sofarsogood's Full Review: Playtex Diaper Genie System
Diaper Genie is no Alladin's lamp, but it does help (I said help, no solve) diaper odor. Diaper pails are the end all necessity for all parents, but there is no way to remove the smell (think closed system here). Diaper genie has designed a system that can enclose each diaper in plastic similar to the way that diapers and bio-waste are handled. The plastic housing contains the stockpile for disposal.
My diaper genie was a gift prior to the birth of my first child. Installing the refill was amazingly difficult the first, second and third times. The refill sits in a little chamber designed to feed the plastic tube up and over a collar so that the tube can be filled into the enclosure. The housing is difficult to open and the refill just fits through. Once you get it in there, it takes some practice to feed the plastic tube and get the collar installed. You really have to read the instructions and then read them again.
So, you are ready to put a diaper in your diaper genie (finally). The instructions show that you place the diaper inside the tube and push it down so that it is held in the gripper area while you seal it closed by twisting the collar. This would be great if all diapers were the same size. Infant diapers are too small to be held securely to twist. I found that I could put two in side by side at the same time to get a well sealed twist. After experimenting a bit, I found that most wet diapers don't smell. You can pile in a lot of them before twist sealing to keep the smell down. I have been able to save money on refills.
When you fill the housing with diapers (you know this when you can't shove any more in), you have to twist seal the tube and tie it. A cutter is stored in the lid to place into the collar. This is a uniquely designed cutter that is fairly child safe. You literally set it into the collar and turn it around to cut the tube off. I make a number of twists before starting the cut so that I can tie the plastic in a knot before removing it through the bottom of the housing. My husband has long arms and can reach through the housing to take the top in his other hand to tie it off. The housing base has a button to open the bottom which is a great design. Bravo to the engineers.
I have been using my diaper genie for 2 1/2 years now. Three things have really struck me.
*When Playtex bought the company, the quality of the refills went down. I have had more breakage of the plastic and the smell is not as well held within. The plastic is definitely thinner and they dropped the warning stripe that indicated that the refill was almost gone.
*As your child gets older, you will not go through as many diapers each day. That means that the diaper genie doesn't get emptied as often. On a larger scale, I had two in diapers for a while. We were emptying the diaper genie about every two days. I never noticed any smell whatsoever at that time.
*Diaper genie is made of plastic. Plastic adsorbs smells. That means that odors (mostly organic) can adher or attach themselves to the outside of the plastic in such a way that makes it difficult to remove. As plastic ages, it can more easily adsorb such smells. My diaper genie has definitely picked up an odor on the inside of the housing.
I really like using this product, but I do not think it is the end all diaper pail. For small babies, I think it is absolutely essential, but I am not so sure how much it saves me with toddlers. I am considering replacing mine at this point, but will have to put some more thought into it before I make the $25 commitment to using it. A daily trip to the trash can is easier with a plastic trash bag than with a sausage from the diaper genie.
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