As I mentioned in my previous post, Mom Central provided me the opportunity to test drive two different diaper pails. The first was the Diaper Genie II Elite and the second was the Munchkin Arm & Hammer Diaper Pail. I was to alternate the pails each week and comment on the use and functionality of each. Here is my wrap-up post!
Diaper Genie II Elite RecapPROS
- This sleek diaper pail has a very nice look to it. It’s tall and slender physique almost makes it look less diaper pail-esque. It’s still a diaper pail, but it just looks a bit more ‘clean’ while standing in the corner of the room.
- My toddler still has yet to figure out how to open the diaper pail, a nice change from trash cans that he conquered months ago and shown me the evidence all over the first floor of the house.
- Foot pedal operated to open. How nice is this feature? The hands-free opening of the pail is really godsend some days. I think this is my favorite feature!
- This is one tall can. I’m not a tall lady, but even I get a bit tired of bending down to put a diaper in a pail. I can only imagine taller people really enjoying this feature, but I’d rank this as my number 2 favorite feature of this pail!
- Odor Control. The first week I reviewed this product I swear I couldn’t smell a thing. I still think the diaper pail is good at odor control, but it’s not as spotless as it was that first week. If there is a doosey of a diaper in there, when you open the pail you know it. However, I couldn’t really smell the offensive materials inside while the pail was closed.
CONS
- You do have to find the cartridge replacement bags for this pail. I prefer using something that is more readily available, like a trashbag I already have in house.
- I do find the lid gets stuck every now and again. This might be a bit of user-error when I reset the lid on the can, but it is something I encountered a handful of times.
Overall, the functionality of this pail is great. It’s easy to use and hands-free operated, contains the smell and looks rather sleek. I’d give this as a shower gift without hesitation!
PROS
- This diaper pail looks pretty much like your typical diaper pail. It’s a bit short and stocky, but not obtrusive in the room.
- Loved that it came fully assembled. That’s one less thing I had to worry about getting set up!
- Bag inserts are easy to replace. They even fold to close in the stinky diapers contained within. I hadn’t realized that the first time I used the pail, and I took out the bag without snapping it shut and couldn’t figure out why they would design the product that way. Turns out, I didn’t realize that they snapped in all those odors and I was pleasantly surprised at how much it really did contain the odor!
- Arm & Hammer. Great for baking, refrigerators and diaper pails! Love that there is a replaceable container built into the lid and I can fill it with my own box of Arm & Hammer (or generic version) when needed. I also love that a little bit of the white magic goes into the can each time it closes, just a little added odor containment with each diaper change!
CONS
- It’s short and I have to open the pail with two hands. I know, sounds trivial, but after trying the hands-free and taller pail, it does seem like a shortcoming I didn’t realize I needed!
- The pail door to remove the diapers is rather flimsy. It took my toddler no time at all to realize how to open that door. I’m actually amazed that he didn’t break the door, so I supposed that is a positive to that item.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I think the Diaper Genie II Elite fits my needs more than the Arm & Hammer Diaper Pail. I might try adding my own Arm & Hammer to the Diaper Genie’s bags as I really did love that feature.
For more information on Diaper Genie, please visit the Playtex Baby website.
For more information on the Arm & Hammer Diaper Pail, please visit the Munchkin website.
“I am a member of the Mom Central community and I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central, sponsored by Diaper Genie, and received a free Diaper Genie diaper pail and a free Munchkin Arm & Hammer diaper pail to facilitate my review.”
Philaburban Mom 