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Odor Control

The best trash cans for diapers

Five pails compared on seal, lid travel and running cost. The top pick is the Ubbi Steel Diaper Pail, because it is the only one that solves the odor in the body rather than in a refill cassette.

By Ryder M. · Last reviewed September 29, 2026

Nursery changing table with folded diapers in a basket

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The short answer

Buy the Ubbi Steel Diaper Pail if you want the smell handled without a refill subscription, and the Munchkin STEP if hands-free matters more than running cost. Everything else here is a specific case.

#ProductBest forPrice
01
Steel diaper pail beside a nursery changing table
Ubbi Steel Diaper PailThe steel diaper pail that runs on ordinary kitchen bags, so the odor control is in the body rather than in a subscription.
Best diaper pail overall
02
White plastic step-pedal diaper pail in a nursery
Munchkin STEP Diaper Pail, powered by Arm & HammerA pedal-operated pail that seals each diaper individually as the lid closes, with an Arm & Hammer baking soda puck in the lid.
Best hands-free diaper pail
03
Plastic pedal diaper pail with a refill cassette
Diaper Genie Complete Diaper PailThe category's default: a pedal pail with a seven-layer refill, double air-tight clamps and a replaceable carbon filter.
Best budget diaper pail
04
Hands-free diaper pail with a wide trap-door opening
Diaper Dekor Plus Hands-Free Diaper PailA wide-mouth pedal pail with a continuous liner roll you cut to length — the most forgiving system if you also wash cloth diapers.
Best for cloth diapers
05
Brushed stainless steel touchless kitchen trash can
iTouchless 13 Gallon SensorCan with AbsorbX Odor FilterThe touchless can that ships with a carbon filter in the lid and takes ordinary 13-gallon bags, at a fraction of the premium price.
Best touchless value

Two facts decide this category and neither is printed on the box. The first is that a diaper pail's running cost is usually larger than its purchase price over a two-year diapering period, because most of them only accept proprietary refills. The second is that the body material matters as much as the seal, because plastic absorbs the odor compounds and steel does not — which is why a three-year-old plastic pail smells even when it is empty and freshly washed.

How we picked

We do not run a testing lab and we have not lived with all five of these. What we did was read every manufacturer's own specification and odor-control claim, note exactly which mechanism each one relies on, and work out the refill arithmetic from the capacities the brands themselves publish. Our full methodology is here, and how the site is funded is here.

The criteria, applied consistently: how the lid seals and how much air it displaces when opened; whether the body material absorbs odor; whether you can use a standard kitchen bag; the real per-year refill cost implied by the published capacity; whether it opens hands-free; and whether it locks against a toddler.

One thing we deliberately did not rank on: scent. A fragranced pail is masking rather than removing, and most parents eventually find the lavender smell worse than the thing it was covering. Odor control here means containment and material choice, not perfume.

The picks in full

Steel diaper pail beside a nursery changing table

01 — Best diaper pail overall

Ubbi Steel Diaper Pail

The steel diaper pail that runs on ordinary kitchen bags, so the odor control is in the body rather than in a subscription.

Capacity
About 20 large or 55 newborn diapers
Bags
Any standard kitchen trash bag
Body
Powder-coated steel
Seal
Silicone seal ring
Lock
Childproof
Dimensions
8.4" W x 19.5" H x 11.4" D
Warranty
3 years against manufacturing defects

Two design decisions do the work. The body is powder-coated steel rather than plastic, and steel does not absorb the odor compounds that make a two-year-old plastic pail smell even when it is empty. The lid slides rather than swings, so it displaces almost no air when you open it — a swinging lid pumps the pail's headspace into the room every time. A silicone seal ring closes the gap, a childproof lock keeps toddlers out, and Ubbi states a three-year replacement warranty against manufacturing defects.

What we'd flag: a sliding lid has a small opening, and you push each diaper through it with your fingers. Parents who want to drop a diaper in without touching the pail should look at a foot-pedal model instead.

White plastic step-pedal diaper pail in a nursery

02 — Best hands-free diaper pail

Munchkin STEP Diaper Pail, powered by Arm & Hammer

A pedal-operated pail that seals each diaper individually as the lid closes, with an Arm & Hammer baking soda puck in the lid.

Opening
Foot pedal — hands-free
Seal
Self-sealing inner lid
Odor control
Arm & Hammer baking soda cartridge in the lid
Refills
Refill rings or Snap, Seal & Toss bags
Size
About 27" high x 12" deep

The pedal is the reason to buy it: you are usually holding a baby with one arm when you need the pail open. The inner lid slides shut after each diaper drops through, and the self-sealing mechanism twists the liner so waste is trapped below rather than sitting in open headspace. The lid carries a replaceable Arm & Hammer baking soda cartridge, and Munchkin sells both refill rings and Snap, Seal & Toss bags for it.

What we'd flag: it is a proprietary refill system. Rings and bags are a recurring cost for the whole diapering period, and the pail is useless without them — budget for that before you compare sticker prices with the Ubbi.

Plastic pedal diaper pail with a refill cassette

03 — Best budget diaper pail

Diaper Genie Complete Diaper Pail

The category's default: a pedal pail with a seven-layer refill, double air-tight clamps and a replaceable carbon filter.

Opening
Foot pedal
Refill
Seven-layer film, up to 270 newborn diapers
Seal
Double air-tight clamps
Filter
Replaceable activated carbon
Body
Plastic with built-in antimicrobial

Diaper Genie layers three separate odor defenses rather than relying on one. The refill film is seven layers, two clamps close over the opening, and an activated carbon filter sits in the lid to work on the air that does escape. A built-in antimicrobial in the plastic targets the bacteria that cause the smell in the first place, and one refill is rated for up to 270 newborn diapers.

What we'd flag: the refills are the business model, and they are the most-complained-about running cost in the category. Over a two-year diapering period the cassettes can cost more than the pail several times over.

Hands-free diaper pail with a wide trap-door opening

04 — Best for cloth diapers

Diaper Dekor Plus Hands-Free Diaper Pail

A wide-mouth pedal pail with a continuous liner roll you cut to length — the most forgiving system if you also wash cloth diapers.

Opening
Foot pedal with a trap door
Pail capacity
Up to 60 newborn diapers
Refill
Continuous roll, up to 580 newborn diapers
Body
ABS closed-cell plastic, bleach-safe
Cloth diapers
Supported

The opening is the widest of the pedal pails here, which matters when what you are dropping in is a bulky cloth diaper rather than a folded disposable. The liner is one continuous roll rather than a cassette of pre-formed bags, so you cut the length you need and tie it off; Dekor rates a refill at up to 580 newborn diapers total. The ABS closed-cell plastic is rated for bleach cleaning, which cloth users will actually do.

What we'd flag: the pail itself holds about 60 newborn diapers, less than the 270-diaper refill figure implies. The big number is how much liner is on the roll, not how much the pail takes at once.

Brushed stainless steel touchless kitchen trash can

05 — Best touchless value

iTouchless 13 Gallon SensorCan with AbsorbX Odor Filter

The touchless can that ships with a carbon filter in the lid and takes ordinary 13-gallon bags, at a fraction of the premium price.

Capacity
13 gallons / 50 liters
Dimensions
12.7" L x 10.7" W x 27.3" H (35.7" with the lid open)
Power
4 x D batteries, or an optional AC adapter
Odor control
AbsorbX natural activated carbon filter
Lid lock
Yes
Warranty
1 year

iTouchless builds an activated-carbon AbsorbX filter into the lid rather than selling it as an accessory, which is the right call — the lid is where the smell sits. A 12-inch opening takes a standard 13-gallon bag, there is a lid lock to keep pets and children out, and the base is non-skid. It runs on four D cells, or an AC adapter sold separately.

What we'd flag: the warranty is one year, against ten on the Brabantia. That is a short warranty for a product with electronics in it.

What actually controls diaper smell

Lid travel, not lid tightness

A swinging lid is a piston. Every time it opens it pushes the pail's headspace — the most concentrated air in your house — straight into the room, then draws fresh air in behind it to feed the bacteria. That is why a sliding or trap-door lid consistently beats a swing lid with a better gasket. When you compare two pails, compare how far the lid moves before the opening appears.

Steel does not absorb, plastic does

The volatile compounds in soiled diapers are largely sulphur and amine based, and they partition into polypropylene and ABS over months. That is why a used plastic pail still smells after a hot wash and a steel one does not. If you plan to use the pail for a second child, or to resell it, the body material is the one decision you cannot undo later.

The refill is the real price

Work it out before you buy. A Diaper Genie refill is rated at up to 270 newborn diapers; a newborn goes through eight to twelve a day. That is roughly a refill a month at the start, and it does not fall away as fast as you would hope, because the diapers get bigger as the count drops. A pail that takes any kitchen bag has a running cost close to zero by comparison. Standard bags versus fitted liners, in general.

Where you put it matters more than which one you buy

Odor production roughly doubles for every ten degrees of warmth. A pail beside a radiator or in a sunny corner will out-smell a better pail in a cool one, and a pail inside a closet with the door shut is dramatically better than the same pail in the open. If you have a choice, put it against an outside wall and away from the heat.

Which one for which household

If this is youBuyWhy
You resent recurring costsUbbi Steel Diaper PailAny kitchen bag, steel body, childproof lock
You are always holding the babyMunchkin STEPFoot pedal plus a self-sealing inner lid
You want the cheapest pail that worksDiaper Genie CompleteSeven-layer film, clamps and a carbon filter
You wash cloth diapersDiaper Dekor PlusWide trap door, bleach-safe body, cut-to-length liner
The diapers go in the kitchen can anywayiTouchless 13 Gallon SensorCanHands-free with a carbon filter in the lid

If none of those describe you, the honest answer is that a regular can emptied daily beats every pail on this page. A pail exists so you do not have to walk to the outdoor can at 3am — it is a convenience purchase, and it is worth being clear-eyed about that. The case for and against, in full.

Common questions

What is the best trash can for diapers?

The Ubbi Steel Diaper Pail, because it combines a steel body that does not absorb odor with a sliding lid that displaces almost no air, and it runs on ordinary kitchen bags rather than proprietary refills.

Do I need a diaper pail, or will a normal trash can do?

A normal can with a sealed lid, emptied daily, controls smell perfectly well. A pail buys you the ability to not empty it daily. On the ground floor beside a back door the can is genuinely fine; in an upstairs nursery the pail earns its place.

Which diaper pail does not need special bags?

The Ubbi takes any standard kitchen trash bag, which is its main design argument. Munchkin, Diaper Genie and Dekor all use proprietary refills, and the running cost over a full diapering period is substantial.

Does a carbon filter help with diaper smell?

Some, and only on the air already in the lid headspace. It cannot work on residue inside the pail or on a bag that has been there a week. Treat a filter as the last few percent after emptying and washing, not as the mechanism.

How often should a diaper pail be emptied?

Every two to three days in a cool room, daily in a warm one. The pails that claim a week are describing capacity rather than acceptable smell, and odor production rises sharply with temperature.

Are steel diaper pails really better than plastic?

For long-term smell, yes. Plastic absorbs the sulphur and amine compounds over months and eventually smells even when clean and empty; steel does not. Over one child the difference is small; over two it is the whole argument.

Sources

Every specification on this page traces to one of these, checked at the time of writing. Where a manufacturer does not publish a figure, the page says so rather than estimating it.

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The author

Ryder M.

Owner and editor of Lid & Liner, published by Magoo Media Group. He started the site after getting tired of the same problem everyone has: every “best trash can” article covers ten products and none of them tells you whether a 13-gallon bag actually fits a 13-gallon can. Lid & Liner covers one category and tries to cover it completely.

Last reviewed September 29, 2026. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it and note the correction.