Diaper Pails
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August 2010
Can anyone recommend a good diaper pail to use with cloth
diapers? I'd like one that controls odor well and has a
washable liner rather than a disposable liner. --trying to
avoid stinkiness
You don't really need a special diaper pail for cloth
diapers. I use an ordinary garbage can with a somewhat snug
hinged lid... a hands free one comes in really handy. I
think I got mine at Home Depot. Target, Walmart, CVS, etc
all carry them. I then line the pail with a pail liner, see
link below. The pail liner is made of a waterproof fabric
that will keep all the liquids in and the pail dry. Come
laundry time, you can throw the pail liner in the wash along
with the dirty diapers. When folded out on the garbage can,
the thickness of the pail liner is enough to create a seal
for the lid to keep the odor in check... when it is closed.
You will smell the stinky momentarily when the lid is open.
If you really can't stand it, put a few drops of essential
oil on a scrap piece of cloth and tape it to the lid. BTW,
it is a good idea to have two liners. Use one while the
other is in the wash.
You can get pail liners from almost any place that sells
cloth diapers. This is just one place and I am not
endorsing this particular one. I am just showing this as an
example. http://nickisdiapers.com/catalog.php?category=369
Good luck!
a crunchy mama
March 2009
After reading a lot of positive reviews of the Diaper Dekor, I
purchased it on-line. It just arrived and I'm feeling
disappointed about its design and small size. I plan on
returning it today and am now in the market for an alternative.
My diaper service comes just once a week, so I need a diaper pail
large enough to fit one week's worth of cloth diapers. It's also
important to me that it not require special bags and that it be
reusable/practical for household use post-diapers. Any suggestions?
New Mommy
We just used the one the diaper service gave us. It looked like a cheap
garbage can and
I didn't think it would work, but it really did and contained the smells
just fine. We
used the bag that the diapers came in. I don't know if your service will
provide you
with one or not, but if they do, I'd try the free one for a while.
Sarah
I am aware of ABC Diapers (actually a Sacramento outfit now) and
Tiny Tots. On their website you should be able to see pictures
of the diaper hamper they sale. Basically it's a big plastic
container with a top that has a flip top. You line it with the
bag your diapers get delivered in each week. It holds a good
amount of diapers. Depending on how many you are on each week,
you'll either have one or two bags pretty much equal the number
that gets delivered. At first just ask them to include an extra
bag then use the empty ones as you use up your diapers during the
week. And they'll deliver it with the next set of diapers.
Crystal
You can just get a plastic garbage pail from target. it doesn't have to
be made ''for
diapers'' . If you want a reusable, washable liner, the BumGenius brand
makes a pail
liner bag that amazingly fits any size or shape pail you pick.
berkeleymom
I tried the diaper champ and the diaper decor before finally giving up
on the
technology. So now we just use a regular big garbage bin lined with a
big plastic bag
that stays in the driveway (where we get our diapers picked up and
dropped off, and in
the bedroom we just have a small wastebasket with a regular plastic
shopping bag that
we tied and untie each time a diaper gets changed. Usually I can fit a
day's worth in
that little plastic bag, and then it goes into the big bin outside every
evening when one
of us takes the dog out for a pee. THis has been the only way to really
get rid of the
stink in our room.
Good luck.
anon
We use a cloth diaper service and have a Diaper Champ made by
BabyTrend. It accomodates about 2-3 days' worth of cloth
diapers. You can use any type of plastic bag in it, though we
use the big bags provided by our diaper service. We haven't
had any odor issues whatsoever. Our service also picks up only
once a week so we store the bags of used diapers in our garage
until pickup day. You don't say how old your baby is or how
many diapers that you use, but I don't know if there is a
diaper pail that would fit the number of diapers that we use
for our 6 month old (between 50 and 60 per week). Before we
got the Diaper Champ, I looked into getting an ''old fashioned''
diaper pail which is just a plastic bin with a lid. Due to
concerns about odors, we didn't end up buying that one. It
wasn't any bigger than the Champ, so I still don't think that
it would have accomodated a week's worth of diapers.
Happy with the Diaper Champ
We use tiny tots diaper service (4.5 years now with 2 kids). I
use their standard pail:
http://store.tinytots.com/store/product/3434/-Flip-Top-Diaper-
Hamper/
Works fine, and not too expensive (I think it was closer to
$10.00 when I got it). Very little trouble with extreme smell-
o-vision. Because we have two story house, we also have a
small one for the kid's bedroom, bought from long's or target
in the trash can section. The tiny tots one had enough capacity
to hold all the diapers for one week when both were in them at
the same time!
love having diaper service!
I got mine from cottonbabies.com three years ago. Unfortunately
they are carrying a different brand that does not look as user
friendly. Mine looks like a white trash can with a flip top. I
would say a good sized simplehuman or rubbermaid trash can would
work just fine. Just get something you can open with one hand,
and I don't mean pry open, it has to easily flip up then shut.
Or a step can would work. Just be sure the can looks pretty
secure to lock in smells.
Cloth Diapering Family
I used Cloth Diapers and thought the whole diaper specific pail
to be a bunch of rubbish (their claims of smell free etc...Not TRUE)
What we used: I Bought a stainless steel (Simple Human) trash
can with snug fitting top and a couple washable Diaper Bags (one
for in use, one for replacement when other dirty) (see this link:
http://www.wildflowerdiapers.com/store/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=1756&idcategory=442
It worked perfect for us...No smell either. I did use these
deodorizers which helped too (put in the bottom of trash can, not
bag). http://www.jardinediapers.com/Citrus-Circles-3-pack-p-7.html
NOW, we no longer use diapers and have a nice new and Clean!
stainless steel trashcan. The liner bag keeps your can pee/poop free!
Heather
I've never heard of a Diaper Dekor pail, but another cloth-diapering mom
said she
just bought a large garbage pail with lid from Target. Since we live
around the
corner from a Target, I checked out what they had, and ended up buying a
large-
ish, white Rubbermaid type can with a foot pedal and lid. It was around
$10. I
bought two Wahmies liners, which have a little spot for peppermint oil
or some
such (that helps!) and I generally never smell the diapers, unless it's
been about a
week. The liners are washable, keep all liquid etc. away from the can
itself, and so
on. We wash our own diapers in our HE washing machine (LG front loader)
and it's
been pretty easy. We also have a Diaper Champ (you can use your own
garbage
bags) for the more hectic times when we've just used disposable. It's
great also. I
didn't want to spend that much $$ a second time for the cloth diapers,
though, and
have found the Target garbage can with Wahmies liner to work really well
(really
reduced the 'ick' factor, as just took out bag of diapers, dumped inside
out into
washer, and Voila!). I was also concerned that with the Diaper Champ,
the dirty
cloth diaper might get stuck in the flipping-over process (ick!). In
summary, I
would recommend just finding a normal garbage pail with lid (and foot
pedal) that
you like - you can use it later as a garbage can or laundry hamper or
whatever...
Good luck!
Diaper Champ, lol
June 2004
We need a recommendation for a good diaper pail that works for cloth diapers.
Currently, we use a ''Diaper Champ'' for anything that gets thrown away (wipes, etc.)
but we have a regular lift-lid pail for the cloth diapers that get returned to the
diaper service. The lift-lid pail has been tolerable because we keep it outside
(there's a door to the backyard right next to the changing table) but it is definitely
stinky and would not work inside the house. We will soon be remodeling our house
and it won't work to keep the pail outside anymore, so we need a new pail for the
stinky cloth diapers that can accomodate our diaper service's thick deliver/return
bag. I'm hesitant to try the Diaper Champ due to the poop getting all over the small
opening and toddler hands having access, etc. Please help if you've got something
that works!! Thanks!
paula
We use the Diaper Champ for our cloth diapers, but we wash them
at home (we moved from a state that hadn't had a single diaper
service since the early 80s!). You mentioned that your main
concern was getting poop on the inside of the ''Champ'' and the
smell that might result . . . well, we put our son's poop in
the toilet (we usually don't waste a flush on just his,
admittedly) so our Champ only smells when we open it up to take
the diapers out. We also put baking soda inside of it and
spray the interior and the chute with antibacterial spray on a
regular if not necessarily frequent basis. I don't know how
thick the diaper service bags are, but we have a lot of excess
room in the Diaper Champ that could accomodate a much thicker
bag than the one we use.
I used to wish that the Diaper Champ held more, but if it did
a) we might be tempted to wait so long to wash that we'd run
out of diapers or b) it WOULD start to smell, so we're happy
with doing a diaper load every 3 days.
We share your pain! We ended up buying one of those step-open
trash cans, one with a heavy lid that makes a good tight seal
with the base. Our diaper co's heavy plastic bags fit right in,
and we have not had an odor problem since. The brand we ended
up using was SimpleHuman (or something like that) - we picked
it up at Bed Bath and Beyond in El Cerrito. It was not too
expensive - less than $50 - and a tremendous improvement over
the dinky plastic hamper + deodorant disks that the diaper co
gave us. I don't know how this will work with a toddler's busy
hands, though!
anon
We use the Diaper Dekor, available at both Target & Babies R
Us. It has 3-layers between the diapers and you, so it's
pretty good at shutting out smells.
Good luck
we use the diaper pail that was provided by the diaper service and ask for
deodorants a lot of the time (they provide them for free) - but the thing we did
that made the most difference was scraping the poop off the diaper into the
toilet before putting the diaper in the pail. A bit high-maintenance but this
definitely makes a difference!
not quite so stinky
June 2008
I am pregnant and am making a list of everything I'll need to buy for when our
babies (twins) are born. I am wondering what people's experiences have been with
diaper genies as well as other diaper disposal methods. This is our first child
and we're just not sure how this all works yet!
Sara
We never used our Diaper Genie (we got two as shower gifts)
but instead used recycled plastic bags from grocery shopping,
which we kept a basket of by the changing table. We put the
dirty diapers and wipes from a change in a bag, tied it shut
and put it in the garbage.
No Genie
Diaper Genies work great at keeping the smell under control,
far better than any of the other systems my friends had. It is
a pain to have to buy the plastic refills, but I just buy a
bunch at a time when I get a Babies-R-Us coupon or other
discount. What I did to save money on that and be less
wasteful plastic wise is to just use a garbage can with a
plastic shopping bag for the diapers for the first 2 months.
Newborn's poop doesn't smell all that much if they are solely
breastfed.
anon
We bought the Diaper Champ. We really like it. I don't
notice a smell, although once my son was around 20 months, we
felt like it did sometimes smell funky when we opened his room
first thing in the morning. We replaced the Diaper Champ with
a new one, but it still sometimes smells a little funky in the
morning in my son's room, so I don't think the problem was the
diaper pail. I think it is just my son's diaper from being on
all night long in a warm room.
Meredith
Oct 2006
I'm confused and am sure someone knows how to do this... How
the heck do you get the new liner in the diaper dekor? It
looks like you need to cut the plastic and tie up the bottom.
Is this right? Or, is there some sort of perforation if I just
pull the next bag down far enough?
Thanks for any advice...
geppie3
There's a small cutting tool attached to the inside of the door
-- use it to cut the full part of the bag away. Be sure to leave enough
room at the top so you can knot it closed. Then tie a knot on the bottom
of the empty one and you're good to go.
Katherine
Feb 2005
Our baby's diaper pail seems to be no match for her poops,
which are getting stinkier and stinkier with the addition of
solids. We now have to keep the pail in a separate room,
despite changing the bag often, spraying it with Febreze and
even using scented trash bags. I am thinking of breaking down
and buying the ''Diaper Genie'' which I have resisted because you
have to use their special bags. Any advice on a diaper pail
that really works?
Signed, Mom of a cute but stinky butt
I'm not sure if you have tried this but it works for us and we
use cloth diapers and a real cheapy diaper service pail- just
keep a box of baking soda and sprinkle a bit in when bag is
empty, then each time there is a real stinker and it just keeps
it down. good luck
stinkless
I love to talk diaper pails. First of all, don't buy the Diaper Genie,
because in addition to having expensive refills, it is a pain in the neck to
use. You have to stoop down, push the dirty diaper through and twist
each time; all the moms I know who bought one regret their purchase.
In fact, one of my friends decided not to sell hers at a recent garage sale
because she didn't want to inflict it on another unsuspecting mother!
However, I can highly recommend the Diaper Dekor Plus. It works like a
normal step-on trash can, with an extra set of hinged flaps to keep the
smell contained. The bag is one long continuous tube that you cut (with
attached cutter) and tie as you go. The refills last a LONG time, almost 3
months each, and cost about $7. This can holds a LOT of diapers; I only
empty mine every 5-7 days, and there is almost no smell at all. Their
customer service is great and will replace broken parts, no questions
asked. Another option is the Diaper Champ, which uses regular kitchen
garbage bags instead of a special refill. It is a little less convenient than
the Dekor, because of its mechanism (a flip-flopping cylinder that can
get jammed or dirty). Still, I have heard some good things about this
can; one friend I know uses it without any bags at all for her cloth
diapers.
I think there are some good reviews of these products on Epinions, and
in the _Baby Bargains_ book. Oh boy! You'll be so glad when you get
one.
ekc
I would get the Diaper Champ, not the Diaper Genie, if I were
you. You don't need special bags, and the stink-combatting
mechanism is a sort of a vapor-lock that we've been pretty
pleased with. We share a nanny and rotate weeks, so every
other week we have 2 kids' diapers to deal with, and my 21
month old son's room is never stinky even when it's full.
We've had it from day 1 and are very pleased with this product!!
no stink here
I stopped using the diaper pails, because they just hold in the
stink, period. My solution is to have an open wastebasket on the
changing table. I use plastic grocery bags as liners (good thing
we don't need to pay 17 cents here!), fill it during the day with
pee diapers (easy, just fold them and refasten the sticky tags to
hold them together if you like, or just toss them in quickly),
and whenever there's a poopy diaper, I just take the liner out
and tie the handles tightly and out it goes to the garbage can!
Once you start doing it, you realize that it's a simple thing and
that it's icky keeping poopy diapers in the house, anyway. My
baby's room never smells like poop (OK maybe for a few minutes
after he's changed, but then so does the bathroom after we go!).
hope this helps
The Diaper Champ is the best! It is the same idea as the diaper
genie, where the diapers are sealed away, but it doesn't wrap
them in separate plastic bags. You just put your own plastic bag
in there, then there is a little chute hole at the top where you
put the diaper in. Then you lift a lever and it turns over and
dumps the diaper in on the other side. Hard to explain here, but
really awesome. Doesn't smell. I have it in my bedroom! Still
using mine!
Holly
What I did to help out from the smell was to pour some baby
powder in the bottom of the pail & at the bottom of the bags.
Shelly
I have a recommendation for diaper pails that don't stink. The
best thing EVER are those large gray ''spin-top'' containers to
store dog food in. You can get them at pet stores and they have
large mouths (We got ours at the pet warehouse over in
Emeryville by Home Depot). We just put a regular garbage bag
inside for the diapers and have been using this method for 4
years now. We are using cloth so it keeps the odor in for a
whole week without problems and I'm sure it would be longer too,
since the container is airtight. You only have to clean out the
pail once in a while when mildew builds up inside from the
condensation of wet diapers, not sure if this would happen with
disposable. Then, when you are done with diapers, you can use
the bin for any storage that you want to keep fresh or
dry....after you clean it, of course. I highly recommend it and
it's much better than the diaper genie, which we had originally!
Jenn
we have a diaper champ and it was great until solids - now we
just take the diapers straight outside to the garbage. before
you go spend the $ on a special diaper pail like that, try using
zip-lock bags and your regular diaper pail and see how that
goes - you can get them in bulk at costco.
I think the special diaper genies and such with the special bags
you have to buy are a scam.
anon
Nov 2004
I'm preparing for my second child (due in about 4 weeks)and I'm
trying to decide what type of diaper pail to get this time.
For various reasons we've decided to use disposable this time
after using cloth with my first son. I don't want to open up
that question!! I just want to know what works and is worth it
for disposable. Is a special diaper-sausage maker really worth
the extra expense and bother? Has anyone had success with the
Safety 1st oderless diaper pail which uses regular bags but has
a twisting/locking lid? Does a frequently-emptied lidded pail
suffice? Would you choose the same method you used if you were
starting fresh?
Bracing for my second round of diapers
We've been using both the Diaper Champ and the Diaper Genie
since the birth of our daughter, 14 mos ago. No complaints
about either. We use the Champ in the bedroom because it's the
easiest to use and it gets a lot of use in there (it uses just
regular garbage bags)--you just put the diaper in the top, pull
the handle over, and that's it. We use the Genie in the living
area of the house, and it gets used once or twice a day. The
Genie requires a few extra seconds to use, and yes, you have to
buy unique liners for it, but it contains odors fairly well--
I'd say slightly better than the Champ. Best wishes.
Tracy
Hi - we used a Diaper Genie with our two. It helps with the
smell until they get old enough for solid food. After that, the
diapers are too smelly, IMO. So from that point on, all dirty
diapers went outside to the big garbage immediately. Wet diapers
we just tossed in the bathroom garbage can and emptied that once
per day. I found that even though the Diaper Genie made the room
less smelly, the awful stench we were faced with when emptying
it offset any advantage. But, yeah, it was worth it for the
newborn days when diaper changes were so frequent (every
feeding!)
Hope this helps.
anon
We got a Diaper Genie but never even opened it! We just use a regular lidded
garbage can in the nursery and empty it once or twice a week. We don't even use a
liner --it has never smelled much. Personally I think the whole diaper pail thing is
kind of a scam.
Trashcan mama
We like the Neat Diaper Disposal System by Safety First. It's
available at Toys R Us/Babies R Us stores. I read the online
reviews on amazon.com and many people said this was the best for
no smell and was much better than the best-selling Diaper
Genie. The only real drag is that I can only find the
replacement bags at Toys R Us, but we don't have to change the
bags too often so it's OK. We have two systems, one upstairs
and one downstairs and I probably change the bag cartridge in
each once a month. My son is three months old and we are
exclusively breastfeeding so his diapers aren't too smelly now
and we could probably just throw them in the trash, but once he
starts on solids I hear it will be necessary to have a diaper
disposal system because his poops will be stinky! Good luck with
your new baby!
Andi
We like the Neat Diaper Disposal System by Safety First. It's
available at Toys R Us/Babies R Us stores. I read the online
reviews on amazon.com and many people said this was the best for
no smell and was much better than the best-selling Diaper
Genie. The only real drag is that I can only find the
replacement bags at Toys R Us, but we don't have to change the
bags too often so it's OK. We have two systems, one upstairs
and one downstairs and I probably change the bag cartridge in
each once a month. My son is three months old and we are
exclusively breastfeeding so his diapers aren't too smelly now
and we could probably just throw them in the trash, but once he
starts on solids I hear it will be necessary to have a diaper
disposal system because his poops will be stinky! Good luck with
your new baby!
Andi
We had a nanny share at our house so we had double the diapers. Plus
we had to set up the changing area in the dining room (either that or
the living room!. The diaper genie kept the stink out completely. I
tried the Diaper Champ for a while, attracted to the ability to use
regular garbage bags, but it did not control the stink and had the
additional problem of dirty diapers sometimes getting stuck in the
"turnstile" thingy and making a yucky mess. I never had to take apart
the diaper genie to clean it, in 3 years. Wouldn't use anything else.
- Glad we're done with diapers now!
I use the Diaper Dekor and I HATE it. Do not buy it. My son
learned early on how to just open the top and then he sticks
his hand down into the area with the dirty diapers. It has no
locking mechanism. I want to buy a new diaper pail, so I'm
anxiously awaiting the responses to this post!
jodi
we have a diaper champ and it was fine until my son got into
solids and then it was really totally inadequate to contain the
smell. we don't even bother with it anymore and take the diapers
straight to the outdoor garbage.
I'll be interested in others responses - maybe we'll learn
something for the second go-round
not a diaper champ fan
When we threw in the towel on cloth diapers, we got a ''Diaper
Champ'' pail. It's now in use for our second and we like it.
Much easier to use than any other diaper pail I've ever
encountered (truly no-brainer, one-hand operation) and it
doesn't require special bags -- any trash bags will do. (For
that matter, you can at least theoretically use it for cloth
diapers as well.) We sometimes notice some odor when it gets
too full, but only when it gets too full -- and it has a larger
capacity than most too.
The only pitfall is that ease of use means that a toddler can
figure out how to use it! Well, he couldn't get inside the
pail, but he could drop toys and other non-diaper items into the
chute and dispose of them....
Holly
We've done both and I think the Diaper Pail is easier. The
diaper genie has less odor, but after a year plus of use it can
retain some odor. That's my 2 cents on the matter and I have 3
babies who helped pass on this experience to you.
Anon
Call me crazy but my husband and I figured out, that a big metal
mesh waste basket (yes, essentially holes in it) is the best way
to prevent odor. We dump it into a plastic bag at the end of
each day (or two) and take it outside to the trash. We never
purchased a diaper gynie because any time I've been around one I
felt completely repulsed by both the odor and the whole process
of disgarding the diaper. And a trash can with a plastic bag and
a lid is merely the same. Everything is just rotting away in
small enclosed area and if you lift the top, it's all over!
Also, very important with this exciting new concept--put the
poop in the potty and flush it before you wrap up the diaper and
throw it out. Of course if it's a newborn, that's impossible and
also unnecessary because newborns poops aren't really smelly.
And also I realize it's impossible if it's a very loose stool
(sorry to get graphic here but...). If it's a REALLY messy one,
we just wrap it up and bring it right outside. No need to house
that for even a minute. Seriously, it works.
anon
As a compromise for caving in to using disposables, we decided
against one of those sausage-maker diaper pails, seeing as it
adds waste and probably also half-life to diapers in landfills.
Instead, we got a lidded garbage can of small proportions (it
had a step-to-open lid, which was crucial, and we lined it with
whatever old grocery sacks were around. Because the can was
small, it held relatively few diapers, and had to be emptied at
least every day, usually twice. Thus, we didn't get the
stinkies. We also sprinkled fresh baking soda in the bottom of
the can every week, and rinsed it out as part of our Sunday
housekeeping routine. It probably added a grand total of 10
minutes of work a week, and saved us a ton of money on a big,
ugly plastic doohickey that we would have had to throw away. As
it is, our nice stainless step-lid can now serves as laundry-
room waste receptacle. One thing you might want to consider,
though, is whether dogs or children might get into the dirty
diapers, in which case, you want a can with a lid that locks on
in some rather invincible way (but remember to open the can
BEFORE you start dealing with the super-diaper-buster blowout).
stinky diaper hater
I highly recommend the diaper genie. Easy to use and worth every
penny. I used cloth diapers with my first child and am so glad I
used disposable with my second. It allowed me more time to
balance kids versus cleaning diapers. I found the diaper genie
to be large enough that I only had to change it about twice a
week and it did an excellent job of keeping oders out of the
nursery.
Anon
We, too, use disposables (after a valiant effort at cloth) and
have never needed a diaper genie or any other special pail. We
use a 5 liter cylindrical garbage pedal can from Bed & Bath
(Brabantia-style) and put a pail pal deodorizer (from Tiny Tots)
in the can under the bag. We empty the can 1-2 times/day and
have had no problems with odor. The occasional really stinky
diaper may go directly outside. We would definitely use the
same method again.
Don't like the diaper genie
Oct 2000
Phew! As my baby is getting older, the diaper pail (cloth
diapers) seems to get smellier and smellier. We are using
a diaper service and I usually put the bag of dirty diapers
outside every 3-4 days. Do I need to change the bag more often?
Is there some type of natural deodorizer that I can use? I
prefer not to use the chemical disc the diaper service gives.
Any ideas would be great.
Jennifer
Granted, we're still on breast-milk poops... but we've found
that the Diaper Champ's design keeps the odors out of baby's
room. It's available at www.babycenter.com, and probably at
local baby stores too. We use the diaper service bags with it
and it works well (so far...).
Baking soda in the bottom of the pail helps a lot.
Royce
Put in a scoop of baking soda (you can get huge boxes of it).
Rinse the pail well after emptying each bag.
Urthlink
Where to Buy Diaper Genie Refills
Oct 1998
Target has refills for both the original and larger opening Diaper
Genie's.
Jennifer & Heather
Where you can find Diaper Genie Refills...
I have seen the refils at most stores that carry the diaper genie. These
inculde Toys R Us, JC Penny, Burlington Coat Factory's Baby Depot, Mervyns
and Target. I seem to remember the price was best at Target, but that may
have been a sale.
Rose
this page was last updated: Jan 18, 2011
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