Where is your bathroom garbage can?

[ChristyMarie]

Do you keep it out or in the cabinet?

My dog is a serious UAV when it comes to the bathroom garbage cans.  For the most part I have them under the cabinets.  But in the main guest bath I have always had it out so guests can easily find it.

Now I'm painting and that garbage can just doesn't go.  I hate to buy a new one for him to eat out of.  I cannot find a covered one I like. 

Would you /are you annoyed if the garbage is in the cabinet when you go to someone's house?

[Tumble Bumbles]

I keep ours out, next to the toilet between the toilet and cabinet, pushed back so it's accesible but not a focal point.

As for your other Q, It's not that I get annoyed if it's in a cabinet per se, I just can't find it and I feel weird going into some one's cabinet to look for the trash can, know what I mean? Given the options I would get a step-can if I were you. That way you can keep it out in the open but your dog may leave it alone. Or, buy an uncovered one you like and remember to keep the door closed when not in use. Or, keep it in the cabinet on a regular basis, then put it out when guests come over.

[pear-shaped]

We keep ours out in the open. Tbh, I wouldn't have thought to look for it in a cabinet, I'd just assume there wasn't one. I'm now wondering if some of the bathrooms I didn't think had bins in them actually did!

[Alyantavid]

Ours are both out in the open.  We've gone through several periods of having to just keep the door shut all the time because of the dog.

I'd probably leave it out in the open (if it's only for guests, does it get much trash anyways?) and keep the door shut or get a covered can.

[Ornery]

I have to leave ours in the cabinet due to my dog's propensity to love garbage.  He is able to open all types of garbage cans (even bear proof) and we've had to install at least two child locks on each cabinet door that holds trash or food (he can open one child lock, but not two).  I've also found that no matter how many times I remind my children, they forget to shut the bathroom doors and I end up with trash all over the house.

Love my dog but he has a couple of behaviors that I just can't seem to "train" out of him, garbage raiding being one of them.

Our guest bath is a powder bath with nothing in the cabinet besides trash can, extra toilet rolls, a plunger and a toilet brush.

[JesKace]

Our trash and diaper pail are in the cabinet under the sink because there is no place in the bathroom to put them out in the open.  I do have a small trash next to the toilet that we use for family cloth, but that gets emptied if we're having company, and people will usually end up throwing trash in there since they think it's a trash bucket.

I have also had people throw dirty disposable diapers in my diaper pail in the kids room thinking it was for all diapers...

[clutterwarrior]

We have ours out. Actually my inlaws keep theirs inside the cabinet under the sink, and it drives me nuts when I go there, having to open the door and then also try to lift the lid of the bin which is inside the cabinet while scraping a plate into it...

[dbsam]

We have ours out but my dogs have never been interested in the trash. 

My sister's dog will eat anything, so she uses the step cans. 

I will not usually open someone's cabinets.  So if I do not see a can I would take the trash to the kitchen if it is not flush-able.

[K'sMama]

I said other.  Our master bathroom doesn't have a garbage can - doesn't need one.  The main upstairs garbage is under the sink b/c the potty DS uses is in the only spot the garbage will fit - I don;t think anyone knows it is there as it is never used.  The basement bathroom has a can that sits out (this is the bathroom that most guests use)

[Drummer's Wife]

Ours is out, between the sink and toilet in the main bathroom. But we don't have a dog, and the sink doesn't have a cabinet b/c it's an all porcelain sink. The trash can is ceramic and matches he decor in there.

What about a small stainless steel with a foot petal trash can? We have one in the master bathroom that I would think would keep dogs out.
Edited by Drummer's Wife - 2/12/11 at 4:00pm

[Brees_Mama]

Ours stays out in the open. If I went to someones house and didn't see one, I'd assume they didn't have one rather than assume it's under the cabinet.

What about doing something like this http://moneysavingmom.com/2011/02/how-to-make-lined-canvas-bins-from-diaper-boxes.html

[Brees_Mama]

I agree w/the others, that a step garbage can would be best.

[ChristyMarie]

*whine*

But I can't find any step cans/covered cans that I like.  I don't want to put a SS one in there - they aren't pretty.

Has anyone ever seen any decorative ones?

[matey]

We have our in a cabinet. I have never had trouble finding trash cans in cabinets. But, I grew up with them hidden so that is where I expect them to be.

[wombatclay]

Well, I like stainless steel so it's not an issue for me, but... maybe buy a small SS step bin (I think ours was about 10 dollars?) and decorate the outside?  You could get metal paint at a craft store or spray paint at a home supply store (so either a solid color, or a faux spray to make it look like copper or stone).  Or decoupage it with images and cover with epoxy?  Wrap it in a fabric "sack" or use velcro to make changable fabric "wraps" (like those people make to hide space under a pedastle sink?

If you do go the cabinet route... maybe a small note on the cabinet door (like from a label maker) that says "trash can inside" or something?  It's not super elegant, but in a guest bath it might make someone more comfortable and be worth it?  I stayed at a wonderful B&B once that has little signs like that, in large part because of the resident cats (who would splash in open toilets, dig through open trash cans, and meow endlessly if certain doors were closed).

[seashells]

This is interesting because it made me think that I should put a can in there for guests. Lol.

We don't have one, because we have no trash in the bathroom. Well, I guess maybe the used up toothpaste tube, but I guess that's rare enough that I just take it downstairs.

I would not think to look in a cabinet for a trash can. However, that wouldn't stop me, if I wanted to do that. All you do is, if you have guests going to the bathroom, just mention "the trash can is in the cabinet if you need it!" and you're good.

OK, dumb question. What would guests need a bathroom trash can for? Serious question, I'm having a lapse in my ability to think this through. I can think of feminine products but my overnight guests are just mom and MIL and they are past fertility. So what else might a guest throw away in there?

[treeoflife3]

I'm honestly REALLY surprised that people would assume there is no trash can if it isn't out in the open.  Most people I know keep a little one under the bathroom sink, guest bathroom or not, because who likes to look at garbage?

Ours is under the sink too.  There isn't space to keep it out anyway even if I didn't care about looking at garbage cans.  Actually, the can and the toilet brush are the only things under there.  We almost never put anything in the can anyway but I never would have thought people would just think we don't HAVE one... so strange!

[dbsam]

Originally Posted by ChristyMarie 

*whine*

But I can't find any step cans/covered cans that I like.  I don't want to put a SS one in there - they aren't pretty.

Has anyone ever seen any decorative ones?

Mine is stainless SimpleHuman brand.  I'm not sure if they come in colors but you could check their website.

I was at Marshall's yesterday and they had small metal step cans in colors. 

[pear-shaped]

Originally Posted by treeoflife3 

I'm honestly REALLY surprised that people would assume there is no trash can if it isn't out in the open.  Most people I know keep a little one under the bathroom sink, guest bathroom or not, because who likes to look at garbage?

Ours is under the sink too.  There isn't space to keep it out anyway even if I didn't care about looking at garbage cans.  Actually, the can and the toilet brush are the only things under there.  We almost never put anything in the can anyway but I never would have thought people would just think we don't HAVE one... so strange!

Most people where I live don't have them at all...I don't know anyone else here who does. I'm sure they're not in hiding in cabinets, all the cabinets I've seen here tend to be pretty elaborate affairs with lots of small compartments and drawers, not really appropriate for a bin. And of course there are all the bathrooms without cabinets, no pails to be found anywhere. They're really hard to find in the shops...I originally brought one over from my home country when I moved here. The one we have now is actually intended as a general garbage pail, but garbage pails here tend to be really small. We also have to separate our trash so not much can be tossed in there. I suppose that when I lived back in the U.S., I did expect to find them, but now I've been conditioned by never seeing them.

[wombatclay]

Purpose of a guest bathroom trash container off the top of my head (and not necessarily things that I or my family use): disposable menstrual products, tissues (for nose blowing or lipstick blotting), single use eye drop/single use allergy medication containers, dental floss, qtips, daily wear disposable contacts, packaging from diabetes supplies (like the packaging for the lancets), random wrappers (like those vitamin packs that come in "one day dose" bags).

Obviously some of those wouldn't be an issue for a casual visitor, but might be an issue for an overnight guest.