Believe it or not, I love my trash can. It’s sleek and easy to wipe down, it has two compartments (one for trash, one for recycling), and its soft-close lid doesn’t bang shut. It’s made by Simplehuman, the same company that makes the top pick in our guide to kitchen trash cans, as well as some of our favorite toilet brushes, dish racks, and shower caddies.

The only caveat about my trash can is that the Simplehuman model I chose is an irregularly large 58 liters, with one part for trash and the other for recycling. Its two compartments are in turn just irregular enough that standard garbage bags have a tendency to slip down into the bin or require jury-rigging (through my tightening and tying the drawstring) for a better fit.

Although the can did come with a trial pack of custom liners, I scoffed at the notion of a specially designed garbage bag. So when the trial pack ran out, I switched to regular ol’ Glad ForceFlex bags. Standing on principle and the assumption that the custom liners were too pricey, I endured the minor struggle of using a standard tall kitchen bag (which usually holds up to 49 liters of trash) in my not-so-standard can for quite a while.

My fiancé, on the other hand, was perpetually vexed by the ill-fitting garbage bags. He not only has more-frequent contact with the trash (he’s usually the one who galumphs down the hallway to toss it into our apartment building’s trash chute) but also lives with a trash masher (I do that annoying thing where I press the garbage down instead of simply taking it out). So he was more than justified in his irritation.

After a year or so of grappling with those less-than bags, he ordered a box of 100 made-to-measure Simplehuman liners. And a year later, we’ve never looked back. If you also own a Simplehuman trash can and have been fighting to get generic garbage bags to stay put, this might be your sign to consider making the switch.

 

You wouldn’t think trash bags would change my life, but, honestly, they have. We interact with the trash can countless times a day, so having a trash bag that does its job—stays put, doesn’t rip, keeps the inside of the can clean, and easily slides out for disposal—is a highly underrated convenience.

The tailored liners fit without slipping—unlike any other trash bag I’ve used. And they can tolerate an unreasonable amount of mashing (this comes in handy after hosting, when I need to jam as many paper plates into the bag as possible). While the Glad bags had to be tied in a knot to stay somewhat in place, the Simplehuman liners have never budged, fallen, or twisted around. This wasn’t an issue that I expected would affect me as deeply as it did, but when we made the switch, I was free to live out my best trash-squashing life.

Simplehuman’s liners are also surprisingly sturdy. Over the past two years of using them, I’ve punctured a bag only a handful of times—and that was almost entirely due to my impatience and willingness to toss pointed objects, like broken plastic hangers and wood dowels, into the can. When I’m taking out the trash, the bag’s toughness greatly reduces the risk of ghastly drips from the bottom—a bonus that my floors (and my hands) are certainly grateful for.

Although Glad ForceFlex bags are promoted based on their ability to stretch to accommodate tons of trash without breaking, I found them to be much more prone to tearing than the Simplehuman liners. Plus, the flimsy drawstring handles dug into my hands under the weight of an oversize load, and they often ripped through the tubular casing of the main bag, leaving me handle-less.

Another plus: My can comes with a little trash-bag holster that I can easily grab from when I need a replacement (much like a box of tissues). When I was growing up, my family would toss a few extra bags in the bottom of the can, instead of going into the closet to get a new bag each time. But, of course, those spares sometimes sat in a puddle of unidentifiable goo and had to be discarded before they were even used. Each pack of Simplehuman liners also alerts me when I’m running low—there’s a little tab on the third-to-last bag indicating that it’s almost time to replace the pack.

A niche yet still-important-to-me bonus: Even when filled to the brim, these trash bags (our can is size H) fit perfectly down our building’s trash chute, so I never have to worry about shoving the bag down or sticking my arm anywhere near that sticky, stinky slide from hell. There are a number of Simplehuman liner sizes to fit various containers, from small liners for in-cabinet cans to compostable liners for compost bins. And just in case you forget the size, a sticker inside your garbage can shows the liner code (they really think of everything).

The main drawback, of course, is the price. Aside from my own stubbornness, the cost of entry was one reason I’d resisted ordering the Simplehuman liners. For a long time, I assumed that they would be prohibitively expensive. But it turns out that the size H kitchen trash-can liners are only about 7¢ more per bag than the Glad ForceFlex tall kitchen bags—far more doable than I presumed.

Some quick math: Let’s say we take the trash out once every two or three days, which means we probably use between 121 and 183 trash bags per year. The size H liners, which hold up to 35 liters each, are about 28¢ per bag at this writing (if we order the 100-pack, which we usually do). This means we spend, at the high end, approximately $50 on trash bags per year. If we were to apply the same math to Glad ForceFlex bags (ordered on Amazon in a quantity of 110 bags, as we once did), we’d spend about $38 on trash bags per year. So after all that, we’d save only about $10–$15 a year by enduring lesser trash bags.

On top of that, the Simplehuman liners are made from 50% post-consumer recycled plastic, according to the company. Currently, only one Glad ForceFlex bag specifies that it is made with any recycled materials: the ForceFlex MaxStrength Tall Trash Bag, which contains “50% recovered plastic,” according to a company representative. One box of 45 of those 50%-recycled-plastic Glad bags retails for about $13, or roughly 29¢ per bag, comparable to the 50%-recycled-plastic Simplehuman bags (and, depending on the retailer, slightly more expensive).

You need to order the Simplehuman liners online, so for some people, the convenience of stocking up at the grocery store still wins out. The Simplehuman liners are readily available on multiple sites, however, including Amazon (with free Prime shipping), Target, The Container Store, Uline, Home Depot, and Lowe’s. For my fiancé and me, ordering online is a bonus since we don’t have to think about trash bags on our grocery runs, and this is especially helpful because we frequently shop at Trader Joe’s, which doesn’t carry trash bags.

After years of tolerating ill-fitting, prone-to-ripping trash bags, I don’t foresee a future in which we’ll ever switch from our beloved Simplehuman liners back to regular bags. Yes, the liners are slightly pricier than run-of-the-mill garbage bags. But it’s a worthwhile little luxury, if you ask me, for something that we interact with and need to work for us on a daily basis.

This article was edited by Katie Okamoto and Megan Beauchamp.

Believe it or not, I love my trash can. It’s sleek and easy to wipe down, it has two compartments (one for trash, one for recycling), and its soft-close lid doesn’t bang shut. It’s made by Simplehuman, the same company that makes the top pick in our guide to kitchen trash cans, as well as some of our favorite toilet brushes, dish racks, and shower caddies.

The only caveat about my trash can is that the Simplehuman model I chose is an irregularly large 58 liters, with one part for trash and the other for recycling. Its two compartments are in turn just irregular enough that standard garbage bags have a tendency to slip down into the bin or require jury-rigging (through my tightening and tying the drawstring) for a better fit.

Although the can did come with a trial pack of custom liners, I scoffed at the notion of a specially designed garbage bag. So when the trial pack ran out, I switched to regular ol’ Glad ForceFlex bags. Standing on principle and the assumption that the custom liners were too pricey, I endured the minor struggle of using a standard tall kitchen bag (which usually holds up to 49 liters of trash) in my not-so-standard can for quite a while.

My fiancé, on the other hand, was perpetually vexed by the ill-fitting garbage bags. He not only has more-frequent contact with the trash (he’s usually the one who galumphs down the hallway to toss it into our apartment building’s trash chute) but also lives with a trash masher (I do that annoying thing where I press the garbage down instead of simply taking it out). So he was more than justified in his irritation.

After a year or so of grappling with those less-than bags, he ordered a box of 100 made-to-measure Simplehuman liners. And a year later, we’ve never looked back. If you also own a Simplehuman trash can and have been fighting to get generic garbage bags to stay put, this might be your sign to consider making the switch.

 

You wouldn’t think trash bags would change my life, but, honestly, they have. We interact with the trash can countless times a day, so having a trash bag that does its job—stays put, doesn’t rip, keeps the inside of the can clean, and easily slides out for disposal—is a highly underrated convenience.

The tailored liners fit without slipping—unlike any other trash bag I’ve used. And they can tolerate an unreasonable amount of mashing (this comes in handy after hosting, when I need to jam as many paper plates into the bag as possible). While the Glad bags had to be tied in a knot to stay somewhat in place, the Simplehuman liners have never budged, fallen, or twisted around. This wasn’t an issue that I expected would affect me as deeply as it did, but when we made the switch, I was free to live out my best trash-squashing life.

Simplehuman’s liners are also surprisingly sturdy. Over the past two years of using them, I’ve punctured a bag only a handful of times—and that was almost entirely due to my impatience and willingness to toss pointed objects, like broken plastic hangers and wood dowels, into the can. When I’m taking out the trash, the bag’s toughness greatly reduces the risk of ghastly drips from the bottom—a bonus that my floors (and my hands) are certainly grateful for.

Although Glad ForceFlex bags are promoted based on their ability to stretch to accommodate tons of trash without breaking, I found them to be much more prone to tearing than the Simplehuman liners. Plus, the flimsy drawstring handles dug into my hands under the weight of an oversize load, and they often ripped through the tubular casing of the main bag, leaving me handle-less.

Another plus: My can comes with a little trash-bag holster that I can easily grab from when I need a replacement (much like a box of tissues). When I was growing up, my family would toss a few extra bags in the bottom of the can, instead of going into the closet to get a new bag each time. But, of course, those spares sometimes sat in a puddle of unidentifiable goo and had to be discarded before they were even used. Each pack of Simplehuman liners also alerts me when I’m running low—there’s a little tab on the third-to-last bag indicating that it’s almost time to replace the pack.

A niche yet still-important-to-me bonus: Even when filled to the brim, these trash bags (our can is size H) fit perfectly down our building’s trash chute, so I never have to worry about shoving the bag down or sticking my arm anywhere near that sticky, stinky slide from hell. There are a number of Simplehuman liner sizes to fit various containers, from small liners for in-cabinet cans to compostable liners for compost bins. And just in case you forget the size, a sticker inside your garbage can shows the liner code (they really think of everything).

The main drawback, of course, is the price. Aside from my own stubbornness, the cost of entry was one reason I’d resisted ordering the Simplehuman liners. For a long time, I assumed that they would be prohibitively expensive. But it turns out that the size H kitchen trash-can liners are only about 7¢ more per bag than the Glad ForceFlex tall kitchen bags—far more doable than I presumed.

Some quick math: Let’s say we take the trash out once every two or three days, which means we probably use between 121 and 183 trash bags per year. The size H liners, which hold up to 35 liters each, are about 28¢ per bag at this writing (if we order the 100-pack, which we usually do). This means we spend, at the high end, approximately $50 on trash bags per year. If we were to apply the same math to Glad ForceFlex bags (ordered on Amazon in a quantity of 110 bags, as we once did), we’d spend about $38 on trash bags per year. So after all that, we’d save only about $10–$15 a year by enduring lesser trash bags.

On top of that, the Simplehuman liners are made from 50% post-consumer recycled plastic, according to the company. Currently, only one Glad ForceFlex bag specifies that it is made with any recycled materials: the ForceFlex MaxStrength Tall Trash Bag, which contains “50% recovered plastic,” according to a company representative. One box of 45 of those 50%-recycled-plastic Glad bags retails for about $13, or roughly 29¢ per bag, comparable to the 50%-recycled-plastic Simplehuman bags (and, depending on the retailer, slightly more expensive).

You need to order the Simplehuman liners online, so for some people, the convenience of stocking up at the grocery store still wins out. The Simplehuman liners are readily available on multiple sites, however, including Amazon (with free Prime shipping), Target, The Container Store, Uline, Home Depot, and Lowe’s. For my fiancé and me, ordering online is a bonus since we don’t have to think about trash bags on our grocery runs, and this is especially helpful because we frequently shop at Trader Joe’s, which doesn’t carry trash bags.

After years of tolerating ill-fitting, prone-to-ripping trash bags, I don’t foresee a future in which we’ll ever switch from our beloved Simplehuman liners back to regular bags. Yes, the liners are slightly pricier than run-of-the-mill garbage bags. But it’s a worthwhile little luxury, if you ask me, for something that we interact with and need to work for us on a daily basis.

This article was edited by Katie Okamoto and Megan Beauchamp.