Don’t Buy an Expensive Bin Cleaning Machine Until You Read This: My Experience with Bin Wash Systems
So You Want to Start a Garbage Can Cleaning Business?
Looking to start a garbage can cleaning business? I remember those days. I was a garbage man; great at slanging garbage but no clue how to run a pressure washer. But I had heart – I sprinted between the cans – and I knew garbage collection and solid waste. So bin cleaning felt like a natural evolution. I’ll say this upfront: if you’ve never worked in garbage before, get at least a little taste of it before getting into bin washing. Garbage can cleaning falls within solid waste; it’ll make a difference.
One of the biggest benefits of being a garbage man is that during training you’re (hopefully) always paired with a vet. There’s real-time feedback – “don’t walk under the tailgate when it’s up” – and you have access to a full-time driving instructor on the way to the dump. It’s hands-on training from people who’ve seen it all and legends and stories and lore from a deep-tradition of garbage men.
When I launched Mr. Can Clean, I had none of that for garbage can cleaning. It was the school of hard knocks and I had to learn everything by taking hits. I got hit a lot. My first pressure washer? Terrifying. The engine had no markings for choke or fuel, and some well-meaning blue-collar guys under the Second Narrows Bridge showed me how to use the choke the opposite way (though they did give me a ton of other solid tips). Because of this, I ran that machine with the choke fully open for the first month. Huge thanks to Shant from Bayroot Landscaping for pulling out my jet-black spark plug and putting a fresh one back in.
Not Just a Bin Cleaning Machine—A Mentor Behind It
When you buy from Bin Wash Systems, you’re not just buying a bin cleaning machine. You’re getting a support system—specifically, you’re getting Leo Knight. I talked to many sales people at many bin cleaning machine companies and literally the only one I feel I could call in a pinch if Leo and his team at Bin Wash Systems. Not only that – they have extensive tips on starting up at their website.
Leo’s not some random manufacturer who’s never touched a can. He ran his own successful garbage can cleaning business. He took what actually worked in the field for him and built a machine around it—something practical, durable, and designed for operators like us.
Bin Wash Systems was founded in 2016 by Nicole and Leo Knight, a father-daughter team who looked at the trash bin cleaning equipment available at the time—overpriced, overbuilt—and said, we can do better. At that time, bin cleaning was out of reach for the average person trying to start a garbage can cleaning business.
They changed that.
Nicole and Leo built reliable, affordable equipment that did a top-notch job – equipment that gave everyday people a real shot at being their own boss. And guess what? It worked.
Today, Bin Wash Systems offers two models:
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to scale, they’ve got an option that fits.
The Ease of Setup
One of the most underrated parts of Bin Wash Systems? The ease of setup.
With just a basic ratchet set, you can have the sides on – by yourself – within an hour. The real challenge for me wasn’t the physical assembly – it was the plumbing. At the time, I didn’t even know what NPT meant. I had no clue what I was hooking up or why. That was the hardest part.
Bin Wash recommends the Easy Kleen pressure washer, and if you go with that setup, they’ve got detailed instructions laid out for you. But if you’re trying to cut costs by using your own pressure washer like I did, you’ll still find their instructions helpful—just be ready for some trial and error. You’ll need to make adjustments when hooking up their hose system (an add-on) and figuring out your water tank setup.
I used an IBC tote, and honestly, it was one of the best budget decisions I made. At first, I was looking at brand new ones for $800, but I ended up getting two for $100. Companies are always trying to get rid of them. They’re usually easy to find on Facebook Marketplace.
The downside of the IBC tote is the amount of unused space it eats up. For a normal day, I don’t fill it past 400 liters (the Bin Wash filter system does a great job, and does even better when you gain some experience) which leaves a lot of dead space in that 1000L tank – but be creative with it. Maybe you
If you’re even slightly familiar with wrenches, screws, nuts, and bolts, you’ll be fine setting up the Bin Wash System. But if you’re like me—with zero knowledge—it’s going to depend on your setup and how badly you want to set it up. For me – I had zero chance of anything else job prospect wise so I had to figure it out.
My process? I laid all the hoses out on the truck next to where they needed to go. Bin Wash includes a manual with diagrams, so I stared at those diagrams for an hour and the stared at the hoses and then I stared at the diagram and then I stared at the hoses until it clicked in my brain. I made a list, went to the plumbing store, and came back with the half the wrong parts after facing the wrath of employees at a professional plumbing store who generally look down upon people who say things like: “this thing *scrolls through iPhone photo gallery* needs to connect to this thing *holds up thing*. I did that four or five more times.
Frustrating but also kind of fun. Now that I’ve done it once and know what a ratchet is? I could set up another system in about 2–3 hours, no problem.
Phone Calls I’m Not Proud Of
Now, I’ll admit, I’m not proud of some of my first calls to Leo. I was frustrated. I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I remember ranting that “the filters don’t work!” after a long day. Leo calmly asked, “Where’s your intake pointed?” I said, “Horizontally.” He replied, “Try pointing it up.” Problem solved.
Most issues you’ll run into? They’re fixable. They come down to experience, workflow, and how you operate. I added a horse feed scoop to the side of my bin lifter. It holds my spray bottles perfectly. But for you they might be in the wrong place. I don’t use a brush at all to clean the cans- I’m 6’4 and I like really like getting in there to ensure a spotless clean. Maybe you’re shorter, maybe you’re taller. I don’t want someone else telling me what type of spray bottles to use or where to put them – I’m sure you probably don’t either.
A Day Everything Went Wrong (And Why It Didn’t)
Here’s how tough and well-designed Bin Wash Systems trash bin cleaning equipment is:
One day, I had the ultimate route dialed in. My wife was on the truck filming content (follow us on Instagram). I would look at her every few seconds and say “My God, this route sheet is CRISP!” I had worked in stops so I’d be right next to the cans – even a stop to drop-off some bottles. Our baby was at home with his grandmother and a full 13oz of milk.
We’d already cleaned 30 cans and I noticed the pump was struggling a bit – probably time to give the filters a little rinse, which is no problem: unscrew them, hose them off, and pop em back in. The waste-water tank was full (Leo recommends running the pump while cleaning) but I had planned to run it in between stops – and with such a crisp route sheet my next stop was two doors down.
And then we got a call.”
“There’s no milk left.” My mom was panicking.
My boy is a hearty eater – he’s going to be a great athlete. But – my god – are babies ever bad for routing. We had to head home: now. I was deep in Deep Cove with a full waste water hopper, a pump struggling to push water through 30 dirty cans worth of debris in the filters and I didn’t want to drive around dumping water like a rookie. I made the call to leave the pump running for the drive home.
We got home. My wife ran inside to pump, I restocked the truck, then I saw the pump was still on… and it was silent.
(That’s another thing about bin washing – you learn to understand the sounds. I can hear if the choke of my pressure washer is open or closed just like I could hear if a bin was full just from dropping the lid). So to see the waste-water pumped ON without the reassuring chugging of the pump: “Oh noooooo.”
It had died bravely—the waste-water hopper was empty. I cleaned the filters sadly, imaging constructive ways to complete the route (“will I do them BY HAND?”) or how annoying it would be to replace the pump and then go back out. I shouldn’t have worried after a cool-down and cleaning the filters, I flicked the pump switch and it fired right back up. My neighbour came up to me and said: “it’s great to hear someone screaming in joy” and she actually meant it.
Take care of this machine and it’ll take care of you.
Don’t Buy Jordans If You Can’t Hoop
I played basketball growing up. In basketball you have to earn your Jordans. Similarly, wearing number 23 is not something you do with 2.3ppg and a semi-permanent seat on the bench.
Why would you start out with a $100,000 bin cleaning machine if you’ve never cleaned a single can? When I was still slanging cans, I used to get annoyed at the new guys who couldn’t handle the lack of their new fangled gadgets. For example – say a backup camera goes down. They’re helpless; they can’t back up, their mirror skills suck, they’re dropping me off swamping fifteen feet from the can. Not to mention, safety. These guys could only operate a truck with all the assistance of modern technology that a 1970s garbage man had no problem operating without. Those guys were better. By miles. So get those skills, cut your teeth, learn the business. Earn your Jordans. See if you actually like it.
And just to be clear: Bin Wash Systems is a top-tier product. Low price point but high quality. This is not inside management that have never touch a foot on the step, coming into the barn to tell the garbage men “Hey, we have paid $50k to a garbage routing service (who have never been to North Vancouver) and they’re going to tell you (experts in North Vancouver garbage collection) how to best plan your route. No, what makes Bin Wash Systems special is the fact they are built for operators, by operators.
With Bin Wash, you’ll learn to troubleshoot, maintain, and actually run your business. With hard work you will become an operator. But you will look like a fool with a 200K machine you don’t know how to operate and a business you don’t know how to run. If you don’t believe me, check Facebook Marketplace for “bin washing machine”. I dunked on many people in my career but I only trash talked a 6th man in team shoes one-time (it was a very nice dunk) but if you’re wearing $250 Jordan XII’s and I just crushed one on your head you’re getting chirped. I own you for the rest of the game. And if you buy a 200K bin washer before cleaning a single can – well, maybe one-day I will buy your bin lifter on Facebook Marketplace. But to be honest, I’d rather buy it new – from Bin Wash.
If you’d like to ask me questions and you are not located in the Lower Mainland feel free to do so. My name is Mac and you can e-mail me at booking@mrcanclean.ca. If you are located in Vancouver or the Lower Mainland I will dunk on your head.
