The lid on our old kitchen bin had stopped closing all the way, so the smell of last night’s fish skins found the hallway before I made it back from dropping the kids at school. That’s the moment you start shopping for a new one out of spite rather than curiosity.
Every kitchen eventually forces this decision: the bin you inherited from a first apartment is too small, too loud, or willing to tip when the dog leans on it. That’s usually when people start reading about a simplehuman 45L trash can instead of grabbing whatever’s cheapest at the hardware store, because a trash can is something you touch a dozen times a day, and a bad one announces itself constantly — squeaky pedal, stuck lid, bag slumping into the bucket at 6pm.
Quick Verdict on the Simplehuman 45L Trash Can
3.8 out of 5. The build quality and the quiet, slow-close lid genuinely earn their keep, and the pedal is rated for 150,000 steps, which is more than twenty years of normal use. The catch is bag fit — this can runs slightly larger than standard kitchen bags, and simplehuman would prefer you subscribe to their own liners at roughly double the price of store brands. It’s a strong pick for a household of one to three people who empty the kitchen bin every few days and don’t mind hunting down the right size bag. It’s a frustrating pick for anyone who just wants to grab whatever’s on sale at Costco.
Check Today’s Price on Amazon →
Simplehuman sells this as a 45-liter rectangular step can with a foot pedal, a built-in liner pocket that stores up to 20 bags, and a lid mechanism they call Lid Shox, which controls the speed of the close instead of letting it slam. Simplehuman recommends it for one to three people, emptied roughly every three to five days. It comes in brushed stainless, matte black, or white, and runs $150 to $160 depending on finish, backed by a 10-year warranty.
What Actually Works in the First Few Days
The pedal is the first thing you notice, and it’s noticeably better than a cheap bin’s. There’s no clatter, no delayed catch — you step, the lid rises smoothly, and the Lid Shox keeps it from banging shut when you let go. Reviewers across Home Depot and Amazon consistently single out how quiet the whole mechanism is, which matters more than it sounds like it should when you’re taking out trash after a baby’s asleep.
The liner pocket is a small detail that pays off daily. Instead of digging under the sink for a new bag, you pull one from a built-in dispenser tucked behind the bucket. It’s the kind of feature you don’t think about until it’s gone.
The bag situation is where the honeymoon ends for some buyers. This can is sized slightly larger than most off-the-shelf kitchen bags, so a standard 13-gallon bag can slip down or leave the rim exposed. Simplehuman’s answer is its own Custom Fit liners, and that’s where the complaints start.
Who the Simplehuman 45L Trash Can Is For — and Who Should Skip It
This is a good match if you’re outfitting a kitchen for one to three people and you want something that looks intentional rather than functional — brushed steel instead of a plastic Rubbermaid. It’s also a fit if you’ve already tried a smaller or cheaper can and hit its limits: wobbly pedal, lid that won’t stay up, bag that bunches. People shopping for exactly that upgrade are usually the ones landing here.
It’s not for you if you’re committed to using whatever bags are already in your pantry. Several reviewers found their go-to bags didn’t fit cleanly and had to switch brands or tie off the excess. It’s also not the right size for a large family generating more trash between pickups — simplehuman’s own guidance points those households toward the 55L version instead, which runs $200 to $220.
And if a single damaged unit on arrival would ruin your week, know that a handful of buyers reported dents in shipping or a hinge that felt more plastic than expected. Most got replacements without issue, but it’s worth ordering from a retailer with an easy return window.
What Changes After Two Weeks
Reviewers consistently note that the pedal and lid keep performing the way they did on day one — this is the part of the can that seems to justify the price, since the mechanism doesn’t loosen or start sticking the way cheaper pedals do. That durability claim tracks with simplehuman’s 150,000-step rating and the 10-year warranty behind it.
The bag economics are the part that wears on people over time, not the hardware. Buyers who stick with simplehuman’s own liners are looking at roughly 25 to 30 cents a bag, compared to 15 to 20 cents for name-brand drawstring bags at a warehouse store. Multiply that by a bag every few days for a year and it’s a real number, not a rounding error. Some reviewers land on a workaround — Glad Forceflex 20-gallon bags or Costco’s Kirkland liners tied off at the top — and report it holds up fine. Others tried the same thing and found the bags slipped or leaked at the rim. It seems to depend on exactly which finish and generation of the can you have, since simplehuman has changed the liner rim design across model years.
By the two-week mark, the can has mostly become invisible in the good way — it does its job without announcing itself, which was the actual complaint that sent people shopping in the first place. The exception is bag day, when the price and the fit issue resurface as a small, recurring annoyance rather than a one-time frustration.
That’s really the shape of this product: excellent where it’s mechanical, mildly aggravating where it wants you subscribed. Neither cancels the other out.
For full specs and current pricing, simplehuman’s own page has the details straight from the source.
simplehuman’s official 45L step can page
More home organization reviews: Browse more Simplehuman reviews.
