Garage Garbage Storage: The Best Ways to Store Trash Cans in Your Garage

Keeping trash cans in the garage is the smart move for most homeowners: it keeps odors out of the house, consolidates your waste in one spot, and keeps cans accessible from the driveway without cluttering the yard. The challenge is that trash cans are awkward, smelly, and take up a lot of floor space if you just park them against the wall. Good garbage storage solves the odor problem, keeps cans tidy, and can reclaim surprising amounts of garage space in the process.

The best garage garbage storage setup depends on how many cans you have, your garage's floor plan, and whether you're willing to mount anything to the wall. I'll cover the main options: floor-mounted can corrals, wall-mounted holders, cabinet enclosures, and a few DIY approaches that work better than most commercial products.

Floor Can Corrals and Bin Corrals

A can corral is a simple enclosure that keeps your trash and recycling cans upright, together, and in one designated spot. Commercial versions are usually powder-coated steel or resin, with side rails that prevent cans from falling over and a front lip that keeps everything in line.

The practical benefit isn't just aesthetics. Trash cans stored loose against a wall get knocked over by car doors, shifted by pets, and pushed out of position every time you park. A corral locks the position. Most garage can corrals have a bottom sled or rail that the cans sit on, which makes it easy to pull the entire corral forward when you need access.

Steel corrals hold up better than resin in temperature extremes. Plastic versions work fine but can become brittle in unheated garages that drop below freezing repeatedly. A basic 2-can corral typically runs $40 to $100. A 3-can version runs $80 to $150. These are solid products from brands like Rubbermaid, Suncast, and Amazon Basics.

Where to Position Cans in Your Garage

Position your trash corral against the garage wall closest to the exterior access point for trash pickup. If pickup is from the front, position cans near the side door or the front corner. This minimizes how far you have to drag the cans on pickup day.

Don't position cans directly behind where a car door opens. A lot of garage garbage storage problems come from this: the cans are in the right general area but exactly where the car door swings, leading to constant collisions and relocated cans.

Wall-Mounted Trash Can Holders

Wall-mounted trash can holders get the cans completely off the floor, which reclaims floor space and makes cleaning under them easy. The cans hang from brackets attached to the wall studs, typically holding 13-gallon kitchen-size cans or standard 32-gallon outdoor cans.

For 13-gallon indoor-type cans, a simple hook system works: the can's rim hooks over two curved arms mounted at the right height, and the bag drops inside when you need it. These are popular for garage workshops where you generate small amounts of debris from projects.

For 32 to 64-gallon outdoor cans, wall mounts are less common because the weight (a full 32-gallon can of typical household trash weighs 30 to 50 pounds) requires robust stud mounting and the right bracket design. Some people build simple wooden platforms mounted to the wall, which give the can a dedicated spot and keep it accessible.

The limitation of wall-mounted holders is that your cans need to fit the bracket. Measure the can diameter at the rim before buying any wall-mount system. The variance between different brand trash cans is larger than most people expect.

Cabinet Enclosures for Trash Cans

A cabinet-style garbage enclosure is the cleanest solution for keeping trash out of sight and smell under control. These are wood or metal cabinet boxes with a front door (often flip-up or slide-out) that opens for easy access. The cabinet contains the can completely when closed.

Outdoor garbage cabinet enclosures are typically resin with UV stabilization. Suncast's Hideaway and Keter's Unit Store are the most common brands. Both hold one or two 32-gallon cans and have doors that stay open for hands-free loading. They run $150 to $300 depending on size.

In a garage, these cabinets serve two purposes: they contain odors (the walls trap smell better than open corrals) and they look clean. The doors lock on most models, which keeps animals out, an important feature if raccoons or other wildlife are active in your area.

The Best Garage Storage guide covers full garage storage systems if you want to see how garbage storage fits into a complete garage organization plan alongside tool storage and overhead racks.

DIY Cabinet Build for Trash Storage

If you're comfortable with basic woodworking, building a simple trash enclosure is fast and costs $50 to $100 in materials. A basic version is a 3-sided box (back, two sides) mounted between wall studs with a front door hinged on one side. Use pressure-treated or exterior-grade plywood if the garage has moisture exposure.

The advantage over commercial options is you can size it exactly for your specific cans and space. Standard 32-gallon cans are about 24 inches in diameter at the base and 30 inches tall. A cabinet that's 26 inches wide, 26 inches deep, and 36 inches tall holds one can with room for the lid. Add 24 inches of width for a second can.

Odor Control in Garage Garbage Storage

Even the best storage system doesn't help if your garbage area smells terrible. A few practical approaches:

Baking soda in the can bottom: A half-cup of baking soda in the bottom of the can before adding the bag absorbs moisture and neutralizes odors. Replace when you change the bag.

Dryer sheets: Taping a dryer sheet to the inside wall of the can lid works surprisingly well for light odor control. Replace weekly.

Proper bag fit: A bag that's too small for the can lets food waste contact the can interior directly, which causes the worst odors. Use the correct bag size for your can, and go one size up if you consistently have overflow.

Washing the can quarterly: A spray down with a garden hose and a splash of bleach-water solution, then air dry. Takes 5 minutes and eliminates the accumulated bacterial buildup that causes persistent odor.

Activated charcoal discs: Stick-on charcoal deodorizers designed for trash cans work better than air fresheners for garage garbage. They absorb the compounds that create organic odor rather than masking them.

For cans stored in unheated garages in summer, heat accelerates decomposition significantly. Emptying kitchen trash more frequently in hot months (every 2 days rather than weekly) makes a more noticeable difference than any deodorizer.

Pest-Proofing Your Garage Garbage Storage

If you're storing garbage in the garage, pest control matters. Raccoons, mice, and squirrels will find their way in if cans aren't secured.

Tight-fitting lids: The first line of defense. Most outdoor garbage cans have lids designed to stay closed, but raccoons can and do learn to flip basic lids. Cans with locking lids (Toter, Rubbermaid Roughneck, or cans with a latch system) are worth the extra cost.

Can placement: Storing cans inside a cabinet enclosure provides a layer between the animals and the garbage, even if the outer enclosure isn't perfectly sealed.

Motion-activated lights: A bright light triggered by motion near your garage garbage area discourages nocturnal animals without much effort.

Seal the garage perimeter: The larger issue is often how animals are getting into the garage in the first place. Gaps under the garage door seal, holes where utilities enter, and broken weather stripping are all entry points. Sealing these is a better long-term solution than trying to defend individual cans.

For overhead storage that can be paired with garbage storage to fully organize your garage, the Best Garage Top Storage guide covers ceiling-mounted platforms and overhead shelving.

FAQ

How many trash cans should I store in my garage? The typical household needs three: one for general trash, one for recycling, and ideally one for compostables if your area has that pickup. In two-car garages with limited space, many people manage with two. The number depends on your pickup frequency; weekly pickup with a large family needs bigger cans, bi-weekly may require more cans total.

What's the best way to store recycling bins specifically? Recycling bins are harder to organize than trash cans because they're often open-top, awkward shapes, or multiple smaller containers. A simple approach: a steel shelf unit with one bin per shelf, sized to the bins you actually use. Label the shelves to make sorting automatic. This beats a can corral for recycling because most recycling bins aren't round cans.

Can I store trash cans outside the garage to save space? Yes, if your HOA and local ordinances allow it and if you have a good place to secure them. Outside storage works best with a dedicated shed or enclosure with a lockable door. Leaving cans loose outside creates pest attraction and is an eyesore in most neighborhoods. Many HOAs actually require garage storage of trash cans between pickup days.

What do I do about liquids in the trash can that cause smell? Avoid putting loose liquids in the trash at all. Pour liquid food waste down the drain, let leftover soups and drinks go down the sink, and drain containers before tossing them. This single habit eliminates most garbage odor at the source.

The Bottom Line

Garage garbage storage works best when you pick the right container for your situation and deal with the odor and pest issues proactively rather than reactively. A simple can corral handles most households well. Cabinet enclosures are worth it if smell is a persistent problem or if you want a cleaner look. The pest and odor solutions cost almost nothing and make a bigger difference than upgrading to a fancier storage system. Start with the basics and add complexity only if you actually need it.