Customer Reviews

Safety 1st Simple Step Diaper Pail

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I purchased this pail for use with cloth diapers. This pail works but has some flaws.

I like the foot pedal but it doesn't work all that well, it basically lifts it up enough to squeeze the diaper in. I feel it should lift higher so that I'm not struggling to insert a diaper.

The pail is made to use standard size grocery store bags but they are a tight squeeze and I can barely fit one days worth of cloth diapers in the pail. They are larger than disposable diapers so I'm not sure how many disposables it could hold. Trying to get a standard size grocery bag on it is such a pain (and in my case, wasteful since I use cloth diapers that I have to wash) that I made a liner from PUL (the waterproof material cloth diapers are made from) with an elastic top that goes in the wash with my diapers. It fits great although the heavier cloth material makes it more difficult for the metal rod/lever to lift the lid but it is not much different than with a plastic bag.

This pail has a compartment in the top with holes for, what I'm assuming to be, an air freshener. I use a piece of an old cut up t-shirt with a couple drops of essential oil (orange, lemon, lavender, etc.) to give the pail a nicer smell when it's open. I haven't smelled any odors except for when I open the lid. Of course, this may be because I have to empty it every day since it does not hold that many diapers. It looks taller in the pictures (to me) than it is in person. (Someone suggested to me to use this pail for scooped kitty litter when we're out of diapers- just a thought)

"Helps keep unpleasant diaper odors from leaving the pail"
- Yes, it does. Our daugther is only 3 months old, so the really stinky diapers are still to come (so I'm told). I always change the pail outside, and it smells when doing so.

"Built-in deodorizer compartment"
- It doesn't stink around it, so I'll agree with that statement

"Locks in a closed position so children won't open the pail"
WRONG. You can easily life the lid up with your fingers. Our baby is too young to crawl, so that hasn't been an issue yet, but I guarantee she will be able to lift it open when the time comes.

"Uses standard plastic bags"
This was the selling point. My wife is anti-garbage bags. She saves all her grocery bags, throws trash in there which then goes to the can outside. I've learned to deal with it. It is amazing how many diapers a regular grocery bag can hold, but I suggest using a bag a little larger.

"Easy one-hand use"
It has a foot pedal - no hands needed.

Overall, this works well. No expensive, unit specific pail liner system to purchase. Those who complain about it stinking when changing the pail - seriously, get over yourself. Do it outside, breathe out your nose - you will deal with far nastier stuff with a child than a stinky diaper pail.

I bought this to use for my daughter's cloth diapers. It works great. It's small enough to lift when dumping out the water (as long as you don't over fill it). It's also small enough to not take up too much space in the laundry room. And it's very easy to clean and you don't have to worry about touching the lid with a yucky diaper in your hand!

We have two in cloth diapers at the moment. One is wearing mediums, the other smalls, both Bummis. Because of the layout of our bathroom space is not something we have the luxury of. We have one diaper pail, this one. It is enough space for a days worth of diapers, which is all we need.

Even before we had our daughter, I washed my son's diapers daily. One load a day takes care of both babies needs, and I don't have a ton of diapers hanging out.

For the way that we use this pail it works out very well. I do not even need to use the scent basket at all. Plus we use an Army Issue Laundry Bag, so once I dump the diapers into the washer it goes in also. Less waste/garbage and no stink.

Don't bother with the more expensive pails. It does not contain odor as long as you line it with a plastic trash bag. It has been used WELL :) in our home since our daughter was born 5 months ago and we haven't had a problem yet. It is a little small but who wants a larger pail when the diapers have longer to "settle" in there?

I purchased this after reading reviews that recommended it for disposing of cat litter. My hubby scoops the litter twice a day and usually just puts it in a plastic bag that he leaves in the closet, but it was really stinky and so he ended up having to throw out the litter every single day. This is not only aggravating, but uses up a lot of plastic bags, which we are not too happy about since we are trying to be environmentally friendly.

This pail is ideal for the litter. I do agree with others that when you step on the foot pedal it does not open completely. I am also not sure if there is a specific deodorizing product to be used in the built in deodorizer compartment, but it appears that others are just using anything that works well for them.

I use the diaper pail bags from Babies 'R Us (their brand) in this pail and they work/fit great. I also HIGHLY recommend these deodorizers: Munchkin Arm and Hammer Nursery Fresheners, 5 Pack

This is the best diaper pail...ever. I can't speak for cloth diaper users, but this sucker can hold a day's worth of disposable diapers from three kids. Which is great for me because not only is there this hilarious rule about day care facilities not keeping used diapers around children for longer than a day, but I actually don't want to have them around for longer than that! They stink!
There is some diaper etiquette you must follow, no matter what pail you use to keep down smell. Once the diaper is off - wrap that bomb up tight as you can. Make sure to put all used wipes in with it! This pail is not magical, so throw some baking soda in the bottom to cut down on the acidy smell that builds up in there.
My favorite part about the pail is the foot pedal. Kids have this funny tendency to copy what I do, so my last diaper pail's foot pedal got stomped on A LOT. And then tragically it broke. Jagged plastic, non-working pedal, touching the germ infested lid all the time....AAHHHHHH. This pedal is nice and sturdy and lifts the lid wide open.
This simple design is all I really need in a diaper pail, with a great price to match. Thank you Amazon! You are my hero.

This pail could be bigger. I was surprised at how small it actually is when it arrived. The one thing I disliked the most was the foot pedal that opens the lid. The pedal is narrow and works best if you have a very small foot. If you wear slippers to keep your feet warm your foot might be too large to fit into the pedal area. The pail will scoot away from you as you try to fit your foot into the pedal to open the lid, which can be very frustrating during diaper changes. The pail is very low to the ground. It is not really large enough for those who cloth diaper. If it was about six inches taller and 4 inches wider it would be a much more sufficient size. Also, the pedal mechanism needs to be larger and deeper to accommodate larger feet, especially for dads. With some small improvements this pail could be very promising. We are looking for a larger pail and might end up making our own out of something from Rubber Maid.

As other reviewers noted, this pail is a little large for a standard plastic grocery bag. However, with some care one can be fitted to the opening.

I have observed the issue mentioned in other reviews regarding incomplete opening of the pail lid. I was able to resolve this by repositioning the bag so that the bag does not rest on top of the lever arm. Also, if the pail comes into contact with something behind it (eg a wall) the lid will not open completely. Since the pail is light, it tends to slide backwards until it does come into contact with something. The solution to this problem is to make sure it isn't shoved up against anything.

This pail successfully contains the dirty diaper odors even without an air freshener tablet.

I would recommend this item to someone looking for a small and inexpensive diaper pail. Its few operational quirks can be readily avoided as described above, and for me they certainly don't obviate its usefulness.

This is the second one of these that I've purchased. The first I've used for over a year and a half with no problems. I needed another one as we are having a second child and cloth diapering.

The only downside to these is that they are on the small side. Otherwise, they work great!!! I put an automobile deodorant disk in the lid and occasionally air them out.