When my husband and I moved into our first home together, we discovered that the previous owners had left behind a few things, all of which we gratefully kept and used for years. One of these bonus treasures was a perfectly lovely wide-mouthed wicker wastebasket that had a sort of billowy plastic lining.
It moved with us two times, and though I didn’t love that the wide rim made it impossible to line it with a trash bag (meaning that when gum was tossed in there, it would stick to the plastic lining… nasty!), I kept it because I never throw out something that is perfectly passably doing its job. Well, it was—at least in theory—doing its job, because every week while celebrating Garbage Eve (the night before the garbage collector comes and we empty all our indoor garbage cans), I would inevitably find evidence of well-intentioned but missed free throws of all sort of detritus: spent floss, errant nail trimmings, and the occasional stray cotton swab. I found myself silently fuming at my husband for believing too firmly in either his aim or the wideness of the wastebasket’s opening and sending his biohazardous waste on a wing and a prayer in what can only be described as the general vicinity of that old basket.
It was only when the wicker started to break and jut upward in jagged spikes that I felt I could in good conscience look for a new garbage can for our bathroom. I tend to gravitate toward decor that is “Versailles, but make it minimalist” and found this two-gallon garbage can that was both gorgeous and functional. With over 8k reviews, 4.5 stars, and an A review on FakeSpot, I felt fairly comfortable that I’d found what I (never knew) I needed.
What Makes the ELPHECO Automatic Garbage Can So Great?
It has an inner lining ring that holds the bag in place for heavier waste but also keeps the bag fully tucked inside, which was a huge upgrade to the “bag-folded-over-the-side” look of my other bathroom garbage cans. My favorite part, however? It has a motion-activated opening, so that in order to throw things away, you simply wave your hand over it and it pops open, then closes automatically after a few seconds.
At first, I thought it might be a bit annoying to not be able to just toss things in willy-nilly, but then I realized that keeping its dirty little secrets under the lid meant that my husband and kids would be slowed down enough to make sure whatever they were tossing actually made it in. Sure, I’ve had the cans that open when you step on the pedal, but there is something about this little thing obeying my command to open that makes me fall in love with it every day. Since it’s oblong rather than round, it can tuck away in even the coziest of powder rooms, and the rose-gold trim takes a functional object from forgettable to belle of the ball bathroom.
I’ve had this beauty in my life for two months now, and there has never been a stray used bandage or tissue that has missed its mark. Garbage Eve is now merry again, and my husband (lovely, kind, generous, but mess-blind until it is pointed out) is now spared my rants that rivaled Joe Pesci in Home Alone. Who knew a garbage can could bring such harmony?
