I finally figured out my bokashi bin smells after 8 months of trying everything

Turned out I was adding too much moisture with wet scraps and not enough bran, so my bin took 3 extra days per batch to stop stinking up the whole kitchen, has anyone else had that moisture ratio issue?

2 comments

2 Comments

elizabeth_gonzalez16d agoTop Commenter

So something nobody talks about is that the type of scraps matters just as much as how wet they are. Like if you're dumping a bunch of citrus peels or onion skins those things are super wet and take forever to break down compared to stuff like carrot tops or coffee grounds. I started freezing my wet scraps before adding them to the bin and it helped a ton with the moisture problem because the ice crystals break the cell walls so the extra water releases slowly instead of all at once. Also check if your bin is getting enough airflow, if the holes are clogged from too much fine material it will stay wet no matter how much bran you use.

elizabetht5616d ago

Wait, you freeze your wet scraps before adding them to the bin? I thought freezing would just make them thaw into a soggy mess and drown everything. That ice crystal trick sounds like something my grandmother would have sworn by for pickling, not composting. I might have to try freezing a batch of old melon rinds just to see if it actually keeps the smell down.

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