San Carlos's First Ever Garbage Bins Cleaning Service : An Interview with Bins 2B Cleaned Owner George Houston

Interview with Bins 2B Cleaned

For parents in San Carlos: do your children ever take out the trash? Then you should read this. Admittedly, most of us don’t clean our garbage bins regularly – or maybe we’ve never cleaned them at all! But Salmonella, E.coli, and Listeria are just a few of the bacteria that can thrive inside these bins if not cleaned.

Ingesting dangerous bacteria can cause mild to severe infection resulting possibly in diarrhea, UTI, pneumonia, meningitis, bacteremia, and even severe disease if the spinal fluid gets infected.

In fact, the CDC estimates that Salmonella causes about 1.35 million illnesses, 26,500 hospitalizations, and 420 deaths in the United States every year. E. Coli on the other hand is an important cause of acute renal failure in children, and an estimated 73,480 derive illnesses due to E. Coli infection each year in the United States, leading to an estimated 2,168 hospitalizations and 61 deaths annually.

These numbers seems to give us enough reason to pay attention to the cleanliness of our garbage bins. Thankfully, one San Carlos resident has found the best solution.

We had the pleasure of interviewing George Houston, a US Marine veteran and resident of San Carlos for over 30 years. After over 25 years in law enforcement, George gracefully retired and started his own business: the first-ever semi-automated trash-bin cleaning service in town. Started in March 2021 during the pandemic, the Bins 2B Cleaned now services over 300 homes regularly in San Mateo County, most of which are in Redwood City and San Carlos.

Equipped with a bin-cleaning machine attached to a small truck, Bins 2B Cleaned uses only pressurized hot water (with no chemicals) to clean up your bin. Topping it off with an EPA-approved deodorizer after cleaning, they leave your bin smelling fresh.

Born in Bakersfield, George moved with his family to Foster City when he was young. He enlisted in the military after graduating high school; after serving in the military, he worked at JCPenney where he met his wife. Currently living in San Carlos, George and his wife have been married for more than 20 years and have raised their children, who are now teenagers, in this town.

We understand you started your business in March 2021, and that you are the first one to offer this kind of service in San Mateo? Sounds amazing!

I actually came across someone cleaning bins on social media. Intrigued, I dove into research and knew this was something San Mateo County needed!

I’m not the first but very close. I believe there was someone else that attempted the business prior to me but I don’t have any concrete information on that just word of mouth.

It’s been more than two years! 😊How has business been and what kind of feedback have you been getting from your customers?

I am very grateful to say Bins 2B Cleaned is doing extremely well! We have over 300 customers with recurring plans and have had several one-time customers. I have been receiving wonderful feedback, along with several glowing Google Reviews!

I am so fortunate with the amazing customers and community in San Mateo County, we haven’t had one person disappointed with their service!

What area in San Mateo do you have the most customers in? How have you been reaching out to the people in San Carlos?

We service from South San Francisco to Palo Alto, both residential and commercial. I believe Redwood City has the most customers with San Carlos a close second.

From your experience, why should people have their bins cleaned regularly and what dangers can they avoid by doing this?

Having dirty cans not only invites pesky animals like racoons, flies and maggots. It also invites dangerous bacteria into your home! Salmonella, E. Coli are just a couple of the bacteria’s that can grow in your garbage cans.

Being a parent myself, it was never something I even thought I should be concerned about, but after learning all the bacteria’s that can be passed through my garbage cans to my family – they haven’t been dirty since!

It’s a no brainer and something I recommend to everyone! That’s not something you want to be exposed too!

How long does it take to clean the bins? And what chemicals do you use?

Our service typically takes between 20-40 minutes. It depends on a few factors including how dirty the can is. Nothing is ever done halfway at Bins 2B Cleaned, and all cans are cleaned thoroughly with care!

The cleaning process- we start with high pressurized water that reaches temperatures over 190°F. The water pressure will remove any liquids or food that rodents and bacteria feed on. The water temperature disinfects the trash can, removing any existing bacteria sitting inside.

All waste water is collected in the truck’s waste tank and properly disposed of offsite and the trash cans are deodorized with an EPA-approved formula.

About San Carlos

What do you like best about this town?

I love everything about San Carlos! My wife and I have been fortunate enough to have raised our 3 children here! Although all have graduated we have loved the school district, the sports programs, and the 4-H program in San Carlos.

In almost 30 years of living in this town, what do you think has changed over the years, and was it for better or for worst? What improvements do you hope to see?

The biggest change I have seen in San Carlos is the number of people and the all of the new housing. Yet it still has kept the small town feel, my wife and I fell in love with almost 30 years ago!

Can you name your favorites in San Carlos: (1) your favorite restaurant, (2) your favorite shop, (3) favorite event in town-

One of my favorite restaurants is Town and can of course never turn down a Nothing Bundt Cakes.

One of my favorite activities here is hometown days! When my kids were small they participated in Treasure Hunters and that really gets the kids into the history of the town!

San Carlos has been the best place in all stages of my life! From a newlywed, new parent, navigating teenagers, and now a business owner, it is truly the city of good living!