Diaper pails that don't smell

Munchkin Step Diaper Pail has the best record for keeping smells in: 24 of 27 reviewers said the smell stayed put. Diaper Dekor Plus Diaper Pail is next at 23 of 35, and Ubbi Steel Diaper Pail has the weakest record here at 18 of 35. Parents tend to write about smell when a pail fails, so treat the lower shares as a warning sign rather than the final word.

  • 108 store reviews counted
  • Target shoppers
  • Jul 2017 to Sep 2026

Updated . How we count

Did it hold in the smell? What parents said
  1. Munchkin Step Diaper Pail 27 said either way
  2. Diaper Dekor Plus Diaper Pail 35 said either way
  3. Ubbi Steel Diaper Pail 35 said either way

Share of parents who stated an outcome for smell. Ranked by the lower bound of a 90% confidence interval, so a product needs both a good share and enough reports to rank high.

Best record Munchkin Step Diaper Pail 24 of 27 say it kept the smell in Check price on Amazon
What stands out

Smell complaints split the field: 44% of Ubbi reviews and 36% of Dekor reviews say it smells, against 10% of Munchkin reviews. Bags matter too, with 41% of Ubbi reviews liking that it takes regular bags and 5% of Dekor reviews mentioning pricey refills.

The ranking, product by product

Praise and complaints are the points parents repeat most, shown as a share of each product's counted store reviews.

1

Munchkin

Step Diaper Pail

24/27 say it kept the smell in

80% of reviews say it holds in smells and 33% like using it one-handed, while smell complaints are rare at 10%. The brand's own site agrees at 6 of 6, which we show but don't count.

What parents praise

  • Easy to use one-handed 33%
  • Durable 17%
  • Holds a lot 13%
  • Good value 7%

What parents complain about

  • Too expensive 7%
Where parents said it
  • Target 24 of 27
  • Brand site 6 of 6 shown, not counted
2

Diaper Dekor

Plus Diaper Pail

Best for one-handed use

23/35 say it kept the smell in

Parents are split: 23 of 35 said it held in the smell, but 36% of reviews say it smells. It is easy to use one-handed (36%) and holds a lot (18%), though 8% say it fills fast and 5% mention pricey refills.

What parents praise

  • Easy to use one-handed 36%
  • Holds a lot 18%

What parents complain about

  • Hard to use 8%
  • Fills fast 8%
  • Needs pricey refills 5%
Where parents said it
  • Target 23 of 35
3

Ubbi

Steel Diaper Pail

Best for regular trash bags

18/35 say it kept the smell in

Close to an even split: 18 of 35 said it held in the smell, while 44% of reviews say it smells. The draw is regular bags, liked in 41% of reviews, and the brand's own site is more positive at 8 of 8, which we show but don't count.

What parents praise

  • Takes regular bags 41%
  • Holds a lot 10%
  • Good value 8%
  • Easy to use one-handed 8%
  • Durable 5%

What parents complain about

  • Hard to use 8%
  • Fills fast 8%
  • Jams 5%
Where parents said it
  • Target 18 of 35
  • Brand site 8 of 8 shown, not counted

Share of 39 store reviews that mention each point. A full bar is 50%.

Where these numbers come from

The 3 products ranked here carry 950 reviews at Target. We read the newest reviews of each product (up to a thousand per listing), kept the ones that talk about smell, and counted up to 40 per product, posted between Jul 2017 and Sep 2026.

A review counts only when the reviewer used the product themselves. We drop reviews written in exchange for a free product or a sweepstakes entry (12 on this page), and products that are no longer sold.

Target also shows reviews first posted on brands' own websites. We show them on product cards but never count them, because brand-site reviews run more positive than store reviews of the same products.

Because we searched for the problem, people who had it are overrepresented. Compare products with each other rather than reading a share as your own odds.

We count what parents report. Nothing here is medical or safety advice: for a sick baby, call your pediatrician, and for car seats, a certified child passenger safety technician can check the install.

Amazon buttons appear only on products that most parents here say fix the problem (at least 60%, with enough reviews to trust it). Everything else gets no buy link.

An AI model labels each review against a fixed list of points, and we spot-check the labels before publishing. We publish counts, never the reviews themselves.

Read the full method

Product pages we read

  1. Munchkin Step Diaper Pail Target (30 reviews counted)
  2. Diaper Dekor Plus Diaper Pail Target (39 reviews counted)
  3. Ubbi Steel Diaper Pail Target (39 reviews counted)

People asking about it on Reddit

  1. How are yall keeping your diaper pails from stinking? r/beyondthebump, Feb 2025, 290 comments
  2. Best diaper pail that holds a lot and contains smell? r/beyondthebump, May 2023, 17 comments
  3. Do diaper bins actually help keep the smell in compared to a regular bin? r/BabyBumps, Dec 2023, 70 comments

Questions buyers ask

Which diaper pail doesn't smell?

Munchkin Step Diaper Pail has the best record (24 of 27). Diaper Dekor Plus Diaper Pail follows at 23 of 35 and Ubbi Steel Diaper Pail at 18 of 35.

Does the Ubbi diaper pail smell?

It can. 44% of its reviews say it smells, and it has the weakest record here at 18 of 35.

Do diaper pails need special refill bags?

Not always. 41% of Ubbi reviews like that it takes regular bags, while 5% of Dekor reviews mention needing pricey refills.

Is the Munchkin Step diaper pail good?

Reviewers like it: 24 of 27 said it held in smells, 33% praise one-handed use and 17% call it durable. 7% say it is too expensive.

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