MAINEVILLE, Ohio – A new business outside Cincinnati is taking a on jobs most homeowners dread.

  • Company offers monthly, quarterly, and one-time cleaning options
  • Cleaning truck can wash two garbabe cans at a time
  • Expansion throughout Ohio is long-term goal

Cleaning garbage cans.

Ohio Clean Cans has a crew of three who travel neighborhoods on the east side of Cincinnati visiting customers after their trash has been picked up.

The subscription-based model allows customers to decide how frequently they want their cans cleaned.

“I know I don't like to take a hose and Clorox and get my head all the way in my trash can to scrub it out,” said Jason Studebaker, Director of Commercial Sales for Ohio Clean Cans. “Honestly, we get it done in a minute and a half better than you can do it in an hour. Guaranteed.”

The truck OCC uses is equipped with several power washers and a generator. Using 200-degree water and environmentally safe sanitizers, they can clean two cans at a time. The power-washers on the truck clean the inside of the can and one of the crew members uses a hand-held power washer to clean the outside.


All of the dirty water, slime, bacteria, germs, and trash is collected in the truck and filtered in a 15-stage process. The water, which becomes greywater, is then safely disposed of at the company's facility.

Customer Andrew Bartlett and his wife have a young daughter and a dog. His HOA requires his garbage cans to be kept inside his garage.

“I know personally I don't like to clean my garbage can,” Bartlett told Spectrum News 1 from his home.

According to the company's website, monthly cleanings start at $12.50 per can. Prices decrease per can if additional can cleanings are added. Quarterly service starts at $17.50 per can and a one-time single can cleaning is $35.00.

The company also offers garbage cleaning to commercial properties like hospitals, restaurants, and schools.

The garbage can cleaning business is still finding its footing. As of mid-January, the company has about 75 residential customers. OCC also offers power-washing services. OCC has cleaned homes, high school sports stadiums, sidewalks and driveways, and parking lots.

“This coming year we obviously hope to building our business here in Cincinnati,” Studebaker said. “Three years, five years from now we're hoping to get another one of these trailers, get another crew, expand into bigger cities around Dayton and Columbus. We've had a lot of interest in Columbus, we've had a lot of interest in Cleveland. So we are Ohio Cleans Cans not Cincinnati Clean Cans. That is our goal: to expand throughout the state and bring this service to everybody.”

The final step in the cleaning process is the fresh smell. A spritz of lemon to keep it fresh until the next trash bag is dumped.
“I don't have that funky smell,” Barrett said. “I don't have flies in my garage throughout the summer. And it just refreshing, it does deodorize your garage. It smell good.”