Roundup: Best Diaper Pails For Storing Your Dirty Cloth Diapers
Last Updated: March 4, 2021
Are you interested in cloth diapering but worried about stinking up the house between washings?
If so, you’re not alone. While cloth diapering is a great eco-friendly and economical solution, the reality is that you’re probably going to have those diapers sitting around before they get a chance to go in the laundry.
While you can use a plain old trash can to store your cloth diapers, I can safely say that it smells a lot worse than using a diaper pail.
Today we’ll be looking at the best solutions for cloth diaper pails and point you in the right direction.
Why you can’t just use any diaper pail.
If you’ve ever walked into the baby section of a store like Target, you’ll find tons of diaper pails.
It’s true that there are lots of diaper pails available on the market, but you can’t use them for cloth diapers.
Most diaper pails simply don’t have a large enough opening to be suitable for cloth diapers
Since diaper pails are meant to completely seal the diapers in a bag which is disposed of later, this will promote bacteria and mold growth in a cloth diaper. Gross.
You have 2 options: wet pails and dry pails.
WHen it comes to cloth diaper storage solutions, there are 2 options: wet pails and dry pails. Let’s take a look at them and compare.
#1 – Dry pail method.
Most people go the dry pail route. This means putting the dry diaper (without any presoaking) directly into the diaper pail which is equipped with a waterproof bag. You should dump the poop into the toilet first.
If you really want to, you can hang the bag directly on a door without a pail at all.
This method works great for either front-load or top-load washers, because you can easily dump the bag directly in without having to touch the contents inside. Easy peasy.
If you go this route, your best bet is to have 2 liners that you can swap out. This means that during laundry time, you can throw the dirty bag directly in with the diapers and you can use the dry, clean bag right away.
You will likely want to use a synthetic material bag for dry pail storage, because natural materials like cotton will really absorb the smells and be hard to get rid of.
#2 – Wet pail method.
Some cloth diaper mamas prefer this method as it helps to pre-treat the diapers, getting them cleaner and reducing stains. However, this is an advanced method and not recommended for newbie cloth diaper users.
To do this method, you’ll first put the diapers in a a sealed pail that contains a small amount of water. You can add a treatment solution like borax, vinegar, essential oils or baking soda to help pre-treat the diapers as well.
When using the wet pail method, don’t use any bleach or detergent to the water. This can cause damage to the material of the diaper and will likely void the manufacturer warranty.
Be careful: Don’t leave a bucket of standing water around the home. This is a huge hazard for a young child.
The best diaper pails for cloth diapers.
Let’s take a look at your options for cloth diaper storage.
OUR BEST RECOMMENDATION
Dekor Plus Hands Free Diaper Pail
While there are some diaper pails that have sealing mechanisms to really keep the stink out, they require using your hand to unlock them. The Dekor comes in two neutral shades: a white and a grey that can fit in any nursery, and it’s a great pail too.
Believe me when I say that you’ll greatly appreciate having a hands-free pail—you just have to step on it like a regular trash can and it opens up. When you have your hands full of poopy diaper, you’re going to appreciate this.
The Dekor also allows you to use your own bag, so you’ll have no trouble finding a liner that works.
This one works for both cloth diapers and regular diapers, so in the case that you get sick of cloth diapering or use disposables once in a while like a lot of parents do, it’ll work for that as well. You can even use it as a regular trash can if you like.
This pail does a good job at keeping the stink in and your kids out—it has a few safety locks that make it next to impossible for a curious toddler to get into.
The main benefits of this one over the Ubbi is that it’s bigger, and it has the hands-free operation.
A STEEL OPTION
Ubbi
The main plus the Ubbi has over the Dekor is that it’s made of stainless steel. Theoretically, steel can’t absorb any smells, whereas plastic can easily absorb smells.
Unlike the Dekor, the Ubbi comes in more neutral colors which many might prefer.
The big downside of the Ubbi is that it doesn’t have a step pedal to open the lid. It’s one of those things that you might not even miss until you’ve tried it, but being able to open the pail with your foot is definitely convenient. Even though you can’t open it with just your foot, it’s still designed to open it with one hand.
The reason for this is because they use a sliding lock to minimize the smells coming out. This lid also doubles as a child safety lock.
You can use regular trash bags with the Ubbi, but since we’re using this for cloth diapers, a reusable and washable bag is likely preferrable.
All in all, this is also a great diaper pail for cloth diapers.
Now, for a pail liner.
Now that you’ve decided on a diaper pail, you might want to get a washable and reusable liner to go with it. Both the Dekor and the Ubbi are compatible with these, so the choice is yours.
THE BEST BAG LINER
Teamoy Reusable Pail Liner
These Temoy liners are a great solution. It comes in a pack of two, so you can always have a clean one on hand, and you can simply empty the liner directly into the wash, throw the bag in with it, and boom—you’re done.
These bags will hold about 20 pocket diapers if use in the Ubbi, and even more if you use it without a diaper pail at all and really cram them in.
You can even put it directly in a trash can if you’d like. Options galore!
Be sure to hang dry these—don’t put them in the dryer. They’ll last a lot longer that way.
Summing it up.
Our top choice is the Dekor Plus Hands Free Diaper Pail. It’s inexpensive, it’s hands-free, and you can use any liner you want in it. Pair it with the Temoy liners and you have a great, inexpensive solution for your cloth diapers that looks great in any nursery, too.
Have any questions? Let us know in the comments section below.
