The Surprisingly Versatile Spring Bag

I am so glad that Lorie Marrero, a professional organizer, came to visit our office recently.  She gave us awesome insights on how she helps people organize.  However, the most exciting thing for me was that she told us how she uses our Spring Bag (designed for gathering outdoor leaves and yard debris). 

She uses it while helping her clients get organized in their homes.  She also uses it for herself - for picnics, camping, parties, and opening gifts at holiday time (The Clutter Diet Blog).  I never realized that this item was so versatile!  I am so excited to pick one of these up and actually try it to help with organizing my home.  I need a lot of help getting organized, so I'll take whatever little tips and tricks I can pick up along the way.

Do you have a product that was made for some other purpose, but you use it to help you get organized?  If so, I'd love to add your product to my list of items to try out!

Attack of the Animals - Why do they chew on plastic?

It seems that no matter the time of year, Rubbermaid Consumer Services receives a number of phone calls regarding animals chewing our refuse containers, sheds, or other outdoor storage items.  While this is not a manufacturing issue, it is an irritating one to those who fight the battle.

 

Animals are not attracted to the plastic; they are attracted to the odors emitted from items stored inside.  Here are some suggestions on how to deter animal chewing (and to overpower the odors that attract animals):

1.  Using a sock or cheesecloth, place mothballs inside and tape to the underside of the refuse container lid.  Caution: mothballs are toxic when ingested and may kill birds.

2.  Rub Capsaicin (an arthritis cream) on the outside of the container.

3.  Make your own repellent

    - 1 small bottle of hot pepper sauce

    - 1 gallon of water

    - 1 tsp. of mild liquid detergent such as dishwashing detergent.

    - Combine all ingredients and spray on containers or shed.

4.  Place rags soaked with ammonia inside the item.

5.  Rub cayenne pepper onto the unit.

 

There are many companies that offer deer and squirrel repellent sprays that can be found in home improvement and gardening stores.  Follow manufacturer's instructions when using.

 

In the instance that a piece of your shed is damaged or the lid to your refuse container needs to be replaced, please call Rubbermaid Consumer Services for pricing and availability.  We can be reached by calling 1-888-895-2110 Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 5:00 pm ET.

 

Note: The Animal Stopper Refuse Container does offer a defense mechanism for keeping animals out by locking the lid in place.  While it does keep animals from removing the lid, it does not prevent animal chewing.

Hope that helps answer some of the common questions about why animals chew on plastic.

Other Popular Uses for Trash Cans

Trash cans, obviously, are designed to collect, store and transport garbage for pick-up day.  But, that is hardly the extent of what they can be used for.  Probably the most amazing use I have ever seen was to make an elaborate Halloween costume.

But seriously, below are some very common uses for trash cans that people have shared with us:

• Yard Debris (grass, pruning, leaves, weeds, etc.) – This is by far that biggest alternative use for trash cans.  In the yard a trash can is extremely versatile because many tasks require a similar solution – bagging yard debris.  Each city has a slightly different policy on how to dispose of that debris, but in all cases a trash can will make collecting it, bagging it and disposing of it easier.  Even if you just need to collect the debris to be moved and dumped somewhere else on your property, trash cans can aid you greatly.

• Recycling (paper, aluminum, plastic, glass, etc.) – If you are provided a 14 gallon recycling bin, that is great.  I’d venture that if you are recycling all that you can the bin you are provided isn’t big enough.  Just like storing garbage, trash cans store recyclables just as well.  Mark it “Recycling” with a silver Sharpie for your hauler to pick up.  Or if your hauler will only take extra recycling in bags, make sure you line the can prior to filling it up and just take the liner to the curb.  If you live in a state with a bottle bill, cut a whole in the top just large enough to slide a 2 liter bottle through, put it in the garage, and the family will know where to throw all of their empty cans and bottles until it is time to take them in for redemption.

• Animal Feed Storage (dog food, bird seed, livestock feed, etc.) – Sure, the food comes in a bag, but there are a lot of reasons not to store it in that once you get home.  Mice and rodents can get in to eat the food and contaminate it in the process.  Water damage can spoil the food.  Smart pets can eat through the bag if they get to where it is stored.  Not to mention, no one likes picking up the spill if the bag happens to split open.  Putting that food in a durable, plastic garbage can will both protect the food and make it easier to store.  For instance, a 40lbs bag of dog food fits nicely in a 20 gallon trash can (Part Number 2892).  Or, for more space efficiency in tight areas check out the 30 gallon Slimfit trash can (Part Number 2979).  Heavy feedbags for light agriculture can be dumped into wheeled trash cans so you have a portable storage solution.

• Gardening (mulch, potting soil, etc.) – My least favorite job each gardening season as a kid was spreading peat moss and having it spill all over our garage only to have to sweep it up over and over.  Storing those types of gardening substances in containers helps to manage moisture and store without spills.  Again, a wheeled trash can will allow you to roll it out to the garden area where you need to use it instead of using buckets, carts, or wheel barrows.

• Sporting Goods / Equipment Storage – What do you put 3 basketballs, 2 footballs, a frisbee, soccer ball, and baseball gear in to store in your garage?  For years, elementary schools around the country have used garbage cans to store sports equipment.  The same goes for camping and other recreational gear.

• Tool Storage –  If you haven’t invested in some type of rail system in your garage, and you hate having your shovels, rakes, edgers and other long-handled tools falling all over the place, putting them in a trash can in the corner can make storing them a lot easier (and safer).

• Charcoal/Firewood Storage – While not a lot of people use trash cans for this, we have heard that this is another solution that trash cans provide.

What have you used your trash can for in the yard and around the house other than to store garbage? Submit your comments. We'd love to hear from you.

How I use my New 32 Gallon Roughneck

I, like about half of America, have a large wheeled trash can provided to me by the city.  With 96 gallons of capacity, there are few weeks that I wish I could throw away more than it can hold.

But, that doesn’t mean that my 96 gallon “Big Blue” serves all of my needs – especially when it comes to yard work.  It just isn’t practical to lug that big thing around the yard with me as I mow, weed, and edge.  So, I brought home one of the new 32 gallon Roughneck trash cans to try out.

This was a product that my Team and I developed and launched earlier in the year, so I was pretty curious to see how it performed.

Mainly, what I needed it for was to hold trash bags open while I dumped in grass from the catcher or limbs trimmed from bushes and shrubs (the city requires that all yard debris be bagged for some reason).  When mowing the lawn I used to try and feed the lawn bag over the catcher, pouring the grass clippings into the bag, etc., but most of the time the bag fell off on one side, grass clippings fell everywhere, and it was a pain.  Having this trash can just sitting there to hold the bag open was a huge help.  The same was true with limbs trimmed off of bushes and shrubs, as you try and shove them in a bag with no structure they usually just pocked through and tore the bag and I couldn’t really shove a good amount of limbs in because I had nothing to push against.

Hint #1 – A 33 gallon trash bag fits snugly around the rim of the can, so you don’t have to worry about it falling down inside when you pour in the grass or putting in limbs.  But, air from underneath the trash bag also gets trapped and limits the amount you can pour in.  I make a small tear in the bag up near the rim to release that air pressure when I dump the grass in.  If you don’t alleviate that air pressure it just builds up the more that you put in it, until the bag pops off the rim and collapses inside the can, and then you have a real mess.

One other thing I dislike dealing with while working in the yard is filling a full trash bag, tying it off and dropping it in the 96 gallon bin only to find that I have to walk back to the garage to get another trash bag.  To me, I always want to be making progress in the yard, not extra trips.  This new trash can features a bag cinch, just in case you are using an over-sized bag and need to tuck the excess in to lock it down.  But, I found another use for it…

Hint #2 – If you don’t need to use the bag cinch for the trash bag inside the trash can, you can use it to carry a spare bag.  With a bag cinch in each handle, you can have two spares ready to go, and two less trips back to the garage!

Lastly, the designer and engineers did a great job making the base of this trash can more durable and less prone to wear a whole through the bottom.  I have been using this can just about every weekend since April 2008, making sure to drag it on the driveway and sidewalk everywhere I go. While the scratching is very evident the amount of wear (depth of scratching) is actually pretty light.  This trash can will last me a long time around the yard.

What little tricks have you found that makes using your trash can easier?

Which Trash Can is Right for Me?

Everyone has a trash can outside the home, right? Some people keep it near the garage, in the garage, beside the deck or even next to the back door. Me? I keep mine at the beginning of my driveway (near the house). It's not the most sightly thing, but it's the most convenient location when it comes time to wheel it out to the street on trash days.

Often, my city trash can (although large) doesn't do the trick. There could be weeks where I've had a party, finished some yard work or cleaned out a closet. When I went shopping for an additional trash can, I was amazed at the choices available today. Who knew consumers had so many options in a can?

Here's a few tips in case anyone is in the market for an extra outdoor trash can and can't decide on a perfect fit.

SCENARIO #1: You've just added "trash duty" to your 8 year old son's chore list.

SOLUTION #1: Try a can that is on the smaller size, so your child won’t struggle with it, and make sure it has wheels so he can doesn’t have to lift and carry it if the garbage is particularly heavy. Consider the 32 Gallon Wheeled Trash Can.

SCENARIO #2: Raccoons and other critters like to dine on your leftovers and make quite the mess.

SOLUTION #2: The 32 Gallon Animal Stopper Trash Can includes additional latches to help prevent unwanted animals from getting the lid off. (Watch this amazing video of raccoons meeting their match with Rubbermaid’s Animal Stopper.)

SCENARIO #3: A relatively short trip to the curb or a can that sits stationary in one location.

SOLUTION #3: A non-wheeled can should be sufficient, such as the 32 Gallon Non-Wheeled Trash Can. It's even got a bag sinch (to hold the bag in place) and a lid tether to keep the the lid close by.

See 3 more Outdoor Trash Solutions

Why I Hated Trash Cans…Until Now

This is my first post on the Rubbermaid.com blog.  I should probably write a great piece about how great our trash cans are, seeing as I am the Product Manager for what we call Home Waste.  But, I have to be honest – up until recently I have hated trash cans, and here is why:

When I bought my first house back in Portland, OR close to 6 years ago I had a lot of yard work to catch up on.  The sellers had really let it go.  When they moved away they left two 32 Gallon Wheeled cans by the side of the house.  I decided to put them to work, carting yard debris from the back of the house to the front where the city’s yard debris container was located.

I spent a good two hours in the hot summer sun edging the lawn in the back, cutting it back 2-3 inches, 6 inches deep.  The trimmings were thick and dense, so once I filled the can up with them it probably weighed a good 80 pounds (which you should never do).  I started pulling the can across the grass, but with that much weight in the can it was slow going and the wheels started cutting into the grass.  Not half-away across the yard the can tipped over and spilled out.  I was not happy.

I got down on my hands and knees, scooped all the trimmings back into the trash can, and then fought with it to get it standing upright again.  Another 20 feet, another tip, and I was back down trying to get the spill cleaned up and the can standing up.  I finally made it across the lawn and to the side of the house, and things got worse.  Instead of bark dust or just dirt between the deck and fence, the side of the house was covered in medium sized river rock.  This proved to be an even more unstable surface to “roll” the trash can over, so again it tipped twice more.  And river rock is much less fun to kneel on, let me tell you.

By this point I was furious and my wife can attest to the fact that I left that trash can, tipped over and spilling with lawn trimmings, for another two days before I finally cooled off enough to clean it up and finish the job.

From that experience forward I hated trash cans.  Now I work for Rubbermaid and manage the creation of new trash cans.  Everyday I sift through product design reviews, customer service reports, and work with engineers to optimize our plans moving forward.  The whole time I focus on how to make trash cans that really do make life a little easier.  I know a good trash can will never change the world or go so far as to make people truly happy, but at the very least a trash can shouldn’t ruin your day.  That’s my goal, anyway.