Space Saving Under-Cabinet Trash Cans: Door, Wall Mounted and Grocery Bag Trash Cans

Are you looking for space saving trash cans?

If so, then under-cabinet trash cans are the best choice for you.

With the ability to disguise themselves behind doors, walls and under cabinets, there’s really no competition when it comes shopping for a waste basket.

Among them, you even have two choices. And although the options may seem miniscule at the moment, with the varieties available you should find yourself quite satisfied.

The two choices you can choose from are mountable trash cans or pull-out trash cans. But the question is, between the two, which one would benefit you the most?

Surely, there are some pros and cons that you need to consider before making an ultimate buying choice, right?

The Pros and Cons of Under-Cabinet Trash Cans

Should you go with a pull-out trash can or should you go with a mountable trash can? That is the question.

Both have some advantages and disadvantages that you should be aware of, which will help you decide which trash can is better for you in terms of quality, budget and needs.

So, let’s talk about them right now…

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Pull-Out Trash Cans

If you’re not sure what pull-out trashs can are, they are simply trash cans that mount along the bottom of a cabinet and slide in and out when needed. This typically makes these trash can very advantageous for kitchens and bathrooms, where trash cans are needed the most.

So, now that you know what they are, let’s talk about the good and bads news about them.

Depending on what pull-out trash can you are getting, here is what can be said about them…

It may take up most, if not all of the cabinet space
Due to the size of these trash cans and how much trash they hold, you may find you have very little cabinet space left once you’ve installed the system. This could be a bad thing if you are short on cabinet space and every inch of space counts in your bathroom or kitchen.

However, the good news is that pull-out trash cans tend to hold more trash than mountable trash cans. And that’s only if you get one trash can with the system. There are some systems that come with two trash cans which can save you from frequent trips to the Dumpster.
You’re limited to where you can mount your trash can
Unlike mountable trash cans, which are usually free to mount just about anywhere, pull-out trash cans don’t have the same benefits. Due to the requirements of the pull-out system your options are limited to cabinets only. If you need variety concerning location, this can be a very big con.
It may not have a lid
Although this isn’t usually a big deal. Since you’ll be mounting the trash can beneath a cabinet and the door of the cabinet will serve as an odor-container, a lid will likely not be required.

However, if you have other items under the counter, and you’re concerned about odors latching onto them, you may find a lid to be a vital addition. And thankfully, there are some pull-out trash cans that do come with lids. You just have to be selective about which one you choose.
It may be more expensive than mountable trash cans Although this isn’t always the case, most pull-out trash cans are more expensive than mountable trash cans. However, the quality and assurance of these trash can systems may be worth the extra expense to you. As implied above, the trash cans are of good size. If you compare them to a lot of mountable trash cans the amount of trash they hold is usually considerably larger.

Now, that wasn’t so bad, was it? None of the cons were detrimental, but necessary to know about. Yet, they were typically offset by a pro.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Mountable Trash Cans

And now that we’ve talked about the pros and cons of pull-out trash cans, let’s talk about mountable trash cans.

Depending on what pull-out trash can you are getting, here is what can be said about them…

It can be short on trash space
Many mountable trash cans aren’t very lenient with offering you much trash space. This is usually due to the fact that many of them are built to accommodate grocery bags and the average sized grocery bag isn’t very big.

If you use this system solely, be prepared to rip up larger items, such as cereal boxes, into smaller pieces and make frequent trips to the Dumpster. However, a pro to offset this con is that some of the systems are only as small as their grocery bags. So, if you can get your hands on bigger bags, you’ve got more trash space.

You could also make up for the loss of space by increasing the quantity of trash systems. It will likely not cut down on having to rip up some items but it will likely reduce your trips to the Dumpster.
It may not have a lid
Like pull-out trash cans, some mountable trash cans don’t have lids. This is fine if you don’t need one, since a cabinet door or door of any kind can serve as a lid to contain the odors. However, in some cases a lid may be necessary. For instance, when you have a trash can mounted in a coat closet in which odors could latch onto clothing. This is when you might find it pertinent to single-out trash can systems that have lids.
You have to be careful of leakage
Mountable trash cans that rely on grocery bags are susceptible to leakage due to the grocery bags having holes and tearing. Yet, to reduce the likelihood of this happening, a few precautions need to be taken. Be certain to always look for holes in your grocery bags before using them and/or double-up on grocery bags.

If in doubt, always use two at a time. Put one grocery bag inside the other so that one can serve as a fail-safe if the other one isn’t reliable. Another idea is to simply avoid any system that relies on grocery bags if you abhor using mountable trash cans that rely on them.
It is a cost-effective choice
For systems that allow you to use grocery bags, this can save you a lot of money in the long run. All of the grocery bags that you take home from the store now have a new use. They can be re-used or recycled (in a sense).

Many mountable trash cans are also very affordable and can be easily purchased even if you’re on a budget. Some even offer a bag storage compartment. They are also ideal because unlike pull-out trash cans, you can mount them just about anywhere…
…To name a few places: closets, pantries, under cabinets, along walls in any room and the obvious places are kitchens and bathrooms. If you don’t have a lot of room or you’re simply looking for a clutter-free option, those few benefits alone can make mountable trash cans stand out.

What to Look For in an Under-Cabinet Trash Can

We talked about pros and cons among pull-out and mountable trash cans. You know the most important things to look. But let’s go over them again so that you can be certain to single those features out if you need to.

And also so that you can consider some other options and know what to do if those features don’t exist.

The most important features you might want to look for in an under-cabinet trash can are…

A trash can with a lid
A bag storage compartment
Adequate trash space
The ability to mount it anywhere

What To Do When They Don’t Have These Benefits

Three of the choices above can solved by simply mixing and matching trash can types.

For instance, if the trash can you really want…

doesn’t have a lid
doesn’t have enough trash space
and can’t be mounted anywhere

…in a situation like that, it’s best to get at least two trash cans with different features. In fact, when getting space saving trash cans, I recommend always getting at least two trash cans.

Each trash can should be different from the other.

As a rule of thumb you should have…

two trash cans with lids
or one trash can with a lid and one without

…but never two trash cans that don’t have lids.

One at least needs to have a lid. That way you can exercise the benefits of both trash cans.

One can serve as a fail-safe for the other. If you buy two trash cans without lids, then you won’t be able to rely on one when you have a situation in which you need to contain the odor of an item, and so forth.

Again, the same can be said if you need a trash can that has adequate storage space or you need a trash can to mount anywhere in your home.

If possible, to make it extremely easy on yourself in terms of having enough trash space and flexibility concerning where the trash can can be placed… one pull-out trash can is recommended and one mountable trash can is advised.

Two great combinations to consider are the Under Counter Pull Out Trash Can and the Cabinet Mount Trash System.

Both are very high quality and reliable trash cans.

Lastly, what do you do when your trash can doesn’t have a bag storage compartment?

Well the truth is, you could get a bag storage compartment but chances are it may not hold all of the grocery bags you want to keep. If that is the case, I recommend storing them in your luggage.

I used to do this myself. My suitcases were taking up plenty of space, so I figured why not make use of the empty space inside? So, if your luggage is empty, you might want to consider this option too.

Where Should You Place Your Trash Can?

The kitchen and bathroom are two obvious places for your trash cans. However, what if you want to consider other options if you plan on getting only one trash can or if you plan on getting more than two?

Well, I can’t tell you exactly where to place it, but I can give you a good idea on a prime location that might also work for you.

I used to live in a one-bedroom apartment and I had one lidless wall mountable trash can that I used. That was it. No other trash cans in my home. Believe it or not, I went on like that for 3 years and I would’ve continued to do so if my mom and I didn’t end up moving in together.

In my case, I felt the bathroom and kitchen were bad ideas. Simply because if I had to throw something away that was in the bathroom, I’d have to walk all the way to the kitchen to throw it away and vice versa. So to solve the problem, I chose a half-way point.

That is, I found the place in my apartment that was basically only a few steps away from any location within my apartment: a few steps from my bedroom, a few steps from my bathroom, a few steps from my living room… you get the picture.

This idea will likely work for just about any small place that classifies as a one-bedroom apartment, studio or dorm. It will also work for bigger places but most likely only if you get more than one trash can.

What Does This Mean to You?

If you started out looking for space saving trash cans, hopefully your search stops here. You now understand what to look for.

You’ve been enlightened about the pros and cons of owning a space saving trash can. Now you know you can use the benefits of each trash can to your advantage. By simply mixing and matching two different types of trash cans, one can serve as a fail-safe for the other.

And even if you can only afford to buy one to start with, you can always purchase the second one at a later date. So keep that in mind too.

There are plenty of choices to choose from so that you can choose the ones that work best for you. Assess your needs and budget and weigh them against the pros and cons of each choice.

Once you’ve done that, finding the one that works for you should be a satisfying and straight forward process.

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