The Best Touchless Kitchen Trash Cans: 4 Compared (and One to Skip)

RBE top pick

simplehuman 58L Rectangular Sensor Can with Voice & Motion Control

See why it wins Compare all

Amazon had no buyable listing for our top pick when we last checked, so there is no buy link here yet.

The simplehuman is the flagship, with built-in voice control, a stainless body and a five-year warranty. The iTouchless covers the daily basics, including a carbon odor filter, at a lower tier, and is the smarter pick for most kitchens.

A touchless trash can lives or dies on two things: a lid sensor that opens when you want it and stays shut when you don't, and a body that still looks and works right two years in. We weighed a flagship, a value champ, a popular budget stainless, and a resin-bodied house brand. Two are easy recommendations, one is a fine buy if you go in clear-eyed, and one we'd walk past.

RBE top pick

simplehuman

simplehuman 58L Rectangular Sensor Can with Voice & Motion Control

Buy it

The flagship, with voice and motion control, if you can stomach the price.

Best for: Anyone who wants a set-and-forget can for a high-traffic kitchen and treats it as a long-term appliance.

$$$$ · flagship

Why we like it

• Opens with a wave of the hand or by voice, using the command "open can"
• Stainless steel body with a fingerprint-proof finish and a liner pocket that stores a 20 pack of its Custom Fit Liners
• Five-year warranty per its product page; runs on an included plug-in adapter or 6 AA batteries

Know before buying

• Sits at the flagship tier, far above the other cans here
• The cleanest look assumes simplehuman's Custom Fit Liners, which are a recurring purchase

Amazon had no buyable listing for this when we last checked. The link still works if it returns.

Find it on Amazon Read our detailed assessment ↓

iTouchless

iTouchless 13-Gallon Extra-Wide Stainless Steel Sensor Trash Can with AbsorbX Odor Filter

Buy it

A mid-range can with a carbon odor filter and a motion-sensor lid.

Best for: Value-minded buyers who want odor control and a roomy opening without paying flagship money.

$$ · mid-range

Why we like it

• Motion sensor opens the lid with a wave of the hand
• Includes an AbsorbX natural carbon filter that the maker says neutralizes odors
• Fits standard 13 gallon bags; runs on 4 D batteries, with an optional AC adapter sold separately

Know before buying

• The lid is ABS plastic rather than steel
• Replacement odor filters are an ongoing consumable

Check price on Amazon Read our detailed assessment ↓

Nine Stars

Nine Stars DZT-50-9 13.2-Gallon Automatic Motion Sensor Trash Can

It depends

An inexpensive stainless steel can with a basic feature set and no long-term record.

Best for: Renters, dorms, garages, or a secondary can where low cost matters more than longevity.

$ · budget

Why we like it

• An inexpensive way into a stainless steel touchless can, with a fingerprint-resistant finish per the maker
• Sized at 13.2 gallons for standard tall-kitchen bags

Know before buying

• Runs on 3 C batteries with no plug-in option listed, and the two-year warranty in the manual covers only the lid electronics
• Budget sensors and lid motors are usually the first parts to wear, and this model has no verified long-term record
• No odor filter or inner liner bucket is listed, just a removable ring liner that holds the bag

Find it on Amazon Read our detailed assessment ↓

We'd skip it

Brightroom

Brightroom 13-Gallon Resin Motion Sensor Trash Can with Stainless Rim

Skip it

Looks like a steel can from across the room, but the body is resin.

Best for: Almost no one; the iTouchless documents its odor filter and power options, which this can does not.

$ · budget

Why we like it

• Resin body does not show fingerprints the way brushed steel does
• Resin is lighter than a steel body, so it is easier to move for cleaning

Know before buying

• A resin body with a stainless rim, so the steel look is trim rather than structure
• The retailer page does not state the power source, an odor filter or a liner pocket
• A house-brand can with no manufacturer spec sheet to check

See our pick instead Find it on Amazon anyway Read our detailed assessment ↓

How we judged the field

We don’t run our own lab, and for this comparison we worked from the pages that makers and retailers publish. For a touchless kitchen can, the things that matter are how the lid opens, what the body is made of, whether it does anything about odor, how it manages a trash bag, how it’s powered, and what the warranty covers. Where a page did not state something, we say so rather than guess. Price sits underneath all of it, because a cheap can that fails in a year isn’t cheap. The four here span the market from flagship to budget.

This is the flagship of the group. The lid opens with a wave of your hand or by voice, using the command “open can,” and the page says the system can also keep the lid open and close it hands-free. The body is stainless steel with a fingerprint-proof finish, and a liner pocket stores a 20 pack of simplehuman’s Custom Fit Liners, with a liner rim that keeps the bag tidy and out of sight. It runs on an included plug-in adapter or 6 AA batteries, and the page lists a five-year warranty. The catch is the price tier: it sits well above the others here, and the cleanest look assumes you’ll keep buying simplehuman’s liners. For a busy kitchen where the can gets used dozens of times a day, it is the one to beat. For a guest bathroom, it’s overkill.

Call this the value pick. A motion sensor opens the lid with a wave of your hand, and the brushed stainless body is described as fingerprint-resistant. The standout is the included AbsorbX natural carbon filter, which the maker says neutralizes odors. It fits standard 13 gallon bags, and it runs on 4 D batteries, with an AC adapter available as an optional extra. It isn’t flawless: the lid is ABS plastic rather than steel, and the odor filters are a recurring consumable. It is the sensible buy and the one we’d steer the majority of readers toward.

The Nine Stars is the cheap-stainless option: it gets you a tall touchless can in what Nine Stars calls commercial-grade fingerprint-resistant stainless steel for little money. Its manual calls for 3 C batteries, with no plug-in option listed, a removable ring liner holds the bag, no odor filter is listed, and the two-year warranty covers only the lid electronics. We have no verified long-term record for it. Budget sensors and lid motors are usually the first parts to wear, so treat it as a garage, dorm, rental or secondary can rather than a primary kitchen can you’ll lean on every day for years. If you buy it, confirm the bag size on the listing first.

This is the one we’d leave on the shelf. From across the kitchen it reads as a modern steel can, but the retailer lists the body as resin with a stainless steel rim, which means the steel look is trim rather than structure. The retailer page does not state the power source, and we found no odor filter or liner pocket listed. As a house-brand can it has no manufacturer spec sheet to check. If your budget is tight, the Nine Stars is the cheaper stainless-look option; if you have a bit more to spend, the iTouchless documents its odor filter and power options, which the Brightroom does not.

simplehuman vs iTouchless: which should you buy?

These are the two we’d actually put in a kitchen, and the choice is really about budget and how hard the can will work. The simplehuman adds built-in voice control, an all-stainless body, a liner pocket, a five-year warranty and a plug-in power option. If you open your trash can dozens of times a day and plan to keep it for many years, it is the one to buy. The iTouchless covers the basics at a lower tier: a motion-sensor lid, a carbon odor filter, a wide opening and standard bag fit, with a plastic lid rather than steel. For the large majority of kitchens, the iTouchless is the smart-money pick; step up to the simplehuman only if you want the full feature set and the price doesn’t sting.

What to look for

• Sensor control, not just speed: check the manual for sensitivity or open-time settings so the lid isn’t triggered by foot traffic or pets.
• Body material vs. price: steel should cost more than plastic; be wary of resin cans priced like steel ones.
• Odor handling: a built-in carbon filter helps if you toss food waste, and it is a consumable you will replace.
• Liner management: a liner pocket or rim keeps bags from slipping and looks cleaner than a bag bunched over the edge.
• Power source: an AC option or plug-in adapter spares you from constantly buying batteries.
• Warranty and parts: longer coverage and easy-to-source liners signal a can built to last.

Our final take

The simplehuman 58L is the flagship touchless kitchen can, and if it fits your budget it’s a strong long-term appliance with a five-year warranty. But most people don’t need to spend that much: the iTouchless 13-gallon delivers a motion-sensor lid, a carbon odor filter, and a roomy opening at a lower tier, and it’s our pick for the majority of kitchens. The Nine Stars is a fair budget or backup can as long as its battery power and short lid warranty suit you. The Brightroom is the one to skip: a resin body with a stainless rim and no spec sheet to check. Match the can to how hard your kitchen will use it, and buy from the top two.

Deciding between the top two? See our head-to-head: simplehuman 58L Rectangular Sensor Can with Voice & Motion Control vs iTouchless 13-Gallon Extra-Wide Stainless Steel Sensor Trash Can with AbsorbX Odor Filter.

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