I was given the opportunity to try out and review the Arm & Hammer diaper pail by Munchkin along with the Diaper Genie II Elite. Like I outlined in my other post I jumped on reviewing these since we have had to have E in disposable diapers overnight these days.

On any day in my diaper stash you’ll find my preferred cloth diapers and some disposable diapers for laziness, emergencies or if N doesn’t feel like using cloth that day (there are some diapers he just hates trying to get on E).

You’ll also find cloth wipes, disposable wipes and cloth diaper liners. This makes my diaper pail usage most unique which is why I was especially eager to partake in pail reviews.

At any given time I am using at least two diaper pails. I need a place for stuff that goes in the trash like disposable wipes and diapers plus I also need a place for my soiled reusable items to accumulate until I have enough to do a small load of diaper laundry. With kids it is very important to have pails and waste baskets with lids to keep curious hands out and smells in. Learned this the hard way.

The low-down on the The Arm & Hammer diaper pail by Munchkin:

This pail uses a bunch and twist concept to keep odor and bacteria in. As the pail lid is pushed closed the inner mechanism twists the bag opening closed and it stays closed until you insert another item and close the lid.

One down side to the bunch and twist concept is the difficulty it makes getting stuff in to the pail. In the above video tossing stuff in the pail looks like a breeze as does one handed lid opening. N and I both had difficulty with these two features.

I found myself having to use two hands to open the pail lid (and wishing there was a foot pedal). I also had a very hard time forcing soiled diapers in to the pail. The liner was just twisted so tightly that I had to really shove each item in.

The top of pail liner is exposed so any mess you haven’t contained (or mess the squeezes out while you are forcing your diaper in the pail) is mess you’ll need to deal with the entire time you are using the particular insert. Kind of gross if you’ve got a diaper that is oozing or particularly messy.

In the case of disposable diapers, rolling the diaper good before inserting in to the pail is important. This will keep the yuck from touching and dirtying the pail liner insert. Since I only got to test out the pail off an on for four weeks I am not totally sure if the stiffness of the pail opening would loosen over time and use.

One of the most obvious distinguishing features of this pail is the use of baking soda to help quell odors, it is a pretty smart and a very simple feature that appears to make a load of difference.

In my Diaper Genie II Elite review I recommend tossing the soiled stuff more frequently to cut down on the stink factor of your diaper pail because the longer waste sits, ferments and decomposes the stinkier it will be. Well, with the Arm & Hammer Diaper Pail by Munchkin this does not ring true.

The baking soda makes a huge difference in absorbing moisture and odor in the Arm & Hammer Diaper Pail by Munchkin. I didn’t notice ANY stink coming from the pail as I inserted other soiled stuff. Nor did I get hit with rancid decaying feces smell when time came to change the pail liner.

Speaking of pail liner changing, I LOVE the fold and snap idea with this pail’s liner changing because you can do it without allowing any of the air inside the liner escape (since the liner opening is already twisted closed). There is no end tying or cutting with this diaper pail either, much easier to change liners out with a kid in the room!

I did also fill this pail with other stinky things (besides wipes and diapers), like in my other pail review. Even with the cat litter, diapers, wipes and various other bathroom waste items this pail didn’t really stink.

What did stink (for this hippy mama) was the wasteful plastic bag design. While the fold and snap design is cool it would be a smart idea to make plastic refills that are similar to EconoGreen Plastics idea so they decompose faster.

While I know it’s odd to be worried about plastic waste if you are using disposable diapers it is still an obvious concern for many. Especially those who use compostable diapers or eco-friendly disposable & compostable diaper liners. How are the diapers supposed to breakdown in the landfill (like they are designed to) if they are bagged in other, not easily decomposing bags?

I did also take a swing at converting the disposable bag system in to a washable system so you can put your cloth in it.

All I did was take some old sheets and sew them into narrow pail liners, leaving the elastic intact and making them cinch-able at the top. Then I wrapped the pail liner around the fold and snap part of empty bag ring (that I cut off a liner) and right through the pail like you would with a plastic bag. When you aren’t using plastic bags you can toss cloth diapers in the Arm & Hammer Diaper Pail by Munchkin to hang out until a load of diapers is necessary.

I don’t recommend putting your cloth diapers in the plastic pail liners that come with the Arm & Hammer Diaper Pail by Munchkin. The lack of airflow inside the plastic bags will cause your diapers to mold and possibly have stink issues. A breathable cloth liner (like an old sheet) and frequent pail liner changes will allow you to forgo the plastic pail liners and use it with your cloth diapers like I did.

“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.”