Not many new parents understand the utility of a diaper pail for all their diaper disposal needs but they really should. Practical in nature, diaper pails are intended to reduce the foul smell in your home and to help you better organize your waste disposal efforts not only in regards to diapers but any baby-related waste for that matter. As your baby grows and switches from liquid to solid foods, the smell of their diapers will get increasingly worse. This is precisely why you need to figure out a way to have that odor well contained going forward, which is where a diaper pail comes into play.

Having said that, we should point out that diaper pails can differ quite a lot from one another, both in regard to size and construction. This is precisely why you want to take the time and learn as much as you possibly can about what constitutes a good diaper pail and what characteristics to look for when buying one. To give you some pointers, we put together a list of the ten best diaper pails the market has to offer at this point in time.

Best Diaper Pails – Reviews

10Creative Baby Tidy Diaper Pail

Featuring an elegant design and construction, the Creative Baby Tidy Diaper Pail comes colored with a subtle combination of pearl white, blue, white and gray shades. Crafted to keep out bad odor from soiled diapers, it ensures the smell is contained inside the pail. Suitable with all types of disposable plastic bags, this diaper pail offers convenient one-hand operation and is easy to use. Available in a single size, this lightweight compact baby product is machine washable and extremely portable.

9Munchkin Toss Portable Disposable Diaper Pail

The Munchkin Toss Portable Disposable Diaper Pail is a convenient foldable diaper bag that can accommodate up to 30 newborn diapers. Made from high-grade materials, it features durable panels that trap odor and comes with a resealable lid that keeps moisture and odor contained. Great for on-the-go use, this diaper pail is constructed with a compact and lightweight design and can fit into small spaces with ease. Easy to use, simply expand the bag, fill it with your baby’s dirty diapers and wait until the pail is full before the disposal process.

8Vliba Diaper Pail

Known for its innovative style, efficiency, and durability, the Vliba Diaper Pail comes in a range of 6 vibrant colors. Engineered with the storage space to hold up to 45 newborn diapers or 20 size-5 diapers, it is compact in size and lightweight. Along with the pail, you also get refill liners to last up to 6 months and a sample bag of individual disposal sacks that are extra-thick and perfect for quick and easy cleanup. Made from high-quality materials, the pail features a sturdy design and construction and includes a convenient foot pedal for easy hands-free operation.

7Bubula Steel Diaper Pail

Crafted with robust steel and aluminum, the Bubula Steel Diaper Pail features an air-tight cover that helps in preventing bad odor from escaping the pail. Designed with a tall base and an ergonomic lid, this diaper pail offers more storage space as compared to other standard pails of its kind. Thanks to its special safety lock feature, it prevents spills and keeps your children away. Suitable with all kinds of standard diaper pail liners, it is easy to use and can be placed in any corner of your room. This pail can also be used as a trash can after your baby turns of age and free of diapers.

6Busch Systems Odorless Cloth Diaper Pail

Crafted specifically for cloth diapers, this diaper pail from Busch Systems can accommodate up to 2 days of used diapers with ease. Equipped with a heavy-duty carbon filter, it allows clean air in and ensures traces of bad odor is contained inside. Designed and constructed from high-grade recycled plastic, it features a robust clamp closure that offers a tight seal. Measuring 11.38 inches in length and width and 14.25 inches in height, the pail includes a teddy bear filter cage that holds the carbon air filter via a screw that goes through the hole in the lid.

5Munchkin Step Diaper Pail

Another popular baby product from Munchkin is the Step Diaper PailĀ that is powered by Arm and Hammer. Known for its effective odor control and self-sealing mechanism, this diaper pail aims at containing bad odor and seals the plastic bag tightly when the lid is shut. Made from high-quality plastic, this refillable comes equipped with an easy to use step pedal that is convenient. Unlike any other, this pail features a dual-refilling system that is compatible with both rings and snap as well as seal and toss bags.

4Safety 1st Easy Saver Diaper Pail

Made from 100% high-quality plastic, the Safety 1st Easy Saver Diaper Pail offers easy single-handed operation. Suitable with standard plastic bags, it features a convenient design and construction that is sturdy and durable. Engineered to keep the bad odor from soiled diapers contained, this diaper pail ensures your nursery stays neat and clean. Thanks to its effective one-step design, it is easy to use and just requires a quick push of the button that opens up the lid so that you can drop in the diaper.

3Dekor Classic Hands-Free Diaper Pail

The Dekor Classic Hands-Free Diaper PailĀ is a refillable baby product designed to be economical, effective, and highly durable. Unlike other standard diaper pails, this one offers hands-free operation and does not need you to bend or twist. Equipped with an advanced triple odor control mechanism, it ensures all bad odor is maintained inside the pail. Tested and approved by parents worldwide, this pail is crafted from ABS plastic and is resistant to rust. Thanks to its unique design, this diaper pail can also be used as a trash can after your baby grows older.

2Playtex Diaper Genie Complete Diaper Pail

Available in a wide range of subtle colors, the Playtex Diaper Genie Complete Diaper Pail features an easy to use hands-free opening with a convenient foot pedal. Equipped with an inbuilt antimicrobial, this diaper pail prevents bacterial growth and keeps your nursery clean and hygienic. Featuring the latest odor lock technology, this pail includes double air-tight clamps, 7-layer refill bags, and a heavy-duty carbon filter to help prevent bad odor from getting out. Crafted to hold up to 270 diapers, the pail comes with an inbuilt cutter and a front-tilting design that allows quick and easy changing and disposal of bags.

1Ubbi Steel Odor Locking Diaper Pail

Capable of holding up to 55 dirty diapers, the Ubbi Steel Odor Locking Diaper Pail eliminates the need for purchasing inserts, refills and special bags. Winner of 9 different popular awards, this diaper pail is one among the most famous and highly recommended by parents. Featuring a heavy-duty construction, it is made from steel and ensures the odor is shielded and contained inside. Easy to use, it does not require any assembly and is resistant to breaking and outer damage. Thanks to its special child lock feature, it ensures your kid does not get their little hands dirty. Overall, it is one of the most effective and reliable diaper pails out there.

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What To Look For In A Diaper Pail

A decent diaper pail should provide you with the appropriate disposal system in order to rid the house of the smell your baby’s used diapers emit. Not many parents consider such an investment necessary, but they are soon proven wrong when the baby switches from liquid to solid foods. Simply containing the foul smell isn’t enough, mind you, which is why good diaper pails also make it easier for the parents to get rid of the used diapers in a controlled and efficient fashion. To ensure that you’re getting the right diaper pail for the job, you should first educate yourself on what constitutes a decent diaper pail and what features to look for when buying one.

Child Safety Features

We should start off by pointing out that a decent diaper pail should definitely possess reasonable child safety features. Among them, the capacity to auto-lock the closing mechanism in order to prevent the child from getting their hand stuck in the opening. Fortunately for you, most of the good ones are equipped with child safety locks or a similar system, so as long as you acquire a pail made by a reputable manufacturer, then you’re more or less set. At the same time, a good safety mechanism will also prevent the child from accessing the plastic bags and any sharp parts the pail might have.

Flexibility

It also needs to be said that good diaper pails have to be reasonably flexible in this day and age, in the sense that they should be equally effective at disposing of cloth diapers as they are when disposing of standard diapers. Many people see this as a big plus over using traditional garbage bins or even using inflexible pails as temporary garbage bins just the same. In this regard, you can use a flexible pail as a temporary storage unit for soiled cloth diapers before laundry day.

Odor Control

A good diaper pail should above all provide a decent odor control standard. This way, you keep odors from escaping the bin and causing you any kind of discomfort, a feature regular garbage bins simply do not have on account of their closing mechanism. Furthermore, diaper pail liners are designed specifically to eliminate odors, which is guaranteed to make the investment worthwhile in the long run. These liners have the capacity to seal away odors of any kind and even keep the smell from getting out whenever you open the lid for any reason. In this respect, you should probably look for a pail with air filtering features, which may end up costing a bit more.

Disposal Mechanism

The effectiveness of a pail’s disposal mechanism should also be a top priority when looking for a good one, mainly in regards to whether the pail’s lid can be opened with a foot pedal. In some cases, the pail can hold the diapers with the help of special insert bags instead of a lid-based access opening, but the general principle is mostly the same. What’s important for a diaper pail is that it closes properly and can be secured to ensure that it doesn’t release any foul odors at any given time. Interestingly enough, some pails even come with a motion detector feature to make the whole disposal process a lot easier.

Compatibility

A decent diaper pail should be able to secure not just regular diapers but dirty rags and other types of disposal if needed. That said, you can always opt for a low-end model that’s specifically suited for a certain type of diaper. Bear in mind that you won’t be able to switch from one type of diaper to another and expect the unit to maintain the same standard of odor removal. Still, considering the fact that some of these pails are equipped with special bags, you shouldn’t have too many issues disposing of pretty much anything as long as it fits inside the bag properly.

Size

You also have to ensure that whatever pail you end up buying has a sufficient size to accommodate all your diaper disposal needs. In a way, it makes perfect sense to look for the largest pail you can find as long as it fits your budget, but bear in mind that the larger ones usually come with increased maintenance requirements. Not just that but consider how many diapers your baby uses on a daily basis and see if a larger pail makes sense in that regard.

Construction

The material construction of a diaper pail more or less dictates how sturdy and durable the unit will be. While steel diaper pails are often the toughest, they are also rather bulky and heavier than their plastic counterparts, not to mention how much more expensive they can be. That said, inexpensive plastic pails will often absorb odor like most plastics, as long as they aren’t built using ABS plastic which has a lower odor absorption rate.

Changing Bags

If you’re in the market for a diaper pail that employs changing bags, make sure that it features an easy disposal system for the bags themselves. As such, a decent diaper pail should allow for easy insertion and removal of the bags using a closure bag with a standard snap feature of sorts. If you can, look for a diaper pail that prevents the bag from getting caught in the lid or the sides of the bin when replacing them for whatever reason.

Types Of Diaper Pails

  • Diaper Pails for Disposable Diapers – These diaper pails are designed to contain disposable diapers and thus, usually boast a foot pedal to allow for easy disposal. At the same time, these pails are built in a way that prevents the child from getting access to the pail at any point. To contain the odor, these pails usually employ special liners or air filters and are usually lighter in weight than larger units. Bear in mind, however, that when you have a choice between plastic and metal pails, a metal one should always be considered as the better choice.
  • Diaper Pails for Dry Cloth Diapers – Unlike the pails designed for disposable diapers, these ones are meant to be used with reusable diapers. Interestingly enough, these types of diaper pails usually come equipped with child locking systems to prevent the child from getting into the pail. Furthermore, these types of diaper pals are sometimes equipped with washable liners that you can wash along with the cloth diapers at any time you see fit.