing-top type may not work well in laundry rooms as dryer lint may not be heavy enough to swing the lid down effectively and could cause a mess.

Swing-top and step on wastebaskets are often a good choice if pets and kids tend to try and get in the garbage as the lids can usually keep them out of it. When buying wastebaskets for children's craft areas, however, open garbage containers are usually easier for kids to use and easier to use for throwing away bits of cut-out paper and the like. Remember to consider how you'll clean the containers when buying wastebaskets as you'll need to wash and dry them on a regular basis, especially the ones without liners.