07/16/2026
It's maggot season here in Cincinnati, and this heat wave is making it the worst one I've seen in years. Our phones have been ringing all week.
If you opened your trash can this week and found maggots, don't panic. You can knock them out today with stuff you already have in your kitchen.
Pour a kettle of boiling water right down inside the can. That kills them on the spot. Tip the can and dump that water out, and the dead maggots go right out with it. Then fill a spray bottle with straight white vinegar and spray the whole can down, inside and out and under the lid. Pour about a half cup of vinegar in the bottom and close the lid. If the smell is bad, sprinkle some baking soda in there. It really helps.
And I'll be honest with you, because I clean garbage cans for a living. Maggots don't mean your can is dirty. They mean a fly found your garbage. It can happen a week after any cleaning, even ours. Nobody can control where a fly lands. What we can do is clean and sanitize your can with 200 degree water so it stops attracting flies in the first place.
The whole write-up is on our site: https://www.ohiocleancans.com/news/maggots-in-trash-can-do-this-today/
And if you'd rather never touch a maggot again, that's what we're here for. order.ohiocleancans.com or give us a call at 513.440.9255.
Maggots in your trash can during this Cincinnati heat wave? Here's the quick fix with stuff in your kitchen β and the honest truth about why they show up.