Clever Can Camo: 5 Creative Ways to Hide your Trash Cans

Trash cans: we all need them, but nobody wants to look at them. So what do you do?

Read on to discover 5 creative ways to transform your indoor or outdoor trash can from eyesore to décor without sacrificing function or convenience.

1: DIY Cedar Camouflage Fence

The first idea is for outdoors. This couple built an attractive disguise for their trash cans using cedar fencing, 4X4 posts, and framing made of 2X4 treated lumber (see photo above). Voilà!

2: Creative DIY Pallet Cover

This second creative can cover uses upcycled wooden pallets to hide unsightly trash cans. All you need is a drill, some screws, some paint, and a little inspiration!

Click here for more cool upcycling ideas.

3: Tilt-Out DIY Kitchen Trash Can Cabinet

This tilt-out cabinet looks more like an attractive piece of furniture in its own right, rather than just a clever disguise for your kitchen trash can.

Blogger Dawn Nicole outlines the step-by-step process that she used to build her cabinet, and provides a link to the plans that she used. Guests will ask you where you got this gorgeous cabinet!

4: DIY Trash-Can-in-a-Drawer

If you have a little extra cabinet space, a drawer can be the perfect spot to tuck away a small kitchen trash can. This web page gives step-by-step instructions for how to transform a regular drawer into a pull-out trash can and recycling bin holder.

If you’re not the DIY type, there are also several commercial versions of this sort of product available for purchase.

5: Outdoor Trash Can Cabinets with Doors

If you want to hide your outdoor trash cans and recycling bins from all sides, or if you’re concerned about keeping the local animal population away from your cans, an enclosed trash cabinet with doors is a good way to go.

This Old House offers these step-by-step instructions for building your own DIY trash can cabinet, and there are also lots of pre-made models available, such as this one that includes a planter and trellis on the side. So many possibilities!

Keep your Trash Cans Clean with Wet & Forget Indoor

Even after they’re tucked away in their beautiful new homes, your trash cans can still become infested with mold and mildew. Don’t take it lying down!

Wipe out mold and mildew with Wet & Forget Indoor Mold + Mildew Disinfectant Cleaner. Just spray and wipe to kill mold, disinfect, deodorize, inhibit mold re-growth, and leave a fresh, clean scent behind!

Click here for instructions.

Enjoy your trouble-free trash cans!

Photos courtesy of Carlson Projects, Inc., Judith Deuel, Dawn Nicole, Lindsay Ballard, and Apartment Therapy.