Diaper Pail Liner Comparison Information
Which diaper storage setup is right for you?
| Pail Liner | Height x Width inches |
Pail size | Special Info |
| Smart Bottoms Hanging Wet Bag | 23.5 x 20 at the widest part | Strong handle snaps | This is a hanging bag, Vertical zipper |
| Thirsties Hanging Wet Bag | 26" tall x 18" wide | Strong handle snaps can be snapped in several snap configurations | This is a hanging bag, horizontal zipper |
| Thirsties Simple Pail Liner | 29 ½ x 29 no gusset |
Fits tall kitchen trash size hampers (13 gal.) |
Elastic top; no drawstring |
Please note: The measurements provided on this chart were taken by GMD staff for the purpose of helping our customers compare pail liners. The measurements here may differ from those on the manufacturer packaging due to differing measurement techniques. Height measurements reflect the side seam. All measurements are approximate.
Why use a pail liner? To transport the diapers to the washer and/or keep the inside of the pail from getting soiled. Pail liners are optional. Read more and consider your priorities and the climate in your diaper storage area.
Thirsties Pail Liner fit standard 13 gallon kitchen garbage cans 19 to 24 inches tall, or 44 quart cans.
Consider a small open weave hamper for plenty of air circulation. Many laundry hampers are too big to fit a pail liner, so find the smallest one you can find.
Thirsties Pail Liner in Curver laundry hamper. This color has been discontinued.
This is the brown hamper shown in the two pictures above. It is Curver brand I found at Target a few years ago. It measures 23 15/16 x 17 1/2 x 13 3/16". This is the maximum size that the regular size liners will fit, and it only "just makes it". Hampers usually better than trash can because they have better air circulation since there are holes throughout the body.
This liner brand is discontinued but note the holes in a Sterilite hamper. Sterline Sorting Hampers or other perforated laundry hampers are a good option.
Thirsties Pail Liner (discontinued color) in the same Sterilite hamper model 1256 shown above. It's a tight fit but it makes it.
Wish your diaper storage had a lid sometimes? Place a Birdseye or Muslin Flat Diaper or a receiving blanket over it. The fabric will keep the odors down while still allowing the needed air circulation and some moisture to escape. We do not recommend any tightly sealed pail. Do not use any fully sealed pails made for disposable diapers for extended time. If you have no air circulation, that is a breeding ground for stinks and even mold.
Will it stink if I don't use a lid? Not if you spray off the messy diapers at the toilet first. If you dunk or spray them off because then there really isn't much left to get that stinky. It is true that more air circulation means less stink. Sealed pails stink much more than open pails! If it starts stinking, it's time to wash them anyhow. Frequent washing is a good thing.
No soaking: None of the pail liners are intended for soaking. The function of the pail liner is for transportation to the washing machine and so you don't have to scrub out the inside of your pail. Do no use a pail liner for soaking. We recommend wringing out sopping wet diapers after dunking or spraying them off before putting them in any diaper pail liner. If the diapers are dripping wet, just toss a dry prefold in the bottom of the pail to absorb excess moisture. Every now and then put your empty pail in the sun to keep the plastic fresh. The sun's UV rays are great for freshening up the inside of a plastic pail. Pail liners are made for dry pail storage of dirty diapers only, which means wet diapers are ok but don't add water to the pail.
Liner or no liner? If you can do it without a liner, that's fine. There are good reasons to choose not to use a waterproof liner. Liners can be hard to wash in some washers. The large piece of waterproof fabric can hold water or detergent water in the spin cycle, get a bubble of air inside in the wash or cause some washers to get out of balance. They can make the load harder to rinse. Everything has tradeoffs. Consider your situation and do what works for you. The possible washing issues might be minor compared to the benefit of the ease of carrying the diaper laundry down the flight(s) of stairs so the liner might be great. But perhaps carrying the storage pail to the washer and wiping it down or putting it in the sun while the laundry runs to freshen it up could be the better option. Consider your situation. Pail liners are optional.
Smart Bottoms Hanging Wet Bag has a vertical zipper which can be easier to operate with one hand. But leaving either zipper style bag unzipped or only partially zipped is a good way to have it set up for quick access and good air circulation. Zip it up only as needed.
20 diapers is a typical load amount washed in one average sized machine. Super-sized machines might fit more diapers but 20-24 size medium diapers per wash is typical for a regular size washer. Some washing machines are bigger than others and some new washers are quite large. You can fit more size newborn diapers in one load than size large diapers, because bigger diapers are bigger, of course.
Karen's observation: I think that most pail liners are really bigger than they need to be. Smaller diaper storage encourages you to wash often. Washing often is a good thing. If you have a small washer, get an appropriately sized item for your situation. You may not even need a liner at all if you wash often. If it is small enough, it might be ok for you lift it and carry the entire pail it to the washer without even needing a liner to transport the diapers to the washer. Dogs? Keep them out of the pail. Sometimes taller pails are better to keep the opening farther out of reach. Choose a setup that works for your situation.
Thirsties pail liners have sewn-on elastic at the edge so you cannot use it as a hanging pail.
Thirsties pail liner:
Thirsties Simple Pail Liner is full size and made in USA. Keep the lid open all or some of the time if you use it as pictured. If sealed like this, you may need to wash daily depending on the humidity and temperature conditions to prevent mold or condensation issues. If your pail has a lid like this white one, put a prefold diaper or a wipe over the edge to prevent the lid from closing all the way at least some of the time. This will allow some needed air circulation, especially in humid locations. If you live in a dry or desert location, diapers may dry out quickly and the air circulation is not nearly as important as it is in a humid location. Air conditioning also makes a difference. How long you can go between wash days and how much air circulation is needed will vary based on conditions at your location.
Thirsties Pail Liner has a snap closing strap to close up the top when needed. The closing strap is sewn on so you won't loose it. This means no struggling to slide a closure that doesn't really slide well. It closes more fully than slide closure styles can. It is also seam-sealed for no leaking through the seams. A smart design and a top pick.
Looking for a diaper pail? We don't sell them. You can find things to use in major stores such as this Sterilite hamper model 1256. Try the laundry aisle instead of the baby section for better prices.
Moving the diapers to the washing machine is easier with a liner. Liners can be washed with the diapers. Hang to dry or take them out of the dryer when dry. It's extra nice to have two, so you can put a fresh one in the pail right away on wash day. For deep water soaking, do not use a pail liner. We don't recommend deep water soaking because that is a drowning risk. If you want to soak, that's fine but do it in your washing machine safely away from baby and children.
If you are using a smaller diaper pail, such as the ones made for disposable diapers, then remove the lid or somehow prop it open such as putting a wipe over the edge of the pail so it doesn't close all the way. A fully sealed diaper pail is a breeding ground for bacteria and that type is not recommended. Diaper pails need some air circulation. If using Wet Bags for storage, you may need two or more. The two-pail system (or more) is nice if you have two changing areas, such as in a two story home. Again, all are intended for dry pail use, not for soaking.
Hanging diaper storage is another option. I have one for non-diapering use in the closest near my kitchen to put our kitchen cloths and un-paper towels into until wash day. Keeping it easy to grab a fresh cotton cloths in the kitchen (and thus not re-using a dirty one too many times) by having an easy place to put the used ones into has cut down our paper towel use by a lot! I'm sure this saved us a lot of money over the many years we've had this setup with a large hanging diaper wet bag for our kitchen cloth re-usables. The kitchen cloths don't get moldy in it because it has enough air circulation and you may want to hang up wet ones so they are dry before storing. Yes, you've heard this before about the need for air circulation for diapers and it is the same need for stored wet cotton of any kind. A wire mesh basket is a another good option.
Washing: They are made of a knit polyester with a waterproof layer inside, often called "PUL" but it really is 100% polyester with TPU laminate. This is the same (or extremely similar) material as the outside of most diaper covers, pocket diapers or all-in-one diapers. It is the exact same material as the outside of the covers or all-in-one diapers. It's very durable. They can "catch" water in some washers so if your washer does that, you may choose to take it out of the cycle before the final rinse to make sure the diapers are fully rinsed. Some people choose to wash their pail liners only occasionally. Choices vary. You can wash it with the diapers, but take it out of the dry early or hang it to dry since it dries so much faster than the rest of your diapers, just like diaper covers.
Non-diapering uses: These are wonderful for camping and boating (keeps towels and clothes dry if it rains, have an extra to put the wet stuff in). Great for car trips. Handy at the barn. Use these instead of suitcases for easy packing into cartop storage units such as Thules. Great laundry bags for college, camping, boating and more. Smart Bottoms and Thirsties liners are made in the USA.