Skip to main content
The best diaper pail is the diaper genie complete Credit: Reviewed.com / TJ Donegan
Parenting

The Best Diaper Pails and Diaper Genies of 2026

Products are chosen independently by our editors. Purchases made through our links may earn us a commission.

The best diaper pail is the diaper genie complete Credit: Reviewed.com / TJ Donegan

Why trust Reviewed?

Reviewed's mission is to help you buy the best stuff and get the most out of what you already own. Our team of product experts thoroughly vet every product we recommend to help you cut through the clutter and find what you need.

Learn more about our product testing
Editor's Choice Product image of Playtex Diaper Genie Complete
Best Overall

Playtex Diaper Genie Complete

Check Price at Amazon

Has arguably the best diaper disposal of any tested—at least in terms of cleanliness and odor control. Just drop the diaper in, close the lid, and the diaper is released into the bag. Read More

Pros

  • Carbon filter to absorb odors
  • Refill ring for easy emptying

Cons

  • Costs from refill bags add up
Editor's Choice Product image of Ubbi Steel Diaper Pail
Best Value, Best For Cloth Diapers

Ubbi Steel Diaper Pail

Check Price at Amazon

Though it doesn't trap odor as well as our top pick, this is one of the few options if you don't want to get stuck buying expensive, proprietary refill bags—or plan to use cloth diapers. Read More

Pros

  • Saves you money on refill bags
  • Attractive design

Cons

  • Doesn't trap odors well
Product image of Dekor Plus

Dekor Plus

Check Price at Amazon

It's not a bad design, but it doesn't contain smells as well as the Diaper Genie. It’s not noticeable with a newborn or just 1 to 2 diapers, but when the bag is nearly full it’s impossible to escape. Read More

Pros

  • Refill bags last if bought in bulk

Cons

  • Expensive and difficult to find refill bags
  • Doesn't contain smells well
Product image of Munchkin Step

Munchkin Step

Check Price at Amazon

If you're diligent in changing the bag, you shouldn't run into too many problems. But when the pail is too full, the closing action squishes diapers, creating a literal gust of poop air. It’s foul. Read More

Pros

  • Works with multiple refill bags
  • Good at containing smells

Cons

  • Pail fills up quickly
Product image of Playtex Diaper Genie Expressions

Playtex Diaper Genie Expressions

Check Price at Amazon

May look great, but it’s small, expensive, and requires you to force squishy diapers into it. It’s a little more money upfront, but we highly recommend jumping up to the Diaper Genie Complete. Read More

Pros

  • None that we could find

Cons

  • Expensive to own
  • Too small

  • Diaper Genie Complete

  • Ubbi Steel Diaper Pail

  • Dekor Plus

  • Munchkin Arm & Hammer Step

  • Diaper Genie Expressions

  • What to Know About Diaper Pails

  • How to Choose the Best Diaper Pail for You

  • More Articles You Might Enjoy

  • Best Overall Diaper Genie Complete
  • Best Value, Best For Cloth Diapers Ubbi Steel Diaper Pail
  • Dekor Plus
  • Munchkin Arm & Hammer Step
  • Diaper Genie Expressions
  • What to Know About Diaper Pails
  • How to Choose the Best Diaper Pail for You
  • More Articles You Might Enjoy
TJ Donegan
Written by TJ Donegan, who has covered electronics, TVs, smartphones, parenting for 10+ years.

Updated March 28, 2024

You're going to change a lot of dirty diapers over the course of your baby's life. While a great diaper pail won’t make dealing with diaper disposal any more pleasant, a bad one will certainly make the process much, much worse.

After looking into the most popular pails on the market, we think the best diaper pail and diaper genie on the market is the Playtex Diaper Genie Complete (available at Amazon) . It is easy to use, affordable, and has a sealing system that does the best job of containing the odor of soiled diapers—something most diaper pails and regular garbage cans often struggle with.

Many of the pails we checked out had at least one critical flaw. In some, the liners were tough to change; in others, they required you to shove squishy, messy diapers through a trapdoor, or they simply didn't absorb odor and stunk up the joint. The Diaper Genie Complete had the strongest pail features of any that we tried, and it comes with a reasonable price tag.

Editor's Note:

The recommendations in this guide are based on thorough product and market research by our team of expert product reviewers. The picks are based on examining user reviews, product specifications, and, in some limited cases, our experience with the specific products named.
The Diaper Genie Complete is the best diaper pail we tested.
Credit: Playtex

The Diaper Genie Complete is the best diaper pail we tested.

Best Overall
Diaper Genie Complete

The Diaper Genie Complete has arguably the best disposal mechanism of any that we tried—it's the cleanest and traps odor the best. Inside the bin there are two spring-loaded arms that pin the bag shut and create a little chamber at the top. Just open the lid, drop a dirty nappy in, close the lid, and the fouled garment gets released into the bag—without you having to force it with your hand.

The Diaper Genie Complete also includes the best odor fighter we tried. A carbon filter to absorb odors, and you can easily buy replacements if it becomes ineffective.

One drawback to the Playtex Diaper Genie Complete is that it doesn't have a child lock to keep kids from opening it and tossing toys inside or, worse, playing with the soiled diapers. Beyond that, this is a sturdy standby that performs better than more expensive models and will help keep your nursery from smelling less than fresh.

Pros

  • Carbon filter to absorb odors

  • Refill ring for easy emptying

Cons

  • Costs from refill bags add up

Buy now at Amazon

A woman holding a baby stands in front of a row of colorful Ubbi Steel Diaper Pails.
Credit: Ubbi

The Ubbi Steel Diaper Pail is available in a wide variety of colors and is our pick for best value since you can don't have to use proprietary trash bags with it.

Best Value, Best For Cloth Diapers
Ubbi Steel Diaper Pail

Though it doesn't trap odor as well as our top pick, the Ubbi Steel is one of the few options for anyone who doesn’t want to get stuck buying expensive, proprietary refill bags—or anyone planning to use cloth diapers. This is because it’s basically a big, stylish, steel trash can.

While it’s initially more expensive than the Diaper Genie Complete, the design of this diaper pail will save you money in the long term because it uses regular trash bags instead of proprietary liner bags—making it our pick for Best Value: With trash bags costing about 10 cents per bag, you'll save upwards of $200 (or more) over the life of the pail.

The Ubbi also looks great, with a steel frame, low-profile hinge, and a variety of attractive color options.

So why isn't it our top pick? Despite the rubber seals around the rim and lid, it just isn't that great at containing smells. It's much better than a standard trash can and way cheaper than pails that use special bags, but you'll have to live with a bit more stink. The hinge can also often catch the bag if you pull it straight up and out, meaning it’s very easy to wind up with a ripped bag full of dirty diapers—pretty much every parent’s worst nightmare.

But if you're using cloth diapers or you want to cut down on your monthly bills, the Ubbi is a great value that shouldn't be overlooked—especially when your kids are little and their diapers just don't smell that bad.

Pros

  • Saves you money on refill bags

  • Attractive design

Cons

  • Doesn't trap odors well

Buy now at Amazon


$69.00 from Walmart

Product image of Dekor Plus
Dekor Plus

The Dekor Plus operates with a very similar system to the Diaper Genie, with a refill consisting of one long trash bag you have to tie off and cut as the pail fills up. Where the Dekor differs is the smell-trapping mechanism, which is basically a plastic trap door that you push the diapers past. It's not a bad design, but it doesn't contain smells as well as the Diaper Genie.

It’s not noticeable with a newborn or just one to two diapers, but when the bag is nearly full it’s impossible to escape. As the bag fills up you also have to put more force onto the plastic door to get the diaper through. It’s not as gross as with the Munchkin pails, but there is a chance you’ll touch the pail itself, which isn’t great.

The Dekor Plus is also expensive to buy replacements for, with refills costing around $7 online—if you buy them in bunches. The refills last a bit longer than the Diaper Genie ones, so it is a bit cheaper in the long run, but it’s much more difficult to find Dekor Plus refills in brick-and-mortar stores and there are not as many third-party options.

Pros

  • Refill bags last if bought in bulk

Cons

  • Expensive and difficult to find refill bags

  • Doesn't contain smells well

Buy now at Amazon

Product image of Munchkin Step
Munchkin Arm & Hammer Step

The Munchkin Step diaper pail has a lot going for it: It works with both single bags and Diaper Genie-style ring refills, the pail does a good job of containing ambient stink when closed—thanks to lavender-scented baking soda odor cartridges—and the pail can hold a lot of diapers at once.

That falls apart when you have to put any remotely messy diapers into the Step. Unlike the Diaper Genie, which creates a small “antechamber” for the dirty diaper to sit in, the Munchkin Step twists the top of the bag to create a mini seal when you close the lid.

With compact, small diapers, this isn’t a big deal. But with heavily soiled, squishy diapers, you're going to have to shove them into the bag. It’s also inevitable that you’ll rub your hand against the bag.

Still, the pail does a good job containing the smell otherwise. As long as you're diligent about changing the bag regularly, you shouldn't run into too many problems.

Pros

  • Works with multiple refill bags

  • Good at containing smells

Cons

  • Pail fills up quickly

Buy now at Amazon


$69.97 from Walmart

Product image of Playtex Diaper Genie Expressions
Diaper Genie Expressions

The Diaper Genie Expressions is just like the Diaper Genie Complete, but if you got rid of the things we liked and kept most of the things we didn’t. Playtex did add the option to buy sleeves with geometric prints that make the pail look prettier, but that does little to justify the other drawbacks here.

The biggest issue is the odor locking control mechanism, which is basically one big plastic arm that seals the bag shut. To get the diaper in you have to force it past this arm, which is gross. You almost always wind up touching the bag, which has already touched at least one other dirty diaper.

This design is actually very good at sealing in odor so it doesn’t affect the room—though when you empty the bag you're probably going to stink up the joint anyway. You also have to flip up the lid with your hand (there’s no foot pedal, so it's not hands-free) and the internal chamber is smaller, so it has to be emptied more often.

The Expressions may look great with the designer sleeves, but it’s small, expensive to own, and requires you to force squishy diapers into it. It’s a little more money upfront, but we highly recommend jumping up to the Complete.

Pros

  • None that we could find

Cons

  • Expensive to own

  • Too small

Buy now at Amazon

The Diaper Genie Expressions was not one of our favorite diaper pails.
Credit: Reviewed.com / TJ Donegan

The Diaper Genie Expressions was not one of our favorite diaper pails.

What to Know About Diaper Pails

The whole reason to use a diaper pail instead of just a regular trash can is odor containment. You’ve got a whole lot of poopy diapers right where your kiddo sleeps. You have to contain that stuff. Here are some things to consider.

How to Choose the Best Diaper Pail for You

Finding the right pail means finding the right one for you, which is a balance of multiple factors. These are some things to consider.

  • Liners: Every diaper pail you use will require a liner of some sort. Some require special refills that work specifically with the diaper pail or genie. Others allow you to use standard trash bags. Using trash bags certainly simplifies things in a pinch but, many times, they don’t contain smells quite as well.

  • How dirty diapers go in: Many diaper pails have a squeegee-style contraption that pushes diapers deep down to the bottom of the barrel. Others have foot pedals that allow you to do the work yourself. Still, others have a simple hole that lets diapers fall to the bottom on their own.

  • How dirty diapers come out: If you have a diaper pail that is lined with a standard trash bag, it’s a no-brainer. Just open the lid and remove. For the ones that use special refill bags and the squeegee push method, you will most likely be greeted with a huge snake of soiled diapers contained within the bags. Be prepared!

How does the diaper pail store soiled diapers?

Every diaper pail you use will require a liner of some sort. Some require special refills that work specifically with the diaper pail or genie. Others allow you to use standard trash bags. Using trash bags certainly simplifies things in a pinch but, many times, they don’t contain smells quite as well

How are diapers stored in a diaper pail or diaper genie?

Many diaper pails have a squeegee-style contraption that pushes diapers deep down to the bottom of the barrel. Others have foot pedals that allow you to do the work yourself. Still, others have a simple hole that lets diapers fall to the bottom on their own.

How are diapers removed from a pail or a genie?

If you have a diaper pail that is lined with a standard trash bag, it’s a no-brainer. Just open the lid and remove. For the ones that use special refill bags and the squeegee push method, you will most likely be greeted with a huge snake of soiled diapers contained within the bags. Be prepared!

Meet the writer

TJ Donegan

TJ Donegan

Former Director, Content Development

@TJDonegan

TJ is the former Director of Content Development at Reviewed. He is a Massachusetts native and has covered electronics, cameras, TVs, smartphones, parenting, and more for Reviewed. He is from the self-styled "Cranberry Capitol of the World," which is, in fact, a real thing.

See all of TJ Donegan's reviews

Checking our work.

Our team is here to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and experts obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.

Shoot us an email