I Added This “Magical” $9 Feature to My Kitchen, and It’s Made Cooking and Cleaning So Much Easier

When we recently renovated our kitchen, I put a lot of thought into how to deal with the garbage. As a family of seven, we generate a good deal of trash (and recycling). I didn’t want to be taking out the trash so often that it disrupted our kitchen activities, but I also didn’t want the trash sitting around long enough to cause odors. 

Our solution was twofold: a super heavy-duty garbage disposal that takes care of food waste (read: the stinkiest trash) and a routine of taking the trash out nightly no matter how full it is. This has been so successful that although I planned for two pull-out trash cabinets, we were able to cut down to just one next to the sink. 

We’ve enjoyed the kitchen for over two years, and in this time I’ve noticed just one issue with our trash setup: Having the trash in a pull-out cabinet makes it really challenging to open when I have full or filthy hands. Whether my hands are contaminated with raw chicken juice or they’re full of packaging that needs to get tossed, I’m regularly unable to pull the handle to open the trash cabinet — so I sought out a solution.

Sometimes I shout for someone to open the trash for me. When that’s not possible, I’ve been known to resort to trying to open it with my toes. (Please forgive and forget that visual — and no, it doesn’t work!). Most of the time, I end up opening the trash cabinet with filthy hands. The problem is, I don’t always remember to wipe the handle down. I hate the thought of this kind of, frankly, hazardous cross-contamination happening in my kitchen.

My sister, who also has a pull-out trash can, gave me a solution: a toe-pull that’s simple to attach to the bottom of the cabinet. They’re under $10 on Amazon, and they’re an absolute game-changer. 

You can opt for a color that blends with your cabinets, but the toe-pull is hardly noticeable anyway. There are two options for installation, screw-in or adhesive. Within minutes, you have a cabinet that can be opened hands-free! It really is like magic.

My favorite operate is for the garbage cabinet, but the toe-pull can also be used on any bottom cabinet or drawer that would be convenient to open without having to bend down or operate your hands (in the kitchen or elsewhere). For instance, a toe-pull would be handy on a bottom drawer where you store a weighty Dutch oven, making it much easier to put away. 

When we recently renovated our kitchen, I put a lot of thought into how to deal with the garbage. As a family of seven, we generate a good deal of trash (and recycling). I didn’t want to be taking out the trash so often that it disrupted our kitchen activities, but I also didn’t want the trash sitting around long enough to cause odors. 

Our solution was twofold: a super heavy-duty garbage disposal that takes care of food waste (read: the stinkiest trash) and a routine of taking the trash out nightly no matter how full it is. This has been so successful that although I planned for two pull-out trash cabinets, we were able to cut down to just one next to the sink. 

We’ve enjoyed the kitchen for over two years, and in this time I’ve noticed just one issue with our trash setup: Having the trash in a pull-out cabinet makes it really challenging to open when I have full or filthy hands. Whether my hands are contaminated with raw chicken juice or they’re full of packaging that needs to get tossed, I’m regularly unable to pull the handle to open the trash cabinet — so I sought out a solution.

Sometimes I shout for someone to open the trash for me. When that’s not possible, I’ve been known to resort to trying to open it with my toes. (Please forgive and forget that visual — and no, it doesn’t work!). Most of the time, I end up opening the trash cabinet with filthy hands. The problem is, I don’t always remember to wipe the handle down. I hate the thought of this kind of, frankly, hazardous cross-contamination happening in my kitchen.

My sister, who also has a pull-out trash can, gave me a solution: a toe-pull that’s simple to attach to the bottom of the cabinet. They’re under $10 on Amazon, and they’re an absolute game-changer. 

You can opt for a color that blends with your cabinets, but the toe-pull is hardly noticeable anyway. There are two options for installation, screw-in or adhesive. Within minutes, you have a cabinet that can be opened hands-free! It really is like magic.

My favorite operate is for the garbage cabinet, but the toe-pull can also be used on any bottom cabinet or drawer that would be convenient to open without having to bend down or operate your hands (in the kitchen or elsewhere). For instance, a toe-pull would be handy on a bottom drawer where you store a weighty Dutch oven, making it much easier to put away. 

When we recently renovated our kitchen, I put a lot of thought into how to deal with the garbage. As a family of seven, we generate a good deal of trash (and recycling). I didn’t want to be taking out the trash so often that it disrupted our kitchen activities, but I also didn’t want the trash sitting around long enough to cause odors. 

Our solution was twofold: a super heavy-duty garbage disposal that takes care of food waste (read: the stinkiest trash) and a routine of taking the trash out nightly no matter how full it is. This has been so successful that although I planned for two pull-out trash cabinets, we were able to cut down to just one next to the sink. 

We’ve enjoyed the kitchen for over two years, and in this time I’ve noticed just one issue with our trash setup: Having the trash in a pull-out cabinet makes it really challenging to open when I have full or filthy hands. Whether my hands are contaminated with raw chicken juice or they’re full of packaging that needs to get tossed, I’m regularly unable to pull the handle to open the trash cabinet — so I sought out a solution.

Sometimes I shout for someone to open the trash for me. When that’s not possible, I’ve been known to resort to trying to open it with my toes. (Please forgive and forget that visual — and no, it doesn’t work!). Most of the time, I end up opening the trash cabinet with filthy hands. The problem is, I don’t always remember to wipe the handle down. I hate the thought of this kind of, frankly, hazardous cross-contamination happening in my kitchen.

My sister, who also has a pull-out trash can, gave me a solution: a toe-pull that’s simple to attach to the bottom of the cabinet. They’re under $10 on Amazon, and they’re an absolute game-changer. 

You can opt for a color that blends with your cabinets, but the toe-pull is hardly noticeable anyway. There are two options for installation, screw-in or adhesive. Within minutes, you have a cabinet that can be opened hands-free! It really is like magic.

My favorite operate is for the garbage cabinet, but the toe-pull can also be used on any bottom cabinet or drawer that would be convenient to open without having to bend down or operate your hands (in the kitchen or elsewhere). For instance, a toe-pull would be handy on a bottom drawer where you store a weighty Dutch oven, making it much easier to put away.