Top 5 compared
The best diaper pails
Used diapers out of sight and the smell kept in, right beside the changing table.
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The top 5 at a glance
A diaper pail is a lidded can that holds used diapers between trips to the trash and keeps the smell in. By Diaper Genie’s count, a baby gets through about 9,600 diapers in three years, so it earns its keep. Most close each diaper off behind clamps or a trap door; others rely on a self-sealing lid and a baking soda puck, or a steel body with rubber seals.
Refills are the running cost, and they matter as much as the price of the pail: most take their maker’s own rings or rolls, while a pail that takes ordinary kitchen trash bags has none to buy. Every one here opens hands-free or one-handed, which is what you want with a wriggling baby on the table.
What matters
- How many diapers it holds before it needs emptying.
- Which refill it takes, as some makers sell sizes that don’t swap.
- A tall pail saves bending; a short one suits a small nursery.
- A lid that locks, to keep toddlers out.
#1Ubbi Steel Diaper Pail
$50–$75
Steel doesn’t soak up smells the way plastic can, and the Ubbi takes any standard trash bag, so there are no refills to buy for as long as it’s in use. The sliding lid lets out less air than a flip-up one, rubber seals close it tight, and a childproof lock keeps toddlers out.
What owners say: Two weeks of a newborn’s diapers fit before it needs emptying, owners say, and it looks like a piece of furniture rather than baby gear, though some find the slide stiff to open and others want the smell held in better.
A closer look: Line it with a 13-gallon kitchen bag, tuck the edge under the rim and slide the lid back to drop a diaper in; set the lock once there’s a crawler in the house. A wipe with a dry cloth keeps the steel clean, and when the diaper days are over it goes on serving as a trash can anywhere in the house.
- Takes 13-gallon kitchen bags
- No assembly needed
- Becomes a trash can later
Best for: No refills, steel body
- Holds (diapers)
- Up to 55 (newborn)
- Refills
- Any standard trash bag
- Odor seal
- Steel body, rubber seals
- Opening
- Sliding lid, child lock
- Body
- Stainless steel
- Height
- 19.5 in
#2Diaper Genie Signature Pail (with 2 Easy Roll refills)
$50–$75
Diaper Genie’s newer pail, with odor-locking clamps, a wide opening and room for 47 newborn diapers, and a smarter refill: the two Easy Roll refills in the box are rolls of 24 tear-off bags each, which Diaper Genie says do the work of eight of its round refills, with less plastic.
What owners say: A lifesaver for new parents is how owners put it, with the pedal and the odor-free nursery earning the praise; one went eight months on the refills in the box. Opinions split on how many diapers it really holds between changes.
A closer look: Tear the next bag off the roll at the perforation when one is full, knot it and let a fresh one hang: no cutting, and no leftover film. Two rolls of 24 bags come in the box, so the first restock is months away, and the wide opening takes a bundled-up toddler diaper without any pushing.
- 48 tear-off bags included
- No cutting the film
- Wide opening for toddler diapers
Best for: Fewer refills to buy
- Holds (diapers)
- Up to 47 (newborn)
- Refills
- Own Easy Roll refills
- Odor seal
- Odor-locking clamps
- Opening
- Foot pedal
- Body
- Plastic
- Height
- 27 in
#3Munchkin STEP Diaper Pail (Arm & Hammer)
$50–$75
Munchkin pairs a self-sealing lid, which closes off the bag as the lid shuts, with a lavender-scented Arm & Hammer baking soda puck that keeps absorbing smells between changes. It’s 27 in tall with a foot pedal, takes either refill rings or Munchkin’s Snap, Seal & Toss bags, and a tree is planted for every pail sold.
What owners say: Easy to open with a foot and good-looking enough to leave out in the nursery, owners say, with plenty of room inside. Some wish the lid shut more firmly and find the refills add up.
A closer look: Fit the baking soda puck and replace it when the lavender scent fades. Choose between the two refill systems before buying spares: the rings are one continuous bag, while the Snap, Seal & Toss bags are single bags of up to 30 newborn diapers that seal shut and lift straight out.
- Comes fully assembled
- Lavender-scented puck
Best for: Baking soda odor control
- Holds (diapers)
- Up to 30 per bag (newborn)
- Refills
- Arm & Hammer rings or Snap, Seal & Toss bags
- Odor seal
- Self-sealing lid, baking soda puck
- Opening
- Foot pedal
- Body
- Plastic
- Height
- 27 in
#4Diaper Genie Complete Diaper Pail
$50–$75
A foot pedal opens it, the diaper drops through, and the double Air-Tite clamps and a carbon filter in the lid keep the smell where it belongs. The refill in the box is a continuous ring good for up to 270 newborn diapers, and at 27 in tall there’s no stooping.
What owners say: Owners say it traps the smell of a newborn’s diapers and copes with preemie sizes too, though a number found the top section didn’t open and close as cleanly as the pedal.
A closer look: Step, drop, done: the pedal lifts the lid and the diaper falls past the clamps into the bag below. When the pail is full, lift the top, tie off the film and pull a fresh length down from the ring; keep a spare refill in the nursery so it never runs out mid-change. A baby wipe over the clamps now and then keeps them fresh.
- Antimicrobial refill film
- Comes assembled
Best for: Newborn and preemie diapers
- Holds (diapers)
- Up to 36 (newborn)
- Refills
- Own round refills, 270 each
- Odor seal
- Air-Tite clamps, carbon filter
- Opening
- Foot pedal
- Body
- Plastic
- Height
- 27 in
#5Diaper Dekor EKO Classic Diaper Pail
$30–$50
The trap-door pail: step on the pedal, push the diaper through and the door locks shut behind it, and the continuous refill inside holds up to 495 newborn diapers, with a cutter so you tie off only as much bag as you’ve used. The body is closed-cell ABS plastic, 70% of it recycled, that wipes clean with ordinary household cleaners.
What owners say: Owners use it for cloth diapers as well as disposables and like that the refills cost less than Diaper Genie’s. Opinions divide on the size of the opening, how much it holds and how well the lid behaves.
Heads up: Dekor makes three sizes with their own refills: this Classic takes Dekor Classic refills, not the Plus or Mini ones.
A closer look: When it’s time to empty, cut the bag with the blade inside the door, knot it and pull a fresh length through; one refill holds up to 495 newborn diapers, so the second is months away. At 20.7 in tall it’s a compact pail, so it suits a small nursery or an upstairs second pail, and cloth-diaper families use it as readily as disposable ones.
- Cutter inside the door
- No wasted bag length
- Wipes clean with household cleaners
- Becomes a trash can later
Best for: Small nurseries, cloth or disposable
- Holds (diapers)
- Up to 45 (newborn)
- Refills
- Own Classic refills, 495 each
- Odor seal
- Locking trap door
- Opening
- Foot pedal
- Body
- Recycled ABS plastic
- Height
- 20.7 in
How they compare
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| Feature | #1Ubbi steel | #2Diaper Genie Signature | #3Munchkin STEP | #4Diaper Genie Complete | #5Dekor EKO Classic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Runner-up | Best budget | |||
| Picked Rating | 9.1 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 |
| Price | $50–$75 | $50–$75 | $50–$75 | $50–$75 | $30–$50 |
| Holds (diapers) | Up to 55 (newborn) | Up to 47 (newborn) | Up to 30 per bag (newborn) | Up to 36 (newborn) | Up to 45 (newborn) |
| Refills | Any standard trash bag | Own Easy Roll refills | Arm & Hammer rings or Snap, Seal & Toss bags | Own round refills, 270 each | Own Classic refills, 495 each |
| Odor seal | Steel body, rubber seals | Odor-locking clamps | Self-sealing lid, baking soda puck | Air-Tite clamps, carbon filter | Locking trap door |
| Opening | Sliding lid, child lock | Foot pedal | Foot pedal | Foot pedal | Foot pedal |
| Body | Stainless steel | Plastic | Plastic | Plastic | Recycled ABS plastic |
| Height | 19.5 in | 27 in | 27 in | 27 in | 20.7 in |
| Best for | No refills, steel body | Fewer refills to buy | Baking soda odor control | Newborn and preemie diapers | Small nurseries, cloth or disposable |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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