The Best Small Trash Bags

Your guide to this review today is by Cleaning expert Adam Barker
Published on
February 25th, 2019

Expert BioExpert Bio

Adam has a passion for cleaning from his youth growing up in England, and he has carried it with him to the US. Adam’s formal training and certifications in cleaning include the Advanced System Cleaning specialist (For HVAC cleaning / ductwork), through NADCA (this is the highest certification that NADCA has), as well as several other certifications from the IICRC. Adam has either advised, consulted, or done research with dozens of cleaning and cleaning related business entities. Adam holds an undergraduate degree from Oxford, a Master’s degree from Oxford, and a Master’s degree from Harvard Business School.

The Cleaning Institute

A significant amount of waste is often produced in most commercial and residential properties. From plastic food wrappers to discarded paper towels, it’s important to have a place to throw everything in different rooms of the building. Small trash bags offer a high level of convenience by making it easy to gather the waste and protect the trash bins that they’re used in throughout the setting.

With our years of experience, we have a high level of experience testing different types of products and added testing small trash bags to our experience. After a week of performing tests, our top pick is the Glad ForceFlex Tall Kitchen Odor Shield Drawstring Trash Bags for their fresh scent and durable plastic material. The trash bags include Forceflex strength with two-layer protection to prevent leaks, rips, and tears. Our honorable mention is the Glad Tall Kitchen Drawstring Trash Bags for their ability to handle daily kitchen and household demands with a Febreze Fresh Scent. The bags are designed to neutralize fresh odors with LeakGuard to prevent tears or spills. The Compostable Trash Bags 100 Percent Biodegradable Kitchen Trash Bags are our green pick because they’re 100 percent biodegradable and are constructed of plant starches. They’re the thickest eco-friendly trash bags in the industry but are still small enough to carry and transport easily.

Testing Categories

We chose to create different testing categories for the small trash bags we reviewed to make it a smooth and accurate process. Our testing categories allowed us to review the top features of each product to narrow down our top choices to recommend to consumers. The testing categories include durability, odor, and efficiency when evaluating the overall quality and value of each trash bag.

Durability: Durability is a top category we selected to determine if the product is prone to ripping or tearing with excess waste in the bag. We reviewed how well each bag held up when loading it up with plenty of waste and debris.

Odor: Odor is an additional category that we evaluated to determine if the bags masked the smell of the waste or if it emitted the scents of the trash. We also reviewed if any of the added scents on the bag smelled like chemicals.

Efficiency: The overall efficiency of each trash bag was an additional factor that we took into account while rating each item. We reviewed how well the bags contained the waste and if they were easy to transport and lift out of each bin.

Top Pick

Glad ForceFlex
Tall Kitchen Odor Shield
Drawstring Trash Bags

The Glad ForceFlex Tall Kitchen Odor Shield Drawstring Trash Bags are tall and can hold 13 gallons of waste. They’re comparable to Simplehuman bags and can tackle any type of household chore.

Price Check

Most notable upside: One of the main highlights of the Glad ForceFlex Tall Kitchen Odor Shield Drawstring Trash Bags is the seven-day odor control that it offers to prevent the entire room from smelling like the waste. The odor control makes the bags easy to use for dirty diapers or cat litter disposal. The liners have a tight grip on trash cans, which allows them to fit securely without falling off once any waste is added to the bag. The two-layer protection offers added confidence to the consumer by reducing the risk of spills or leaks that can occur due to the durability of the plastic material.

Biggest downsides: The drawstrings on the trash bags are prone to ripping off, especially with excess weight added. The design of the product has slightly changed, which includes less plastic that is used on the handles. The trash bags also rip more compared to similar products and can tear easily with sharp objects that are discarded. There’s also a lack of flexibility with the thin design of the trash bags, which affects their versatility.

Honorable Mention

Glad Tall
Kitchen Drawstring
Trash Bags

The Glad Tall Kitchen Drawstring Trash Bags neutralizes tough trash odors and eliminates strong smells around the house. It also has a high level of durability and doesn’t rip or tear easily.

Price Check

Most notable upside: The Glad Tall Kitchen trash bags are constructed with a unique diamond design that allows the bags to stretch and have plenty of flexibility to ensure that they can hold up to 13 gallons of waste. Reinforced bands are added to the top of each trash bag for bulk through the middle. They offer a tight grip on the trash can and don’t easily fall off once items are discarded into the bin, which makes it easy to remove the bags. Febreeze freshness contributes to the appeal of the bags and allows them to have a pleasant scent that covers up strong odors to ensure that they’re ideal to use for different types of messes or spills. Thicker plastic is added to the bottom of the bags to prevent them from breaking when they’re overstuffed. The bags are also durable enough to be used for transporting or storing sporting equipment, laundry, and children’s toys. The product is biodegradable.

Biggest downsides: The trash bags are prone to ripping around the top, especially when they’re lifted out of the bin once they’re full. The Febreze scent is less strong and effective compared to similar products, which makes it difficult to mask odors. The bags also have difficulty staying up in the trash can and can easily slide off. Some of the trash bags may have holes that are present in the packaging.

Green Pick

Compostable Trash Bags 100%
Biodegradable Trash Bags
Kitchen Trash Bags

The Compostable Trash Bags 100% Biodegradable Trash Bags Kitchen Trash Bags are small enough for carrying but still fit standard trash cans. They don’t contain plastic but are still flexible.

Price Check

Most notable upside: Although the bags are the strongest in the industry, they’re designed to be biodegradable and can reduce waste that is contributed to landfills. They’re constructed from decomposable plant starches and don’t contain any plastic or polyethylene. They even meet the ASTM D6400 standards for composting. The bags can hold up to 13 gallons of waste and have a thickness of 1.0 mil, which makes the product more durable compared to other types of biodegradable trash bags on the market. The compostable trash bags can even be used for leaves or wood trimmings for added versatility both in and outside of the home.

Biggest downsides: The product can begin to break down and lack durability if the bags aren’t used within one year of the purchase date. Liquids, dishwashing fluids, soaps, and chemicals cannot be discarded in the bags. They may also not fit some trash bins due to their smaller size. The product does not contain a scent, which prevents odors and smells from being contained.

All Our Picks

Tips for Effective Small Trash Bags

The most effective small trash bags have a high level of durability and can contain sharp objects without ripping or tearing easily with their thick construction. They also include a subtle scent that masks odors to maintain a comfortable setting in the kitchen or other areas of the home. The most useful bags include a thick and durable handle that makes it easy and convenient to lift it out of the bin and transport the waste to the curb.

A Note About Safety and Storage

Trash bags should be stored in a secure storage space that is out of reach for children and pets to avoid suffocation. All plastic bags should be kept away from small children and can be stored in a high cabinet or shelf to make them difficult to access. They are also not designed for food storage use. Keep the trash bags stored in an area where excess moisture and humidity isn’t present to prevent mildew from forming on the product. They should also be stored in a cool setting to maintain their shelf life.

The Best Small Trash Bags

Your guide to this review today is by Cleaning expert Adam Barker

The Cleaning Institute

Testing Categories

Glad ForceFlex
Tall Kitchen Odor Shield
Drawstring Trash Bags

Glad Tall
Kitchen Drawstring
Trash Bags

Compostable Trash Bags 100%
Biodegradable Trash Bags
Kitchen Trash Bags

All Our Picks

Glad ForceFlex
Tall Kitchen Odor Shield
Drawstring Trash Bags

Glad Tall
Kitchen Drawstring
Trash Bags

Compostable Trash Bags 100%
Biodegradable Trash Bags
Kitchen Trash Bags

Tips for Effective Small Trash Bags

A Note About Safety and Storage

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The Best Small Trash Bags

Your guide to this review today is by Cleaning expert Adam Barker

The Cleaning Institute

Testing Categories

Glad ForceFlexTall Kitchen Odor ShieldDrawstring Trash Bags

Glad Tall Kitchen DrawstringTrash Bags

Compostable Trash Bags 100% Biodegradable Trash BagsKitchen Trash Bags

All Our Picks

Glad ForceFlexTall Kitchen Odor ShieldDrawstring Trash Bags

Glad Tall Kitchen DrawstringTrash Bags

Compostable Trash Bags 100% Biodegradable Trash BagsKitchen Trash Bags

Tips for Effective Small Trash Bags

A Note About Safety and Storage

Quick Links

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Glad ForceFlex
Tall Kitchen Odor Shield
Drawstring Trash Bags

Glad Tall
Kitchen Drawstring
Trash Bags

Compostable Trash Bags 100%
Biodegradable Trash Bags
Kitchen Trash Bags

Glad ForceFlex
Tall Kitchen Odor Shield
Drawstring Trash Bags

Glad Tall
Kitchen Drawstring
Trash Bags

Compostable Trash Bags 100%
Biodegradable Trash Bags
Kitchen Trash Bags