Diaper pails all work the same way: They are closed-system trash cans so that dirty diapers won't smell up the nursery. But for every parent who loves a Diaper Genie or an Ubbi (two of the best diaper pails on our current list), I find another who tells me that odors were not completely contained. Which is why a small diaper pail, from the brand iTouchless, surprised us recently, winning one of our Parenting Awards.
Parents said that this little diaper pail hid odors better than large pails—and uses any brand's trash bags
The iTouchless Odor-Locking Diaper Pail seals in air and odors so they can't even escape when you're sending a new dirty diaper down its inner chute and into a bag. And it works with any 4 to 10 gallon trash bag, though it comes with a roll of 20 to get you started.
"With our previous brand, there was always a lingering odor," one tester parent told us. "Plus, we had to buy very specific replacement bags for the product. This diaper pail completely locked in the odors, and any grocery bag would suffice as a replacement."
Despite its name, it is not in fact touchless—you do need to use one hand to push down the handle and send a dirty diaper on its way. But parents said it was easy to use. “The smell is contained in the pail," a mom said. "It's easy to move and easy to clean as well."
The pros and cons of this compact diaper pail
This brand, and many others, claim you can fit hundreds of diapers in the pail. But that's if they're flat and stacked. With real-world use, loading in puffy diapers, one tester mom said she could fit 10 to 15 dirty diapers in the iTouchless pail before she'd change out the bag. Most parents go through an average of about eight diapers a day, which means changing the bag in this at least every other day.
Pros:
✔️ Odor control. The reason you have a diaper pail is so you can easily and quickly dispose of a dirty diaper, right next to wherever you change your baby. You don't want to smell anything, especially when you need to open the lid, and this solves that problem.
✔️ Ability to use any small garbage bag. That's a big sanity-saver. "It truly exceeded our expectations. A huge plus is that you don’t need to buy expensive replacement bags," a parent said.
✔️ Compact gives you options. "I really like the look of this product. It is simple and doesn't look bulky in the room," a parent said. It could fit on a table if you want to keep it off the floor. With its handle, you can even move it room to room.
Cons:
✔️ You need to change the bag fairly often. But that does help with odor control, because you'll never have week-old dirty diapers in there.
✔️ This is not, in fact, touchless. There are diaper pails that work with a foot pedal or a sensor that are more hands-free. You can can operate the iTouchless with one hand.
✔️ If you sit this on the ground, it's low. It stands only 20.5 inches tall. "My husband is 6 feet tall so I think a little higher would work better for him," a mom said. "Overall, I'd still recommend this pail."
In fact, the iTouchless diaper pail no doubt has uses beyond the nursery. I would use it for compost, bags of cat litter, or to hold doggie poop bags when back from a walk. It could also make a good bathroom trash can.
“Despite the capacity issues, I would 100 percent recommend this diaper pail for its odor locking powers," a parent tester concluded. "We keep this diaper pail in our 1-year-old's playroom, and I am not kidding when I say we didn't even notice poppy diapers sitting less than a foot from us."
