Whenever I’m a guest in someone’s home, my host is usually very polite and accommodating. They always make sure I have everything I need, such as towels, soap, pillows, blankets, etc. Even if I brought my own bathroom necessities or blankets, I appreciate their hospitality. I always feel slightly self-conscious when using the shower in someone else’s home, but having shampoo and a clean towel makes me feel a bit more comfortable. That is until I shut myself in the bathroom to take a shower or do the morning/nightly routine and notice, THEY HAVE NO TRASH CAN!
Now, I grew up where we used plastic grocery bags shoved into old metal Christmas popcorn tins as our bathroom trash cans, so I wouldn’t care if it wasn’t fancy, but I do notice when there’s none at all! I usually use a bathroom trash can at least a few times a week, whether I’m tossing a used tissue, changing toilet paper tubes, or cleaning out my hairbrush.
The most obvious use of a bathroom trash can would be during that time of the month, for women to easily dispose of unwanted things… I don’t want to have to carry my used feminine products out of the bathroom in front of friends or family and walk into the kitchen to throw them away. I don’t want to broadcast the fact that I’m on my period either! I would prefer to dispose of that stuff as quickly as possible. In the past, when I don’t want to attract attention, I’ve had to wrap my trash up in dirty clothes and shove it into my luggage to dispose of later.
Some people would say that if you’re staying in a house of guys, it makes sense they don’t have a trash can because they don’t use such items, but that’s not the only use for a bathroom trash can! Men probably don’t have as much to do in the bathroom as women, but still! When I empty a tube of toothpaste, I can’t just toss it in the nearby trash. When I change my contacts, I can’t throw the old pack away. If I finish a bottle of eye contact solution, face wash, shampoo, conditioner, or soap, I can’t just toss it.
Whenever I visit my boyfriend and his lack-of-trash-can roommates, I end up having to carry out my bathroom trash to throw away elsewhere, which is simply inconvenient!
Their excuse is that they have dogs, so the dogs would dig in the trash and carry it all over the house, ripping it apart. This would be true. However, small trash cans with lids exist, too!
I walk out with a handful of things like a Kleenex, wad of hair, toilet paper tube, and eye contact packs... searching for a place to toss them.
How do people use their bathrooms with no trash cans? Do they always carry their trash out with them when they’re finished?
I don’t want to hide or feel ashamed about my bathroom trash.
Please put a trash can in your bathroom!