I Love My Simplehuman Trash Can

This is my in-depth, unbiased review of the Simplehuman trash can—where sleek design meets innovative features.

Now isn’t that a ridiculous headline. But sometimes you’ve “gotta call ’em as you see ’em.”

Two years ago, Barbara returned home from Bed, Bath & Beyond clutching a big box.

She was beaming with the excitement someone shows when they’ve found something really unique.

“John,” she yelled, “you’ve got to see this. I found the Lamborghini of garbage cans.”

Links are affiliate links which means I will earn a small commission if you buy the item at no extra cost to you.

As she took it out of a box that said Simplehuman on it, I could see that it was sleek and tall and made out of stainless steel.

It was more DeLorean-like. Doc Brown (Back To The Future) would have been impressed with this trash can.

Hmmm… a DeLorean, a Lamborghini. I started to get a little nervous. “Exactly how much did you pay for it?” I asked.

With a big smile, she replied, “I got 20% off from Bed, Bath & Beyond.”

“Great! How much did it cost?”

“About a hundred dollars with the discount.”

“What, a hundred dollars for a garbage can!”

“John!” Her tone now changed. “You know how much garbage cans aggravate you, but you’re going to love this one.”

She was right in both senses.

You see, I’ve got a thing with garbage cans. Whoever designed them never seemed to be able to get them right.

They were either too small or didn’t fit under the sink or, if they were plastic, they didn’t close properly or you couldn’t clean them properly.

Oh, and the metal ones, those foot pedal openers always broke.

I often felt like shouting from the rooftops, “Can’t anyone make a garbage can that works?”

As you can see by now, I’ve got a thing about kitchen trash. Maybe I’m obsessing a bit.

But I’m also a tool guy. I like things that do their job and do it efficiently.

And I love kitchen tools that work well. I love our Vitamix, Euro Cuisine yogurt maker, our Lodge cast iron pans (so easy to clean), and sharp knives.

They do their job well. And they’ve done it for years.

But a good garbage can. That was something I never expected.

Until now.

Simplehuman trash can does the job

Two years later, our Simplehuman trash can works as well as when Barbara first brought it home.

Its “lid shox” technology is so well made that it shuts perfectly and quietly.

After being stepped on several times a day for two years, the steel pedal is still doing its job.

There are many different styles to chose from. The one Barbara chose is so well designed that it blends right into the kitchen.

The stainless steel is pretty tough. Ours has taken a lot of punishment and is still dent free.

There’s still one more important feature that I want to tell you about.

Let me give you a little context first.

I grew up before the advent of plastic garbage bags. The first plastic bags didn’t start to appear on the market until the late sixties.

My mom was probably like most moms. She threw her trash out in the paper bags she brought home from the market.

Since I was the only boy, I was the designated trash hauler. Throwing out the trash didn’t bother me. It was the bags that got to me.

The bags didn’t hold that much so, usually, they were filled to the top.

I pleaded with my mom not to overfill them but they were in limited supply so she did what she had to do.

I hated getting other people’s leftovers on my hands.

And then sometimes grease would leak from the bottom of the bag.

Now I would have cooking oil all over my hands and sometimes, even worse, oil on my favorite worn-out jeans.

Talk about a traumatic experience for a teen in the 60s and 70s.

I won’t even mention the outside garbage cans. Paper garbage bags and metal garbage cans were an invitation to a raccoon feast.

Ah, the 60s. Things were so much easier then.

Things did get a little easier by the early 70s. We finally had Glad bags and wire ties.

Things were starting to look up in the home trash removal business. I just had to urge mom to use those ties.

In 1984, garbage bag Nirvana arrived. Plastic bags with drawstrings. Now that was a good idea.

Garbage bag problem solved.

Simplehuman trash bags

But Simplehuman has taken the garbage bag experience to a new level.

You’ve got to be saying, “It doesn’t take a lot to get this guy excited.”

Well, when you have a big family and cook a lot, kitchen trash removal is a big deal.

The Simplehuman trash can comes with a limited supply of bags which fit perfectly into a removable plastic container.

In order to remove the bags, you just remove the plastic bag holder, pull out the bag, and then replace it with another bag.

Voilà, no muss no fuss.

And we never have a problem with bags sliding into the can or see an unsightly bag hanging over the edges.

You do have to buy the Simplehuman bags, though, for it to work perfectly.

They hold about 12 gallons which, for a family of six, will take about a day to fill.

Are they more expensive than other bags? Possibly. I haven’t really checked.
But I wouldn’t care anyway.

I know, I know, they get you with the refill cost.

But this is like buying premium oil for your Lamborghini. If you want it to work well, you spend an extra buck for their bags.

To date, we haven’t had a broken bag or drawstring.

We get our bags from amazon.com

Ah, the 60s were great.

But they would’ve been better with a Simplehuman trash can.

Please note that I did not receive any compensation from Simplehuman for writing this review. These opinions are completely my own — I just had to share this wonderful product with all of you.

Read this next

Why We Bought a Sleep EZ 100% Natural Latex Mattress – This is the ultimate unbiased mattress review comparing coil spring mattresses, memory foam, and latex mattresses.

Vitamix Unleashed: A Comprehensive Review and a Refreshing Gluten Free Smoothie – My unbiased review of Vitamix. It blends whole foods in smoothies and even soups, frozen desserts, and more.

Is Your Lipstick Gluten Free? – Read to discover what dangerous compounds and chemicals could be lurking in your makeup.

Xtrema Ceramic Cookware – When shopping for cookware, I look for pots and pans that are durable, healthy to cook with, and that I can clean easily. Get the low down on this all natural ceramic glaze cookware that has no chemicals or metals.

How We Make Overhead Cooking Videos – This is a look at our behind the scenes equipment, filming techniques, and tips for creating videos of our mouthwatering dishes from the comfort of our kitchen.