The Playtex Diaper Genie is one of the most popular diaper pails around, and for good reason. It does a great job of holding dirty diapers and preventing them from making the whole house smell bad.

It is an easy-to-use diaper pail that fits into most nurseries well, but is it right for you?

To help you find out whether or not the Playtex Diaper Genie is right for you and your baby, here is all you need to know!

What Is The Point Of A Diaper Genie?

If you are wondering whether you need a diaper pail, it helps to know the point of having a Diaper Genie. If you’re a new parent who is brand new to all this diaper stuff, please check out our Ultimate Diaper Guide for New Parents and How Many Diapers Do I Need? Stockpile & Save.

A Diaper Genie is used to hold dirty diapers until you can throw them out on garbage day. Beyond doing this, it works well to minimize bad odors from these dirty diapers, as well as being incredibly easy to use, and simple to load and empty.

The Diaper Genie is there for odor-free, easy diaper storage when you need to make a quick and hassle-free diaper change.

Is A Diaper Genie Worth It?

Whether or not a Diaper Genie is worth it will be up to your family. It does exactly what it is made to do, so it cannot be faulted in that regard. If you are looking for a storage/disposal system for dirty diapers, you will definitely make use of the Diaper Genie.

However, if you prefer to throw diapers away in the garbage can in a plastic bag, then you might not need the Diaper Genie.

Regular bin bags and liners do not work as well to control odors as the Diaper Genie does, so it does depend on your setup and your routine as to whether or not it is a good buy.

It is definitely worth having, but it is not necessarily a necessity.

How Does A Diaper Genie Work?

The all-in-one Diaper Genie is easy to use. It consists of the main body, a head, a canister, a foot pedal, a carbon filter, and a 7-layer bag refill system.

The foot pedal opens the lids and the clamps when pushed down. This creates a multi-lock anti-odor protection, with a special carbon filter and a double clamp airlock design to keep odors contained.

When the foot pedal is pressed, the lid opens along with the clamps. You place the diaper into the opening, and when the foot pedal is released, the lid and clamps close, and wrap a bag around the diaper, sealing it to keep it contained.

Simply, you need to push the foot pedal down, throw the diaper in, and release the foot pedal! After a few days, empty out the diaper pail and start again. The diaper liners will need to be refilled once it runs out.

White diaper genie

Can You Put Poop Diapers In The Diaper Genie?

The Diaper Genie is made to hold both poop diapers and pee diapers, so either is fine to place in the pail. However, some parents have noted that the liner inserts are quite expensive, and it is best to only throw away poop diapers in the Genie, as diapers with pee don’t smell too bad and can be thrown away with the regular trash.

Only using the Diaper Genie for poop diapers cuts down how often you need to empty out the diaper pail, and saves you money over time with how many inserts you need to purchase.

And saving money is something you’re going to want to do if you decide to use organic diapers.

How Long Do Diaper Genie Refills Last?

The Genie Diaper Refill bags are made to be durable and strong. They have 7 layers that work together to lock in odors and messes.

Each refill can hold up to 270 newborn diapers, which should last you around 3 weeks. This all depends on how many diapers your baby goes through and their age.

If you only use the diaper refill bags for poop diapers, they will last for quite a bit longer. It all depends on what you use them for, and how frequently you use them.

What Can I Use Instead Of A Diaper Genie?

While it might be the most popular diaper pail around, the Diaper Genie isn’t the only one of its kind, and there are some other alternatives.

If you want to compare the Diaper Genie to another product before making a purchase, which is the next best?

To help you compare, here is the Munchkin Step Diaper Pail, which is just as good, and which can be used in place of the Diaper Genie.

Munchkin Step Diaper Pail

The Munchkin Step Diaper Pail has a lavender scent universal refill system that works so well to keep diapers contained, without messes or odors. To help prevent odors further, there is a baking soda odor-absorbing puck on the lid, so you do not get a strong whiff of dirty diapers every time you open the lid.

The easy-to-use pedal also makes diaper changes a breeze and means you can use the diaper pail hands-free. The self-sealing system automatically closes tight whenever the lid is closed, so you don’t have to worry about kids or pets getting into the pail.

It can hold up to 30 soiled diapers at one time, and the compact size allows it to fit into almost any nursery!

Check out this product here.

And, if you love product comparisons, you can read Huggies Vs Pampers: How To Choose The Best Diapers For Your Baby and read our Honest Review of Honest Diapers.

How Do You Empty A Diaper Genie?

Emptying a Diaper Genie is fairly simple. There are a few steps to empty and refill the Diaper Genie, all of which should take only a few minutes.

 

  1. Press the release button to open up the bin.
  2. Grab the bag above the top diaper
  3. Run the bag over the built-in cutter
  4. Spin the bag and tie a knot
  5. Throw the bag away
  6. Close the bin
  7. Open up the top of the bin
  8. Peel off the tab of the new refill
  9. Pull the first bag up
  10. Install the refill on the top of the bin and push the bag down
  11. Close the lid
  12. Open the diaper genie from the middle
  13. Pull the bag down and tie the bag right at the bottom
  14. Pull the bag to the bottom
  15. Close the diaper pail
Features of Diaper Genie

How Many Diapers Does A Diaper Genie Complete Hold?

The Diaper Genie Complete holds up to 50 soiled diapers, which is a considerable amount. This is due to the wide circumference, which gives it more internal space.

By holding up to 50 diapers, it means you only have to empty the pail every 4 or 5 days.

How Do I Make My Diaper Genie Not Smell?

The Diaper Genie is a very effective product, but it is not perfect. There is a chance that you will notice a bad smell coming from the pail at some point, but there are some ways to deal with this.

 

  1. Use a disinfectant spray to clean the inside of the pail every time you empty it. You could also wash the outside of the diaper pail every day to freshen it up a bit.
  2. Do not let the diaper pail fill up completely before emptying it. The more soiled diapers it holds, the more smell it will produce.
  3. Use the Diaper Genie scented bags and not a universal refill. These have a soft powdered scent to mask the bad aroma of soiled diapers.

Can You Use A Diaper Genie For Cat Litter?

There is no reason to throw out your Diaper Genie when your little one has outgrown diapers! You can use the Diaper Genie to dispose of your pet waste too.

The Genie works well to hold cat litter, doggy poop bags, or pee pads. The Genie will keep these stored away safely until garbage day and will help to reduce the bad odors they produce.

It is such an effective way to store pet waste away until you can dispose of it, and it keeps it safely away from your pets and kids.

Can You Use A Diaper Genie For Dog Poop?

Diaper Genies are perfect to use for dog poop when you don’t need it for diapers any more. You can pick up your dog poop in bags and dispose of it in the Diaper Genie. This gives it a double layer of protection which stops it from messing and stops it from stinking out the house.

How Many Diaper Genie Refills Do I Need?

You will most probably look at using around one refill a month per baby. This should be enough to see through daily use but is more on the conservative side.

If you have two children in diapers, this number will go up, so it really does depend on your family, and how many diapers you choose to throw away in the pail. Many families choose to only throw away poop diapers, to save the cost of using liners on pee diapers which can be thrown away in the regular bin.

Mom throwing diaper on a diaper pail

What Is The Difference Between Diaper Genie Complete And Elite?

The Diaper Genie and the Elite look similar at first, but there are a few differences. When the Diaper Genie Complete is opened, there is an antechamber at the top where the dirty diaper is placed, which then falls down to a containment bin. This means that the diaper is not able to stink up your nursery directly.

The Elite is not as effective at doing this, so you will notice more of a stink when using it. The Diaper Genie Complete is also larger and holds more diapers, and with the Elite being discontinued, it is definitely the better option.

The Diaper Genie – The Favorite Diaper Pail

The Diaper Genie really does earn its spot as the most popular diaper pail.

It is effective, easy to use, and ideal to keep away bad odors.

There are some other diaper pails on the market that do a similar job, but you cannot go wrong with the Diaper Genie!

Looking for more information on diapers? Please see our other diaper articles:

 

Diaper pail in a nursery

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Rebecca Brown_One of the stuff4tots authors
Rebecca Brown

Rebecca Brown is a mom to two and writer on all things parenting. She has been focussed on content creation and article writing for the last four years, drawing on the inspiration she gets from her own experience as a mother, and the expansive research the job requires.

When not writing, you can find Rebecca outside with the kids, or hidden away enjoying a good cup of coffee!