We Tested 9 Kitchen Trash Cans to Find Ones That Actually Contain Smells

Ah, the trash can: a receptacle for refuse, a container for scraps of all sorts. Unless your trash can is overtly smelly, you might not think about it too often. But imagine if your trash can conjured up positive, non-putrid thoughts—ones of odor control, a smooth-opening lid, and an exterior that wasn’t an eyesore. 

That’s what we wanted and set out to find when we tested nine kitchen trash cans. We landed on four top picks. Not only did they work really well, but we’d happily display any of them in our kitchens.

The Winners, at a Glance

This pedal-operated stainless steel trash can has a lid that opens and closes silently. The lid can also be locked, allowing it to stay open for however long you need it to. In our tests, it was very effective at containing odors—only when we were right next to it could we detect a faint whiff of the air freshener. We liked that its interior bin can be removed for deeper cleaning. While it does call for simplehuman’s J liners, we found it worked fine with store-bought bags.

Like the simplehuman, this trash can has a removable interior bin. This also makes it easier to add and remove trash bags. Its lid sprung upwards, but it features a soft-close mechanism we liked. While its odor control wasn’t as good as our overall winner, it still did well.

This lightweight trash can has a foot pedal and a lid that locks closed (if you’ve ever had a rambunctious pup get into your trash can, you know how helpful this can be). We found the lid consistently opened and closed smoothly—and we did so dozens of times throughout testing.

If you want a trash can you can wave a hand over and have it open, the iTouchless will serve you well. It has an automatic mode and a manual one—and it’s battery-operated. We liked its interior ring that kept trash bags in place and while it didn’t do as well in our odor retention test, it offers nice features for its price. 

The Tests

• Bag Fit Test: We placed a standard, 13-gallon trash bag into each trash can, evaluating its fit. We tugged around the perimeter of the trash bag to see if it would stay in place.
• Durability Test: To see if the trash cans would easily dent, we gently kicked each model five times near its base. We then ran a vacuum into each trash can, as if we were cleaning and accidentally hit it. 
• Lid Test: We opened and closed each trash can’s lid 25 times. 
• Odor Control Test: We placed a potent air freshener into each trash can and left it on its own in a closed, small room for 24 hours—checking for smelliness midway through and at the end of this time period. 

What We Learned

Metal Trash Cans Were Better with Smells (But Only If They Had Tight Lids)

Stainless steel is denser and less porous than plastic, so it makes sense the metal models topped our odor retention test. (Note: Our favorite compost bin is also made of stainless steel.) When we walked into the room our simplehuman winner was in after 24 hours with an air freshener inside of it, we couldn’t detect a smell. The AmazonBasics (which was made of alloy steel) did well in this test too, though we noticed more of a scent behind the trash can, thanks to a slight gap at the lid’s hinge. In comparison, the simplehuman plastic and Rubbermaid models emitted noticeable odors. However, they were far better than the Umbra Venti Swing-Top Kitchen Trash Can, which featured a gap around its swing-top mechanism that mercilessly released smells. 

Hinged vs. Swing-Top Trash Cans 

Given the above findings, it should come as no surprise that we favored hinged lids that shut over ones with swing tops. (The latter had cover openings that see-sawed back and forth.) While we are talking trash here, swing-top models have another concern: sanitization. With hinged—and, of course, touchless—lids you can open them without concern over messy hands and having to touch the lid, getting it gunky. Swing-top lids have to be touched with every use. 

Pedals Shouldn’t Need Much Pressure

We preferred trash cans with pedals that needed just slight pressure to operate—and lids that opened at a consistent speed. For example, the Glad Stainless Steel Step Trash Can’s lid sometimes jolted open and other times did so smoothly—all without us changing the pressure we applied on the pedal. 

Which Trash Cans Were the Most Durable?

Happily, all of the trash cans we tested were able to withstand our kicking and vacuum-ramming durability tests with nary a dent. Through this test, we found we preferred wider trash cans for the simple reason that they were less likely to tip over. When we knocked our vacuum into the Umbra—with its round, smaller base—it wobbled dramatically.

The Criteria: What to Look for in a Kitchen Trash Can

The best trash cans retained odors well, with tight-fitting lids that trapped smells. We preferred hinged lids that we weren’t required to touch to open and responsive pedals. Trash cans should be stable, too, and not be able to be knocked over easily. 

Our Favorite Trash Cans

What we liked: This trash can did the best in our odor control test—and had a pedal that opened its lid smoothly and slowly every time. The lid can be locked upright too, and it never slammed upwards and back into the wall behind it. The simplehuman features an interior bin that can be removed for sanitization and makes it easier to add and remove trash bags. While it does take the brand’s custom J liners, a standard, storebought trash bag fit just fine in our tests. This trash can comes with a whopping 10-year warranty—and, in our experience, simplehuman has great customer service. 

What we didn’t like: We have no complaints. 

Key Specs

• Materials: Stainless steel
• Dimensions: 15.8 x 12.5 x 25.7 inches
• Stated capacity: 10 gallons
• Weight: 14.52 pounds
  

What we liked: With a removable interior liner (like the simplehuman), a soft-close lid mechanism, and a responsive foot pedal, we were impressed by the Amazon Basics offering. Its lid did spring open more, but it was consistent in doing so. It had an inner lip that kept trash bags in place and didn’t dent in our durability tests.  

What we didn’t like: While this trash can did well in our odor retention test, we noticed more of a smell at the back of the can. There was a gap between the trash can and its lid’s hinge we attributed this to.

 Key Specs

• Materials: Alloy steel
• Dimensions: 14.7 x 16.7 x 25.9 inches 
• Stated capacity: 13.2 gallons
• Weight: 13.21 pounds 
  

What we liked: If you want a plastic trash can that’s half the price of our winner, the simplehuman did well in our tests. It has a nicely touchy foot pedal, a lock, and a lid that opens and closes smoothly every time. Because it’s made from plastic but has a wide base, there’s little worry about it denting or tipping over. Like its stainless steel sibling, it takes custom liners but fit a store-bought bag fine in our tests. 

What we didn’t like: It lacks a removable liner and has more nooks and crannies that gunk could build up in.

Key Specs

• Materials: Plastic
• Dimensions: 18.7 x 14.4 x 26.2 inches
• Stated capacity: 50 liters (13 gallons)
• Weight: 7 pounds

What we liked: This trash can has a battery-powered sensor you can wave a hand over and the lid will open. That said, it can also be toggled to manual mode. We were impressed that the lid opened seamlessly every time and found its inner ring kept trash bags in place impressively well.

What we didn’t like: It did passably in the odor retention test—likely due to the two gaps on either side of the lid that exist for you to open it in manual mode. Tall folks might have to hunch over to wave and activate the sensor. 

Key Specs

• Materials: Stainless steel
• Dimensions: 16 x 11.4 x 25.3 inches
• Stated capacity: 13 gallons
• Weight: 7.5 pounds

The Competition 

• Glad Stainless Steel Step Trash Can: This trash can’s lid opened erratically—slamming upward one time and opening slowly another. 
• Kohler 13 Gallon Hands-Free Kitchen Step Trash Can: This trash can did well in all of our tests, but it just didn’t outperform the simplehuman and it was more expensive. That said, if it’s on sale, we say go for it. 
• Rubbermaid Classic 13-Gallon Premium Step-On Trash Can: This model’s lid overextended when open, whacking into the wall behind it. 
• Simplehuman 15.3 Gallon Voice + Motion Rectangular Sensor Trash Can, 2nd Generation: We liked this trash can, but it appears to be discontinued. 
• Umbra Venti Swing-Top Kitchen Trash Can, 16.5 Gallon: This swing-top model did the worst in our odor control test. It was also unstable.

FAQs

How many gallons is a kitchen trash can? 

Most of the trash cans we tested were between 10 and 13 gallons, which is a good size. It would serve a household of two to four well and likely need to be emptied every one to two days. 

Is a stainless steel trash can worth it?

Yes, we do think a stainless steel trash can is worth it—and our top pick from simplehuman is made from this material. Not only does it look sleek, but it did the best in our odor control test. 

Why We’re the Experts

• Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm is the associate editorial director of Serious Eats. 
• She’s been with the site since 2021 and previously worked for America’s Test Kitchen and Food52. She’s been testing gear professionally for more than six years and has written reviews of dinnerware sets, espresso machines, and more. 
• To find the best trash cans, we tested nine of them and evaluated their odor retention, lid design, trash bag fit, durability and more.