Best Diaper Pails

All diaper pails have pros and cons

The Diaper Champ by Baby Trend (*Est. $35) earns high marks in nearly all of the reviews we found. The Diaper Champ passes the sniff test conducted by DadLabs.com and is named one of four best diaper pails in a review at Tibesti.com. TheCradle.com also lists the Diaper Champ as a favorite diaper pail, as does The Mac Mommy blog. The Diaper Champ is also reviewed favorably by more than 2,200 consumers on Amazon.com. One plus cited in reviews is that the Diaper Champ uses regular trash bags, so there's no need to buy special bags.

Most reviews say the Diaper Champ provides adequate odor control, despite using regular trash bags. It features one-hand operation, making it easy to use, and many reviewers note that it's easy to clean. The Diaper Champ is operated by simply dropping a diaper into the wide opening, and flipping the lid with one hand, which moves the diaper into the storage portion of the diaper pail. Changing the bag is also easy: simply open the lid and change the bag like a regular trash can. So the Diaper Champ get the nod as the most cost effective choice -- but reviewers agree that it's not the absolute best when it comes to odor control.

On the other hand, is keeping odors to a minimum is your top priority, the Diaper Genie II Advanced Disposal System (*Est. $35), made by Playtex Baby, gets the best scores. However, since it uses proprietary bags, you'll have ongoing costs. Although it's designed to be operated using one hand, a few reviewers complain that using the Diaper Genie II a two-handed job. The Diaper Genie II is consistently rated highly for odor control thanks to the Push-n-Lock clamp that locks dirty diapers away in the lower part of the pail. Robin Elise Weiss, About.com's guide to pregnancy, recommends the Diaper Genie II as the top pick in her diaper pail review, going so far as to say the Diaper Genie is the "king of diaper pails." The review at Tibesti.com is similarly positive, praising the Diaper Genie II's odor control.

Although purchasing refills for the Diaper Genie II is an added expense, some users say they're willing to spend the extra money for an odor-free nursery. The refills (*Est. $19 for three) each contain enough plastic to dispose of up to 180 diapers. They're less expensive than those for the Diaper Dekor Plus (*Est. $40), and are better at controlling odor, according to reviews. There is now a newer model of the Diaper Genie available, the Diaper Genie II Elite (*Est. $35), which uses the same proprietary bags but operates with a foot pedal, addressing a common concern with the Diaper Genie II.

Diaper Dekor promises hands-free operation

Some parents consider the most important feature of a diaper pail to be easy operation. Hands-free models allow parents to hold a baby while operating the diaper pail with a foot pedal, or in some cases, a motion detector. At Amazon.com, we read some reviews criticizing the Diaper Genie II diaper pail as unsanitary, because disposing of a dirty diaper requires pushing it through the clamp system.

The Diaper Dekor Plus diaper pail, which uses a foot pedal, is a reviewer favorite -- though it's not quite as good at controlling odor as the Diaper Genie II, and since it uses special bags, it costs more to use than the Diaper Champ. The Diaper Dekor Plus is selected as the best diaper pail in a review on Babble.com, and baby planning experts Melissa Gould and Ellie Miller list it as a top pick in their review at Tibesti.com, praising its sleek design. More than 500 reviewers on Amazon.com also favor the Diaper Dekor Plus, giving this diaper pail an average rating of four stars out of five.

This plus-size version of the standard Diaper Dekor is designed to hold up to 46 diapers at a time, meaning fewer bag changes.  Like the Diaper Genie II, the Diaper Dekor uses proprietary trash bags (*Est. $17 for two), an added cost. While reviews say the Diaper Dekor is terrifically easy to use, experts and parent say it just doesn't do as great of a job controlling odor as the Diaper Genie II.

Parents who are looking for hands-free operation with better odor control may want to try the new Diaper Genie II Elite instead. With this latest model of the Diaper Genie, there is no need to twist a handle after inserting the dirty diaper in order to make sure it's properly sealed, which was a frequent complaint about the Diaper Genie II. The Elite is also taller, designed specifically so that parents don't have to bend over to insert a diaper into the pail, making it easier to hold a baby and dispose of a diaper using only one hand. The downside is that we just haven't yet seen much feedback on the Diaper Genie II Elite, while there are hundreds of reviews for the Diaper Dekor.

All of these diaper pails are made of plastic and cost about $35. On the other side of the price spectrum, we saw a lot of chatter about the Vipp 15 Kitchen Bin (*Est. $320), which -- despite being listed by the manufacturer as a kitchen trash can, rather than a diaper pail -- is highly recommended by reviewers at Tibesti.com and TheCradle.com. The biggest selling point of this bin, which has a foot pedal, may be its stainless-steel construction. Stainless steel is easy to clean, doesn't absorb odors the way plastic can, and is considered to be more attractive than plastic diaper pails. After it's no longer needed for diaper disposal, it can be used as a regular trash bin. Replacement bags (*Est. $80 for 16) are available -- but expensive -- although according to the review on Tibesti.com, you can use any bag in the Vipp 15.

Despite some of the good reviews we saw, others say the Vipp 15 is just an expensive trash can.

What about handling cloth diapers?

Few diaper pails are designed expressly for cloth diapers, and some, like the Diaper Genie II, can't be used for cloth at all. We couldn't find any reviews of diaper pails made expressly for cloth diapers, but we did find an excellent article by Amy Nogar of Zany Zebra Designs, a cloth diaper designer. She recommends using a regular diaper pail and using one of three methods to store soiled cloth diapers before laundering: wet, dry or combination.

The wet method is just that: a diaper pail filled with water where soiled diapers can be kept until it's time to launder them. Some parents choose to add baking soda, vinegar or other additives to the water in order to prevent stains and odor. Nogar advises against using bleach or detergent to the water, because it can cause the diapers to break down more quickly.

This method does pose a few potential problems, however. Standing water can create odors, and unless the diaper pail is kept in a secure location, toddlers may get into the pail, posing a drowning hazard as well as a potential mess. On the other hand, presoaking the diapers before laundering can aid in stain removal.

The dry method simply eliminates the water. As with the wet pail method, baking soda can be added to help minimize odors. Downsides to this method are that the diapers may stain more easily, and the jury is out as to whether the wet or dry method offers better odor control. With both wet and dry diaper pails, parents should first shake off any loose solids in the trash or the toilet before storing the diapers.

The combination method for storing cloth diapers involves rinsing the diapers before placing them into a dry pail. This method eliminates the hazards of standing water, but still offers the benefits of added stain protection.  

To store soiled cloth diapers, any standard trash can and liner will work. A container with a lid will help keep odors out of the room and make it more difficult for toddlers to access. Although diaper pails are made for use with disposable diapers, particularly those that require the use of special refill liners or bags, most diaper pails that can be used with regular trash can be used with cloth diapers.

The Diaper Champ, a favorite among reviewers, is designed to hold either cloth or disposable diapers, which is a plus for parents who use cloth diapers but want the added odor protection of a diaper pail with a special lid. Since this diaper pail uses regular trash bags, there are no extra costs that can add up over time, other than the cost of standard trash bags.