Frequently Asked Questions
Should I really clean my trash can?
Yes! If you are a diligent homeowner, renter, or property manager who takes pride in curb appeal, yet is still dealing with a dirty trash can. You need to be cleaning that trash can. Just as toilets need to be cleaned regularly, trash cans do as well. A dirty trash can has over 400 different bacteria per square inch. Even if you bag all your trash: bags break and sometimes things get tossed in there without being in a bag and a build-up of nastiness easily gets out of control. Add in the sun (thank you Texas heat) and you have a horrible source of the smell that is now attracting rodents and insects like ants, bees, or flies. Not to mention…maggots! (gag)
What kind of bacteria is in my trash can?
Harmful bacteria such as e-Coli, Salmonella, and Listeria. If rodents are present then yersinia pestis could even be there as well. What is Yersinia Pestis, you ask? It is also known as the “black death” aka black plague which decimated half of Europe. Dirty diapers, chicken scraps, and even bagged-up dog poop in trash cans become a breeding ground for dangerous things. Then germ transfer happens with trash cans. After you take out the trash or pull the can back up from the curb, you open your car door or answer your phone or pick up your child.
Why not just clean my trash can myself?
We don’t recommend this but to kill bacteria you would need to boil a lot of water and then safely transfer that into the trash can. This is because it takes at least 150 degrees of hot water to kill most bacteria. Be careful not to burn yourself before it quickly cools, sloshing the hot water around, and be sure to get it into all the nooks and crannies of the trash can. Then if you wish to dispose of the water properly as we do, find a way to transfer the water into something or take the trash can to a car wash and dump the water, but be sure to get approval from the car wash owner first. If you want a safer, easier way—contact us.
The “old” way to clean a dirty trash can for decades was to use bleach and a water hose. But bleach WILL NOT kill that odor-producing bacteria effectively. Bleach creates a protective barrier around most bacteria, then the bacteria still continue to rapidly multiply after that shell is shed. And you can easily use over 80 gallons of your own water to only have a “somewhat” cleaner trash can. And that dirty bleach water runs into your yard or down the city storm drains which is actually against city regulations. And for what? Your trash can is still not that clean. What a waste of your time.
What is the best way to kill bacteria in a trash can?
High heat! It takes at least 150 degrees to kill most bacteria in your trash can. But that is difficult and dangerous to try and do manually. When you have a Clean R Cans cleaning you have a cleaning that is done with steaming hot water and enough pressure to blow the wrinkles off an elephant!
How does your professional cleaning differ from how I can clean?
- It’s easy – Imagine only taking 2 minutes of your time to have a cleaned and sanitized trash can
- Super fast, online sign-up or phone call
- Select a cleaning frequency and your details, using our online sign-up form
- You are clearly communicated with regarding your cleaning date and details
- You don’t need to be home – save your own time, energy, and water
- You receive reminders the day before each cleaning
- You receive a follow-up message after the cleaning
Imagine having a cleaned, sanitized, and deodorized trash can that isn’t attracting rodents and insects or grossing you out.
CLEAN SMELLS GOOD
Do I need to sign a contract?
No. You do not have to sign a contract. We offer monthly (once every 4 weeks) or quarterly (once every 12 weeks) cleanings with no contract and we offer a one-time cleaning option. Ask us about our discounted pre-paid monthly service which is an agreement for 12 consecutive monthly cleanings. Also on any of our offers, if you move within our service area you can transfer service for no additional fee. If you cancel after the first cleaning, we reserve the right to charge you the balance of a one-time clean rate.
What if I’m not happy with the cleaning?
Clean R Cans has a unique R3 Guarantee! We are the only cleaners to offer the R3 Guarantee designed for you:
Revitalize – you get a cleaned and sanitized trash can
Refresh – you have a high-end anti-microbial scent applied to your can(s) which continues to kill bacteria for days AND it smells great!
Reinforce – you receive a follow-up text and email after each cleaning to see if we have met or exceeded your expectations. If you are not satisfied, we will schedule a re-clean. If you are still not satisfied then you get your money back!
What do you mean by “eco-friendly” trash can cleaning?
We use a state-of-the-art curbside cleaning system instead of using a water hose, we use a stainless-steel, 360-degree spinning head that is hand built in Italy. That is just a part of the super-fancy cleaning system we use. With this spinning head, pipping hot water will rapidly hit the inside of your trash can at every angle, killing 99.9% of the bacteria within seconds. Instead of using over 80 gallons of your water, this forward-thinking cleaning method will use about two gallons of water AND it will capture any dirty water to dispose of it properly. This means no nasty trash can juice or bleach is dumped on your beautiful lawn to go into your groundwater! We also only use “green-seal certified” products.
When do you perform the cleanings?
Currently, there are six different trash collection agencies in our service area we must coordinate with to make all this work. But, we are good at it and work hard to make it easy for you. Most neighborhoods are scheduled the day after trash collection and on recycle bin collection week since many of your neighbors will also have their recycle bins on a cleaning schedule even if you do not. Some areas have same-day service depending on collection day and other factors. You will be notified by text and/or email the day before your scheduled cleaning date. If you see that you are scheduled the day after your collection day, you do not need to leave your trash can at the curb but that is preferred. Leave the cans empty and we will be able to begin our routes earlier so the cleaning should be done in a more timely manner and not so late in the day. When cans are at the curb this allows us to get to cleanings faster and we appreciate that! If you must move the cans up from the curb overnight, please leave them where we can easily find them to perform the cleaning as usual. We have been performing next-day service for many clients in neighborhoods with strict HOA guidelines without any complications for years now so we don’t want you to stress about that. We operate on a 4-week schedule for monthly cleanings and a 12-week schedule for quarterly cleanings so that we can coordinate with the recycle bin collections that are only every other week in most neighborhoods. It’s a no-brainer!
How long have you been in business?
Clean R Cans was founded in 2014 and is not a franchise. We are locally-owned, woman-owned, and veteran-owned. As one of the first trash can cleaning services in America, we are trailblazers in a now fast-growing industry. We spent years educating the public and mastering the complex logistics of this new, emerging industry when we had no one to learn from ourselves. Our growth was slow and consistent in the beginning. Our dedicated and happy clients have proven, this industry was needed and here to stay and now we clean hundreds of cans each week because our clients don’t want to go back to living with a dirty trash can. We have become industry leaders and taught hundreds of others across the nation (and a few other countries) how to start their own trash can cleaning businesses. Edwina Adams, founder of Clean R Cans also has two industry e-books and has won accolades for her leadership in the industry.
Do you offer a military discount?
Yes, we do offer a military discount to active duty, participating reservists, or retired military members. We will give a 10% discount on each payment for our non-contract monthly, quarterly or one-time services. We also offer a 10% discount to actively working Public Service Personnel (Police, Fire, EMS). We reserve the right to have you email us proof of active status. Only one discount may be used at a time and pre-paid already discounted services are exempt from additional military or first responder discounts or other discounts as it is are already highly discounted.
Do you offer any other services?
Yes, we offer surface cleaning and are able to power wash driveways, walkways, porches, retaining walls, or wood decks. We have specialized equipment for this as well and focus on using “green cleaners” and are fully insured. Once you are a client we will share an additional “secret menu” service we offer to clients. This service is not on our website but we call it Concierge Trash Service. If you will be out of town on a trash collection day for vacation, holiday, or unexpected business travel and want your cans/bins to the curb so they can still be emptied – we can schedule to do that for you and even return them up from the curb after trash collection so your HOA is not fining you. No more overflowing or expiring trash for an extra week just because you were out of town.