Smelly Diaper Pail

Updated on September 13, 2009
J.P. asks from Schaumburg, IL
28 answers

We have a Diaper Champ and a 20-month-old. Even if we empty the pail every day, the entire room smells terrible! We'd rather not get a new system, but there has to be something we can do to keep it from smelling. I've seen deodorizer disks in catalogs (like One Step Ahead) but don't believe they'll really work. Help?

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So What Happened?

What great suggestions!! I started with disinfecting the entire pail and setting it in the sun for a few hours, which killed the smell totally! I'd love to dump the poop in the toilet because I know that would make all the difference, but most days it's kind of pasted to the diaper and impossible to get off. Too much fruit, I guess! The room already smells great- thanks to you all!

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D.L.

answers from Chicago on

I had one of those diaper pails with my first. I had the same exact problem now i just tie the diapers in a plastic bag and throw in the regular garbage can. I empty it on a daily basis and never have any odor.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.M.

answers from Chicago on

We tried everything and got rid of the diaper pail. It's just as simple to wrap a smelly diaper in a plastic bag and take it straight out to the trash. No more smell. Problem solved!

1 mom found this helpful
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S.K.

answers from Chicago on

We discovered that you just can't put poopy diapers in the diaper champ. We put the poopy diapers in a mini tin trash that we keep outside with a plastic bag inside. I empty the diaper champ twice a week (two boys under 2) and spray it with Lysol disinfectant spray.

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S.S.

answers from Chicago on

Gross! Get rid of it! Either put your dirty diapers in a scented bag (i get mine from the dollar tree) and out it in your garbage and take it out daily, or put it in a jewel bag (great way to reuse) and leave it on your back porch and throw it away outside on your way out each day.
I never understood the diaper genie thing. Why would anyone want human waste just sitting in their child's room?

1 mom found this helpful
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M.J.

answers from Chicago on

We don't keep any smelly diapers upstairs in the rooms. We put all poopy diapers in a plastic bag and we throw all diapers in the main garbage can downstairs in the kitchen. It still smells after a few days but at least it's not all over the house. We just take it out to the garage after 2 or 3 days. Hope this helps.

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J.V.

answers from Chicago on

Human waste is not suppose to go into our landfills. Please empty the solids into the toilet.

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L.R.

answers from Rockford on

I didn't even have mine for a year and I had to throw it out due to the smell. I got a small bathroom garbage can and we empty it out often. Good luck!

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M.R.

answers from Chicago on

I agree with so many of the other posters - keep plastic grocery bags in the room and wrap them individually. Remove them to your outside can as you leave the room. I honestly don't think it will matter what expensive system or cheap system you use - if you let poop sit around, it's going to stink up the joint, right? Good luck to you - kinda makes you pine for the bm/formula diaper days huh? :)

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N.S.

answers from Chicago on

Just get rid of it. I have two girls. We never owned one due to the nasty smell. Other people will really notice it coming over to visit you. We just use plastic bags from the grocery store and take them out into the garage after every poopy one. No smells!!

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K.J.

answers from Chicago on

I had a similar problem. First, clean with hot soapy water. Then set outside in the sun for several hours. Then put newspapers in the bottom of the pail (will absorb odors) and empty pail daily. The carbon filters in those deodorizer disks are just a way to spend money when you can make simple changes at home. Good luck.

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S.I.

answers from Chicago on

Aren't diaper pails stinky?! If you would like to keep it, I suggest a few things.

1. Deodorize it so you start clean.
2. Dump solids into the toilet as possible.
3. Empty the Diaper Champ daily.

Many cloth diapering mamas use tea tree oil to help get rid of smells - you could put some on an old washcloth or rag and place it inside of the pail.

Good luck! I hope this helps!

S.

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E.B.

answers from Chicago on

Hi J.~

We have a diaper champ as well. I tried the little disks that you drop in the pail and they did not work. We ended up going with Renuizit's pearl scents - I thinks that's what they are called. They are little jars with an open lid. We put one of those up on a high shelf in our daughter's room and that really helps the small from the diaper pail and we only have to empty once a week or so.

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H.A.

answers from Chicago on

We have the same problem. The best solution is to spray a deodorzer (babyganics) has a safe one that you spray in the pail as well as on the diapers before you throw them in the pail. We have the hands free pail and we wash the bottom once a week and then spray .I keep a plug ins near the pail as well. Hope that helps

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J.W.

answers from Chicago on

Hi J.,

We had the same situation as you, and I ditto Stacy's comments. We put the diapers with urine only in our kitchen garbage can and empty it at the end of the day and the ones with poop we buy a scented small bag, you can get them at Babies R Us, Target, Dollar Tree, etc., and throw those immediately into the garage garbage can. Those diaper pails worked okay in the beginning, but they start to be stinky after a while, good luck :)

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L.S.

answers from Springfield on

When I had my first child, I used a diaper pail and couldn't stand the smell so I got rid of it and just used our garbage can. I'm glad I made that decision. Hope this helps.

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T.A.

answers from Chicago on

We had one on our registry a few years back and realized it was a waste of money and a hastle to have to change it so often so we just use our regular old garbage can and set the poopy ones in the garage until we go out to put them in the trash. We had one with the disks and didn't think it was that great.

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D.N.

answers from Chicago on

A friend of mine had this one and I had the Diaper Genie. I put baking soda in gauze at the bottom and it worked better then the disks she bought. She had more of an odor problem than I did so not sure if it is a system thing. The renuzit crystals might work well also like another poster indicated. There weren't any items like that when I had mine.

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L.B.

answers from Chicago on

We had this problem also. We put the diaper champ in the hallway and no more smell. We don't smell it in the hallway either. I think it's just bad when it's in a confined area like a room.

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C.H.

answers from Chicago on

We didnt' have a champ, but I think they are all about the same. Our baby's room would smell terrible, so the only solution was to wrap the stinky ones up in a store bag (or the plastic sleeve the daily newspaper would come in) and place them in another bag that hung in the garage. When it was garbage day, we would then move that bag into our garabe bag and toss it. The only bad thing with that solution was that it smelled really bag in the garage and or flies were everywhere.

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S.S.

answers from Chicago on

We also had smell issues with the diaper champ, and ended up switching to this (expensive) diaper pail with a filter. That was a waste of money as well, even though it did work better for awhile. Now we have a small, step-can in the bathroom that we take out nightly. If it smells a bit we can juse close the door until we get a chance to take it out. I will also try to dump the solids too, but sometimes it isn't possible or it will clog the toilet! Hope it works out for you.

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D.S.

answers from Chicago on

I just had the same issue and washed it out with a bleach solution (the Clorox website tells you how to do it) and the smell is gone. It also helps to spray it down with something in between bag changes. I spray the inside with vinegar and water, keep the lid open to let it air dry and put a new bag in later that day. Now we empty the poop into the toilet and/or immediately toss those in the garbage cans outside. YUCK!

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K.T.

answers from Appleton on

Pour a bag of whole bean coffee in the bottom of the pail, under the garbage bag. Change the coffee every month or two when the smell returns. We also dump as much poop into the toilet as we can and flush that and put the diaper in the pail.

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Y.D.

answers from Chicago on

I have 3 kids and never used a Diaper Champ or any other diaper disposal system. Just put the diaper in a plastic grocery bag, wrap it really well and throw away with your daily garbage. We produce enough garbage to throw away every day and never had any issues with smells....

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A.B.

answers from Chicago on

We use an empty kitty litter bucket to toss the poopy diapers into. We keep it in the laundry room with the lid on tight. When it is full, we just throw the whole thing out. We only use the diaper champ for pee diapers.

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D.R.

answers from Chicago on

Hi J.,
I have a diaper champ also. What helps is:
Poop in toilet
Diaper in quart size plastic bag or diaper bags. can get at babies R us
Put diaper champ out of room and air out when changing bag.
D.

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J.D.

answers from Chicago on

Hi J. Try washing it down with half bleach and half water. And baking soda works well for getting rid of odors.

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S.B.

answers from Chicago on

We take the poopy diapers and take them together to the bathroom. I drop the poop into the toilet and we both say 'by by'. Seeing the poop go into the toilet is supposed to help with toilet training later (they don't get freaked out seeing something that came out of their body being flushed away).

Then I put the diaper in the diaper champ. Since the poop is gone it really doesn't smell- the diaper champ can handle the remaining smells. I think using a disposable bag with every diaper is really wasteful.

B.P.

answers from Chicago on

Dollar Tree has a deoderizer that is an odor remover. It has worked for everything I've ever used it for. It has a white, cone style top and a blue bottom. I think it's renuzit. It has no smell to it which is why I like it. You might also try a paper towel in a glass or ceramic container. pour enough rubbing alcohol to wet the towel but no have extra in the glass. I know it removes the smell of stale smoke.

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