No one wants to clean up a mess left behind by a busted garbage bag. That's why we tested the seven most common brands to find the best trash bags.
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Trash bags are one of those household essentials that you think you can pinch pennies on—until that budget bag busts after you stuff in that delivery pizza box. After a mistake like that, trash bag quality becomes a top concern. You don’t want to grab just any box of garbage bags at the store; you want the best trash bags to prevent any future messes (and smells).
The thing is, we know you don’t have the time to go through roll after roll of garbage bags to find a brand that won’t break or make you regret tossing all those onion peels in the bin. But our team of dedicated editors and kitchen pros do!
Our editors tested the most popular kitchen trash bags (that means tall, 13-gallon bags) in their own homes for months on end. That means dozens of bags were fitted into garbage cans, filled, tied up and dragged to the curb for collection. All the while, our testers kept these qualities in mind:
After filling up dozens of bags and taking plenty of trips to the curb, four bags emerged as winners. These are the best trash bags you can buy for your kitchen.
One of the greatest updates to the classic trash bag has to be the webbed plastic that allows bags to stretch but not break. These flexible garbage bags are a must when containing heavy and misshapen rubbish. And while there are plenty of flexible bin bags on the market, one stood out in our testing:Â Glad ForceFlex Drawstring Trash Bags.Â
This Glad bag snuggled right into the can liner and the top cinched right around the lip. This allowed our testers to stuff this bag full without having the trash bag slip. And when it came time to take out the trash, testers had no worries. The ForceFlex texture expanded to accommodate the contents while staying strong as the bag was walked to the curb. Bag after bag, testers never had a single mess to clean up. That’s the ultimate win.
We get it: Splurging on those spendy flex bags can seem unnecessary for something you’re just going to toss. If simple is your style, try Husky Trash Bags.
Pulling these bags out of the box, our testers found that these Husky bags were pretty thin. This had us worried that we’d have a leak or break on our hands, but no! Garbage day after garbage day, these trash bags stayed intact. The smooth plastic was tear-resistant and never snagged or ripped (even with pointy, bulky trash inside). These basic bags pleasantly surprised us all—and we’d buy another box.
Keeping garbage smells under control is challenging, especially if you cook frequently. No one wants the smell of last night’s scraps layered with this morning’s banana peel. And while many bags may tout great strength, not all can keep those scents contained—except for Hefty Ultra Strong Trash Bags.
The secret to keeping unpleasant scents under control: baking soda. These bags are treated with Arm & Hammer baking soda which absorbs unwanted odors—just like that box in your fridge does. Two-day-old takeout and greasy napkins? No issue for these trash bags.
And when it did come time to finally take out the trash, our testers felt these bags were plenty strong. The plastic here felt thick and sturdy.
We get it: You don’t always want to pay a premium for name brands, so sometimes you reach for a generic option to save a few bucks. If that’s your shopping style, we recommend you opt for Walmart’s Great Value Strong Flex Trash Bags. This generic option was a great bargain.
With flexible, stretchable plastic, our testers were able to pack these bags full. But what really had our testers enjoying this Walmart buy was how well it lined the garbage can. The drawstring closure really gripped the top of the waste bin which meant testers could toss in heavy waste like watermelon rinds without worrying about the bag sliding down.
Bag after bag, we learned a few things in this test:
