I found an idea online somewhere for using essential oils to help with the smell. The only oil I have on hand is tea tree oil. I knitted a little tag with a long string - it looks like a necklace. I hang it down inside the diaper pail and sprinkle a few drops of essential oil on it. It works so well! All we smell now is tea tree oil, so I'm thinking I want to get a nicer smelling oil.
When it's time to wash the diapers, I take the tag off the pail and give the pail a hasty wash. I usually let it dry outside overnight before I set it back up in the nursery again. I sprinkle more oil on the knitted tag, and that's that.
Other easy methods for deodorizing a diaper pail?
16 comments:
If you have water in the pail, you could try a drop of oil on the surface. I got this idea from a suggestion that when using a public toilet, put a drop of essential oil on the water surface and then proceeding with a smelly job and the oil hides the smell. I tried this with a citrus oil and was impressed.
Hopewelloils.com, used to be Heritage EO, has a blend called Purify that we have used for horrendous odors and it works very well. I bought a rebounder off ebay and when it came it smelled like it have been stored in a dog kennel. I put several drops of Purify on a cotton ball in a small bowl and shoved it underneath. I helped immediately and in about a week it was odor free. When our grandchildren come for the day our kitchen garbage can gets really rank from disposables tossed in there. Putting it outside overnight really helps here, too.
Another thought-you might consider a stainless steel can with a lid because it completely seals in odors. We bought ours to reduce garbage bag use in the kitchen and went from taking out the garbage everyday and using a liner daily when there was often only 1/3 a bag of garbage to 2-3 times a week since we cannot smell anything unless we open the can. The cans come with a nice bucket liner so they are easy to empty.
Do you have a diaper pail liner? I brought ours to market today to pass along to you if you want it, but didn't see you. It's a large waterproof bag that fits down into the diaper pail, then you can just use that to carry the diapers to the laundry & wash it with them. Drops of essential oil could be added to the top of the bag. It was also great for traveling with cloth diapers because it can hold so many and is waterproof. Let me know if you would like it!
That is a great idea. I'm glad you've found something that works. My mom used a Lysol soak and the house always smelled like it. I guess it smelled better than dirty diapers, but that's about all that could be said for it.
Hello, it's been a while since I had a diaper pail in the house. My youngest is soon to be 13. I used to use vinegar water instead of bleach water. If you infuse the vinegar with lemon peels or other citrus I would imagine it would be more pleasant than straight vinegar. Hope this helps
My mother used cloth diapers for us in the 50's, and says she rinsed the solids from the cloth in the toilet first, then put the wet diapers in a pail of plain water. However, she had fewer diapers than I think many families do today, so she had to wash them more frequently, so maybe they didn't get a chance to smell too badly. And since I was a slacker when my kids were babies in the 80's, I have NO experience in this area at all :)
I second the white vinegar - I use it instead of bleach and it helps with smells. Although it sounds like you've worked it out. A stainless lidded can might help with odors too, as plastic absorbs smells, especially funky ones.
I meant to also say how sweet those little outfits are...be still my heart! I am loving picking out clothing for the grandson - even boy things are cute these days.
Vinegar water is the way to go!
Great idea, although I don't need it at the moment. One good thing about twins in cloth is that you have to wash so often the smell doesn't get too bad.
What a neat idea! Wish I would have known that back in the day.
Your little Phoebe looks adorable!
I always used borax in the diaper pail to keep smells neutral. There was still some smell but not a stench. I washed 3 to 4 times a week or I would have ran out of clean diapers. I used cloth diapers for my 3 plus 4 foster babies.
Great idea.. The little outfits hanging are adorable. Baby girls are so sweet..
I see you're using the baby-clothes hangers Aunt Nancy gave you! Hope she saw this photo on your blog. These hangers are such a throwback because I used them for your little dresses. Love that you have your white baby dress hanging there. Love, Ma
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