# Cloth diapers and the diaper genie



## Odelia (Jan 13, 2012)

I plan on using cloth diapers and storing them in a Diaper Genie until they are picked up weekly by a diaper service. I asked the service if I am required to cut each diaper out of the plastic DG bag before placing them in the collection bag and they said they would appreciate it if I did. I am a considerate person, but I feel this would greatly decrease the convenience factor of having a diaper service if I have to manually go through and retrieve each diaper from the plastic. I also imagine the smell wouldn't be pleasant and could linger in our apartment, which is totally defeating the purpose of using a DG. I am paying quite a bit for the diaper service so I think I should be able to deliver the soiled diapers in the DG bags without feeling that I'm impositioning anyone. I would have happily used the pail they provided with the diapers but it was cheaply made and inadequate - basically a regular trash can with an odor-absorbing bag. Do any ladies with experience using diaper services know what the normal etiquette is? Thank you for any advice.


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## rtjunker (May 11, 2011)

Personally, a Diaper Genie seems like overkill for cloth diapers. For disposables it makes sense because you just throw the whole diaper sausage link away. There's no way I would expect a diaper service to deal with diapers wrapped up like that. Have you considered looking into a wet bag with a zipper closure or a better diaper pail than the service provided? I've found that cloth diapers smell very different than disposables, especially if breastfeeding. You may be surprised. Unless you're completely set on the diaper genie I would look into more convenient storage methods.


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## Kaydove (Jul 29, 2010)

I'm using a regular trash can with a kissaluvs diaper pail liner. I have a lid that closes, not a swing style lid, and it doesn't smell bad. I really don't think a diaper genie will work for cloth diapers.


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## Danu78 (Sep 4, 2012)

I'm using cloth diapers and storing them in a regular waste bin with a lid that can be lifted with a foot. Absolutely no smell (and I am very sensitive to bad smells). It is true, though, that I do my own diaper washing every 2 days, and have never left soiled diapers in that bin for a week as you would have to. Have you considered not using a diaper service? It really is not as much work as it seems beforehand..


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## Blt178 (Jun 17, 2011)

I had started out with disposables with my first baby and migrated to cloth around 6months... I had bought a Diaper Dekor in instead of a Genie and it ended up working really well for cloth too! I used a Planet Wise diaper pail liner in it.


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## myk (Nov 24, 2006)

i think it is completely unreasonable to expect them to deal with diapers that were wrapped in plastic. diaper genies are designed to hold disposables, not cloth. if you don't want to go through and cut out each diaper and deal with the smell, why would they? cloth diapers should be stored properly in a diaper pail or garbage can with pail liner, after the poop being rinsed away, and then delivered in ready-to-wash condition. same goes for if you were to be washing the diapers yourself - you remove the poop, toss the diaper in the diaper pail, and wash. if you want to make extra work by using a diaper genie, it should be YOUR extra work, not theirs.


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## skycheattraffic (Apr 16, 2012)

The diaper genie elite I have (from before going to cloth) put all sposies in one continuous bag. If you'd really like to use a DG, look into that model. That way you'd just have to empty one big bag each week, taking you maybe 10 seconds. I also wholeheartedly agree with PP though: bf baby cloth diapers dont smell much and when I use a wetbag in my step on garbage can, there is zero odour. When I had to use a sposie in a pinch the other day, that thing stank to high heaven. I reccomend zipper or drawstring wetbag in a good trash can in you're particularly sensitive, that way you can keep it closed until you make a quick deposit. HTH


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## JudiAU (Jun 29, 2008)

I think you need to adapt to a new kind of diaper and diaper practice. Cloth diapers are stored in an open pail system because air circulation helps reduce smell. A tightly closed system makes them smell worse and can cause buildup. Everyone uses some variation on this system. Before solids, especially if you are breastfeeding, there is little odor. After solids, poop goes in the toilet and some people also rinse them with a water sprayer. This is another reason why the diapers don't smell bad. You aren't trying to store a bucket of poop in the babies room.

Honestly, I think the diaper service was being quite polite. I am surprised they told you that using it was an option at all.

Diaper Genies are designed to hide the smell of a 1,000 soiled poop filled disposables which smell much worse than cloth. Aging disposables are horrid because the urine interacts with the diaper chemicals. Poop filled ones are even worse.They waste a lot of plastic and IMHO don't work at all. Any time I've ever been in a place that used them it was wretched smelling, even if you parents no longer noticed.


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