Today I learned something about myself. I learned that I am the kind of person who will pay $60 plus tax for a receptacle in which to store my kitchen garbage.

Shiny trash can

I used to stash my trash in a cheap Rubbermaid trashcan under the sink. It was a wonderful solution, until my new cat Max discovered that he could pull open the doors and get in, the better to eat whatever I’d just thrown away. I tried various means of fastening the doors, settling on a couple of elastic hairbands. But he’s a persistent little feline, and he would keep pulling and pulling at the doors and squeezing his head in until he stretched the bands and they no longer worked.

Then I resorted to sealing the doors with duct tape.

Under-sink-trash protection mechanism

This worked well, in that it kept Max out of the trash. But at the same time it didn’t work at all, because it also kept me from putting anything into the trash. I found myself putting trash in plastic grocery store bags and hanging them from a hook at the top of the basement door, because that was much faster than peeling away the duct tape and then reapplying it.

I bought some childproofing things to secure the under-sink area, but I didn’t want to spend time affixing them — I dislike any task that requires drills — and I didn’t think they would be much of an improvement. How long would it take Max to figure out how to unlatch the childproof latches? My guess: one day.

Instead, I bought the shiny chrome trash can. It takes up little space, and it’s actually easier for me to access than the under-sink can was before Max came along. I think of it as snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. Or at least, from the jaws of a clever and persistent house cat.

4 replies on “Classy trash”

  1. We should have swapped!

    Our dog Poli left our fancy trashcan alone for more than a year. Then a doctor prescribed him steroids for an ear infection and he spent two weeks roid-raging — including getting into the trash.

    A skill that, of course, he can never unlearn.

    So our fancy-pants receptacle now sits in the basement, and our new boring plastic one stays protected under the sink now. Ha!

  2. That’s funny! Poli seems like such a sweetie it’s hard to imagine him roid-raging. I expect it was the sweetest and most lovable raging possible. Although also very vexing.

    Maybe this is a sign that I should blog more often, so that my friends and I can tell when a swap is in order. Next time my cats cause trouble, you will be hearing about it promptly.

  3. Had much the same problem with my cat – except instead of duct tape I had a chair blocking the cabinet door (I’ve got no knobs/handles). A little easier to get to the trash, but who wants a chair in front of their sink?

    I wandered to Home Depot in search of a solution, and found one that works great:

    http://www.amazon.com/Safety-1st-Magnetic-Locking-Complete/dp/B004GCJMLG

    The door will stay shut unless you put the little magnetic key on the front. No altering the door, nothing visible from the outside – really nice. And you can even set it so it stays unlocked if you want to. Plus if you lose the key, I am pretty sure any magnet will open it.

    Of course you have a much nicer trash can than me…

Comments are closed.