Where to put your bokashi bin: kitchen, apartment, balcony – the best spots

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Bokashi has one big advantage: it can stay indoors, just steps from your cutting board. You still need to find it the right spot, though. The microorganisms that ferment your scraps like gentle, steady warmth. You, on the other hand, need a bin that's easy to reach, since you'll open it once a day and drain it regularly.

Here are the ideal conditions, the best spots in your home, and the precautions to take if you have no choice but to keep it outdoors.

The ideal conditions: warm, shaded, stable

Lactic fermentation works best at room temperature. Not all sources give the same range, but they agree on roughly the same benchmark: about 64–77 °F (18–25 °C), the temperature of a heated room. Bokashi can handle somewhat warmer conditions, up to around 86 °F (30 °C).

In cooler conditions it still works, just more slowly. Below about 50 °F (10 °C), fermentation slows down noticeably, and at around 41 °F (5 °C) it nearly stops. It picks up again once the bin warms up. The cold puts the process on pause, but it doesn't destroy it.

Three rules for choosing the spot:

• No direct sunlight. A plastic bin in the sun heats up well beyond room temperature. Avoid windowsills and sliding glass doors.
• A stable temperature. A consistently warm corner is better than a place that swings from hot to cold, such as a sunroom.
• Easy access. A bin you have to move every time eventually gets neglected.

Key takeaways

The right spot is warm, shaded, and at a steady temperature: around 64–77 °F (18–25 °C), out of the sun. In cooler conditions, bokashi simply works more slowly, with no harm done.

Under the sink, pantry, laundry room: the best places

Under the sink

This is the most common spot, and for good reason: it's in the kitchen, out of the light, and at the right temperature. Just check the available height. You need to be able to open the lid without taking the bin out, or take it out easily. You also need room to slip a glass under the spigot.

The pantry, the laundry room, a cabinet

These are excellent choices if they are heated or stay mild. A warm laundry room is actually ideal. A closed cabinet works too, as long as you don't forget the bin inside: regular draining is still essential.

On the countertop

Some bins are made to be seen. The Skaza Organko 2 Bokashi Composter, compact and award-winning for its design, or the Urbalive Bokashi Composter with its liquid drawer, easily fit on a countertop or shelf, away from the window.

Emy's tip

Store your supply of activator in a tightly closed container, in a cool, dry cabinet. Never keep it on the windowsill or above the stove.

Balcony, garage, outdoors: possible, with precautions

Bokashi is designed for indoor use, but some people don't have the space or prefer to keep it outside. That's possible, with a few precautions.

The balcony

• Place the bin in the shade all day long and out of the rain, against a wall or inside a storage chest.
• In summer, keep an eye on the heat: a south-facing balcony can turn into an oven.
• In winter, bring the bin indoors or protect it. Freeze-thaw cycles can crack the lid or the spigot, and a bin that freezes while you're still filling it stops fermenting.

The garage or garden shed

These are often too cold in winter for a bin you're still filling, so fermentation will be slow there. On the other hand, they are a great place to store a bin that has already fermented until you can bury it. For dealing with cold and heat, see our guide bokashi in winter, in summer, and while you're on vacation.

Outside, in the yard

A bin left outdoors is exposed to every temperature swing, and it may attract curious animals. If this is your only option, choose a shaded, sheltered corner and keep the lid tightly closed.

Odors: what to really expect

With the lid closed, a healthy bokashi bin is very discreet, which is what makes it possible to keep it in the kitchen. When you open it, however, it does have a smell, and that's normal. It's sour, similar to pickles, apple cider vinegar, or sauerkraut. Some people even find it pleasant, and it fades within moments.

What isn't normal is a putrid smell, or a smell of rotten eggs or ammonia. It signals a problem (not enough activator, too much liquid, a lid that isn't properly closed), and the location is almost never to blame. To find the cause, see our guide bad smells, too much liquid, fruit flies: troubleshooting your bokashi.

Did you know?

Fruit flies don't come from a tightly closed bokashi bin. They're drawn to scraps left out in the open. The real culprits are often the small countertop pail you collect scraps in and the drips of liquid around the spigot.

Think practically: the liquid and the kids

You'll be draining the liquid every two or three days, so the spot you choose needs to make that easy.

• Bin with a spigot: set it at the edge of a shelf or on a small stand, so you can slip a glass under the spigot without lifting the bin.
• Bin with a plug: plan a spot where you can set it at the edge of the countertop, or over the sink, to unscrew the plug above a container.
• Bin with a drawer: leave enough room in front of the bin to pull out the drawer.

Think about kids and pets too. The fermented contents and the liquid are very acidic. Keep the bin closed and out of reach of dogs, which may be attracted by the smell. Draining techniques for each model are explained in detail in our guide on bokashi maintenance and draining.

If you live in an apartment and are still weighing several options, our guide composting in an apartment reviews them all. And if you also keep worms, the rules for placing a worm composter are different. They are explained in our guide where to put your worm composter.

In summary

Place your bokashi bin somewhere warm and stable, around 64–77 °F (18–25 °C), out of the sun: under the sink, in a pantry or laundry room, or on a kitchen shelf. A balcony or garage also works if the bin stays in the shade and is protected from frost. The garage is especially good for storing a bin that has already fermented. With the lid closed, bokashi stays discreet, and a sour smell when you open it is normal. Finally, choose a spot that makes draining easy: that's the key to a bin that works well.

Related products

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Bokashi Composter Confort

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