Review on 🗑️ Playtex Diaper Genie Complete Pail with Built-In Odor Control and Antimicrobial Technology, Includes Pail and 1 Clean Laundry Scent Refill, White by Scott Rangel

Update July 28, 2018 – The Genie front door no longer works. It can no longer be closed and is therefore completely unusable because the fragrance is no longer included. We returned to the expressions, which luckily were saved just in case. I lowered my original rating by two stars due to poor durability. We have been using Diaper Genies since the early 90's. We used them for our kids in the mid 90's and early 2000's and also in our commercial nursery. Needless to say, we've gone through quite a few of these over the years. Now that our kids are older and we're out of kindergarten, we're using Diaper Genie on our dogs' litter boxes. This is great because we originally used metal trash cans, but they didn't capture the smell properly, and because of the trash bags, our garage smelled pretty mild between garbage pickups, especially in the summer. I just replaced our previous Diaper Genie model, the Playtex Diaper Genie Expressions Custom Filled Beginner Diaper Bucket, with this model. This Genie comes fully assembled and is only ready to use when you insert the bag dispenser and charcoal filter pack into the appropriate brackets. Below are my observations of this Diaper Genie versus Expressions. I love how this Genie works hands-free. I pedal the top open, drop the trash bag (or diaper) in, and release the pedal to close it. When you step on the pedal, the inner flap opens along with the lid, allowing you to throw the trash inside. The hatch closes with the lid, keeping litter and odors underneath. It's a lot better than the manually operated, spring-loaded Expression sunroof. Expressions' trapdoor requires the user to manually open it with whatever they throw away. The springs are twisted quite tightly, so it takes a little force to open them. It can get really nasty when it comes to disposing of something dirty or soft, such as a completely filled and leaking diaper or, in our case, dog waste bags. We have to use our fingers to open the door and lower the bag because unlike a diaper, a dog poop bag doesn't press against the door. As for size, the nod goes to Express. This Genie is taller and visually appears to have more capacity than the Expression when they are side by side. However, if you open both, you can see that expressions, although smaller, use internal space more efficiently. This Genie's push-button fold-out chamber makes it easy to open and change bags, but the design also takes up interior space due to moving parts. The Expressions top opening lid is a little less elegant to use, but leaves the entire empty canister underneath for storage. This Genie has a carbon filter holder. Expressions do not have a filter holder. The filter is placed in a holder in the top cover, isolated from the diaper storage compartment. The filter is designed to neutralize all odors, especially those that can seep through the sunroof. I haven't had any issues with the smells coming out of the Expression even without using the filter. The only time I smell odors is when I have to open it to clean on garbage day. I think I could have thrown the filter in the storage room, but there was no need. However, I keep my genes in the garage. For those keeping it in a child's room, bathroom, or elsewhere indoors, odor leakage can be more noticeable, and an activated carbon filter is likely to be more beneficial. This Genie also comes with a full cartridge instead of a starter cartridge like the Expressions. I should prioritize this model over the Expressions primarily for its hands-free use. Being forced to smash a dirty object on a hatch to open it isn't the best option. This makes the hands-free function of this genius much more noticeable.