Natural Trash Can (And Diaper Pail) Freshener

I used to gag when I would empty or trash cans, even though I would sprinkle baking soda in the bottom of the cans before putting a bag in (if I used a bag) to help absorb the funky odors & moisture.  The baking soda helped to cut down on the odor & it also helped things not get stuck to the bottom of the trash can, if they somehow mysteriously made their way out of the bag (how DOES that happen, anyway?!) or in the case of our bathroom trash cans where I don't use any bags at all, but it seemed the baking soda would absorb all of the odor.  Which was great not to have it absorb into the plastic trash can, but then it still smelled... ahem, oh, SO gross!!  The worst was when a kitchen garbage bag would leak into the can... all kinds of nastiness would occur & talk about grossing me out... & the stink?@!*  Ewwwwwwwwwww!!!

Anyway, one day I decided to sprinkle some cinnamon in the kitchen trash can (the nastiest can that gets the most use, so a great test subject) along w/the usual baking soda & what did my nose smell, or rather NOT smell??  It smelled nothing gross!!  I was amazed & VERY pleasantly surprised... so guess who ran giddily through the house adding cinnamon to the baking soda in EVERY trash can & diaper pail (great for cloth diaper pails or hanging pails too!!)??  Yes, me... I am very easy to please, no?! LOL 

Just yesterday, for the first time since I started adding the cinnamon to the baking soda, when I went to empty the kitchen trash can I realized the brand new bag that had no holes in it when I put it into the can had leaked all into the can (Oh, yuck!!!!!!!  HOW does that happen when we recycle and/or reuse almost all of the packaging things come in, so they don't go into the trash can, & we really don't have a lot of packaged things anyway simply because I have to make most everything from scratch due to sensitivities) & I cringed.  I then followed my usual routine when that happens & took the can, bag still in it, to the garage to remove the bag.  Much to my dismay & delight there was not the what-on-earth-could-possibly-smell-this-horrible thought that usually races through my mind when we have a leaky bag... no gagging either...  Hmmmm, so I got brave (or stupid?!) & took a whiff of the empty can w/the liquid still in the bottom of the can.  Hey for the sake of my experiment I HAD to, no??  Well, I still didn't gag (& was so relieved too!)... the can actually had a neutral to cinnamon scent instead of the what-on-earth-crawled-into-this-can-&-died scent?!  SCORE!! 

So there you go... for YOU I risked losing my breakfast & there is another plus for the benefits of baking soda... & of course, cinnamon, because just the baking soda doesn't cut it alone. 

In case you're wondering I just sprinkle a thin layer of the baking soda on the bottom of the garbage can or diaper pail & then I sprinkle cinnamon on top of that... and VOILA!! 

Do YOU add anything to your garbage cans to help cut down on odors??  If so, what do you use??  Will you try baking soda and cinnamon??