Diaper Genie II Smells Aweful

Updated on August 30, 2011
T.L. asks from Cuba, MO
16 answers

We have been using our diaper genie II for a year now. For some reason the smell is now leaking out and making my living room smell horrible. Right now I have the diaper genie on my front porch, but it can't stay here forever. How do I fix this?

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So What Happened?

:( These are all great answers, but not what I wanted to hear. I also e-mailed diaper genie to see what they have to say. From everyone on here it seems that the way to go is to get rid of the diaper genie all together. Ours gets emptied about every 2-3 days.

Featured Answers

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B.P.

answers from New York on

I think those diaper pails are the biggest lie when it comes to what a new baby needs. I would NEVER reccomend them to anyone. I had the Diaper Champ and you could hide away those diapers but at the end of the week you were ready to pass out when you opened it! I guess if you change it every 2 or 3 days the smell isn't that bad but then what is the point? Why not just put them in a regular garbage and change it every day like you would any other garbage. You could use bleach to clean it but honestly, I would get rid of it since you child is probably using many less diapers than when he was an infant.

3 moms found this helpful

S.J.

answers from St. Louis on

How do you fix it? Stop using the diaper genie. Those things are gross.

We always just took the dirty diapers out same day.

You could try a vinegar soak/wash, but I doubt that will be more than a temporary fix.

Good luck!

2 moms found this helpful

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A.E.

answers from Waco on

We're going to sound like freaks, but we have a deep freeze for stinky trash. We wrap the diapers up in old grocery store sacks and throw them in the freezer until trash day. That is what we do with all of our "stinky" trash that can't be composted or thrown directly in the garbage. Those diaper pails are a complete waste of money IMHO.

4 moms found this helpful
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A.V.

answers from Washington DC on

Vinegar and hot water and let it soak. You can also try putting some Fresh Wave at the bottom.

4 moms found this helpful
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L.P.

answers from Pittsfield on

Ugh- I hate those things- had one with our 1st. We used to save the bags we got at the grocery store to bag them right away and throw them in the outdoor trash. House smells so much better that way :)

4 moms found this helpful
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L.R.

answers from Wausau on

Bought one with our first (well I think it was a gift) anyhow we used it for a few months and hated it. Diapers go in a pail in the garage. Or at our first place a pail out on the deck. Them genies just obsorb the smells.

Now you can try a vinager bath and maybe some bleach but plastic tends to hold smells well.

3 moms found this helpful

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

You don't get that problem if you empty it out frequently.
When my son was young we'd empty it out twice a day.
Ours lasted till he was potty trained (3 1/2 years).
We washed it out a few times and scrubbed it with baking soda.
Ours didn't smell when we finally got rid of it.

2 moms found this helpful

M.M.

answers from Chicago on

I think that some of them just don't last.

I had to get rid of one of ours (I forgot which kind it was) for the same reason.
And we have Diaper Genie Elite in my son's room that takes daily dosing of air spray.

Maybe try to put baking soda in the bottom of it to see if that helps? Or take it outside with a hose and a dish soap? (I'm thinking out loud for my own purposes too!)

2 moms found this helpful
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J.L.

answers from Minneapolis on

Threw mine out! The plastic absorbs the odors over time and there is no way to get it out. Not even bleach can remove the permeated odors. Keep in mind odor means bacteria. Yuck. We just individually wrapped each package in plastic bags, threw em in the trash, and would take the trash to the curb daily. No smell. No problems.

2 moms found this helpful
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D.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Ours didn't last too long. They just STINK!
Better to put a separate can outside or in the garage and get the diapers OUT of the house as soon as you can. Really, if you think about it, the Diaper Genie concept is pretty gross. Do you really want that IN your house/kids room?

2 moms found this helpful

M.P.

answers from Provo on

Totally agree with the getting rid of idea. TOTAL waste of money. I used to work at babies r us and the most popular pail there was one where you could use your own trash bags instead of their costly refills.
BUT yours probably needs a good cleaning with some bleach. Plastic absorbs smells, so I'm betting that is what the problem is. fill it with water and a cup of bleach, let soak, and that should clean it enough that it doesn't smell.
I cloth diaper and occasionally I have to do this with my diaper pail, even though I use a liner and wash it with each wash day.

2 moms found this helpful
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J.P.

answers from Los Angeles on

I never bought one. Seemed like a racket and the ones in the the mall always stunk, so that scared me.

We take the poopy diapers out to the trash bin right away, or if it's too late at night, we put them in the garage next to the large garage door, so when we leave, we drop it in the trash. Never had a problem and it's FREE.

2 moms found this helpful
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J.L.

answers from Chicago on

Unfortunately, no matter what everyone who has a diaper pale in their house will experience this. You need to air it out and clean and disenfect it. Soap and water, bleach or a envrionmental friendly vinegar and water.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.F.

answers from Utica on

We have the same issue with ours right now too. My daughter is 20 months old and for the last few weeks we have had to keep it in a separate bathroom with the door closed because it stinks something fierce. We tried to clean it out with soap and water and it did nothing. We are due with another baby in Feb so I think we will wait until that baby comes to get a new one and in the mean time ditch this one and try just a regular pale for now
Good Luck

1 mom found this helpful
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M.S.

answers from Kansas City on

We had the Diaper Champ and liked it much better as it held the smell better. Unfortunately it is poop and pee, not something you can really contain the smell on for all that long. Although the Diaper Champ did it's job I still changed it out every 1-2 days, depending on how bad my kiddos diapers were. I agree with the other ladies and just get rid of it. I have two kids and only used it on our first. With our second we just took it to the garage trash bin.

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K.L.

answers from Savannah on

Whenever ours starts to smell, my husband takes it outside and washes it with pine-sol and the hose. Once he cleans it, we don't have the problem again for a while. I think he cleans it once a months or so, which is more sanitary anyway!

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