Pull-out and under-sink trash cans

Cans that live inside a cabinet, and what to measure.

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Three ways a cabinet holds a can

A pull-out can rides on slides inside a base cabinet and comes forward when you open the door or drawer. A tilt-out can sits in a hinged front that tips forward. An under-sink can sits on the cabinet floor below the sink.

Measure before you buy

Measure the cabinet opening, its inside depth and height, and the space around hinges, pipes, and the drain. The maker's instructions list the space a pull-out frame needs and how it mounts. We do not give installation steps.

Cleaners in the same cabinet

If cleaners share the cabinet, the AAP says to keep products in their original packaging, store them in locked cabinets or containers out of sight and reach of children, and install a safety latch that locks when you close the door on cabinets a child can reach. The CDC says to store and use chemicals out of the reach of children and pets.

Food scraps under the sink

EPA lists under your sink as one place to keep fruit and vegetable scraps for composting, in a closed container.

Leaks and gaps

EPA says to fix leaky plumbing, not to let water accumulate anywhere in the home, and to caulk cracks and crevices around cabinets or baseboards.

Under the sink. A latch for cleaners, a lid for scraps.

Sources: American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org, Childproofing Your Home for Poisons; CDC, When and How to Clean and Disinfect Your Home; EPA, Composting At Home; EPA, Do's and Don'ts of Pest Control.

FAQ

Will a pull-out can fit my cabinet?

We cannot say. Compare your measurements with the fit the maker lists before you buy.

Does a cabinet can need a lid?

EPA says garbage containing food scraps should be placed in tightly covered trash cans. The maker's instructions say whether a lid fits its frame.

General information only. Keep a trash can that holds spoiled food, sharp objects, or batteries behind a lid a child cannot open, or out of a child's reach. Knot plastic bags before you throw them away, and keep button and coin batteries out of reach of children. Keep cleaning products in their original packaging, out of sight and reach of children and pets, and never mix cleaning or disinfecting products. Read and follow the label on every cleaner and the maker's manual for your can, including how to change or remove its batteries. A swallowed button or coin battery needs medical help right away; do not delay. If you think a child swallowed something harmful, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222; if the child is unconscious, not breathing, or having convulsions or seizures, call 911. If a pet did, call your veterinarian or a pet poison control center right away. In an emergency, call 911.

Three styles of kitchen trash can along a kitchen wall

Types of kitchen trash cans, explained

Step, sensor, pull-out, dual.

A dual-compartment trash can beside a kitchen island

Dual trash and recycling cans

Two bins, one can.

A trash can with a closed, latched lid beside a cabinet

Children, pets, and the kitchen trash

Covers, bags, batteries.

Next: types of cans