If you’ve got one or two kids (or more) in diapers then you know how important it is to keep the diaper smell out of the house! Here’s a few tips:
If you’ve got more than one kid in diapers….it’s bad enough.
I actually had 3 in diapers at one point. You can imagine the diaper smell!
I actually used to cloth diaper for a while, but we could never fully manage to get the ammonia smell out of the diapers. They stunk, our laundry room stunk, and it was too much for me.
I’m sure it was user error, but whatever the case, we stopped with the cloth diapers
However, no matter what type of diaper you use the diaper smell gets around! So, let’s talk about ways you can stop the diaper smell from taking over the house.
What's in this post...
6 Ways to Get the Diaper Smell Out
Whether you’re a new mommy who is just discovering how stinky a house can get with a new baby making diapers, or you’re a seasoned mommy ready to freshen up the air in your home, these tips can help.
Read: Baby Fighting Diaper Changes? Tips To Stop The Madness
1. Put the diaper pail outside.
It sounds simple. Well, that’s because it is! It’s the easiest way to keep the smell out of the house…
I’ve done this for over a year now and have to say it’s the easiest way to keep out the smell. Secure a pail outside that is designated for stinky diapers and toss them in.
I know many people use diaper genies, but it irked me to continue buying the refills when the model I purchased didn’t keep smell out anyway.
I recommend putting a trash can outside the door (not the front door obviously) and when there’s a dirty diaper take the extra effort to take it all the way there.
A bit of effort? Yes. But, let’s just call it exercise.
2. Get diapers that fit.
One of the biggest culprits of the diaper smell getting around is actually diapers that leak. You know what I’m talking about.
When they are rolled up, it’s still a mess..
If the sides and areas right around the legs don’t fit snug then even a dirty diaper that wasn’t a “blowout” can leak. Obviously, this makes more mess than necessary.
We want to cut down on the messes to eliminate the stinky diaper smell. If it leaks before you catch on to it then the couch, the carpet, a throw pillow, or their sheets will also carry the dirty diaper smell.
Follow this checklist until your tidy routines become second nature.
3. Boost the wet bag.
If you use cloth diapers, you know what I’m talking about. That wet bag can catch some pretty malodorous smells!
When using your wetbag, add in a few drops of your favorite essential oil.
This (along with regular washes) will help prevent the bag from reeking and then spreading throughout whatever room it’s in.
4. Diffuse essential oils.
I personally like this trick because essential oils smell strong and the aroma spreads easily throughout the house.
Also, essential oils can add an aromatherapy element to your home as well as take a long time to defuse before needing a change of water or oil. This is great for busy moms.
I’ll put a diffuser on the table down the hall or in a room with the diaper smell that hasn’t had time to air out, and I’ll diffuse a nice fresh scent like Lemon or Citrus.
If you like a natural home environment, essential oils can be a safe and healthy way to being some good smells in where they are needed.
5. Clean…hmmm should I clean that?
I’ll admit I’m not great at this because I think, “it’s the trash can why should I clean it?”
Here’s the truth: if you keep the trashcan cleaned out, even with water and vinegar, it’ll help reset the smell of the dirty diapers that were just in there.
This tip saved me so many times: anytime there’s a leak on the carpet or soft material area you can put some baking soda over it and let it sit.
After it has absorbed some of the liquids you can vacuum it up and then deodorize and do any scrubbing.
True story: I was attempting to potty train one child and there was an accident. I put baking soda on the liquid to soak it up and came back 3 minutes later to find two toddlers eating the pee soaked baking soda.
This is my life, people.
Take away: don’t leave it unattended.
Take away #2: It really does work.
The first step to getting rid of chaos is to simplify, simplify, simplify. This guide can help.
Learn More6. Open windows.
If you aren’t in frigid temperatures, the best way to get stinky diaper smell out the house is to air it out. Fresh air does so much.
Opening windows in the morning and late afternoon will help get rid of many odors and just give the home more of a fresh feeling.
Even if you only open a few and leave them open for a short while, it can really make a difference.
I love having the windows open, don’t you?
I do cloth diapers and I know what you mean by that ammonia smell. I actually started using rubber pants instead of the fancy modern diaper covers – they don’t smell near as much. To store dirty diapers I bought a 5 gal bucket with screw-on lid at a hardware store. It does the trick. A good handful of Borax in the water in the bucket helps. And also, THE only way I’ve found to keep the diapers smelling sweet (and bright white too!), is to rinse them in the washing machine before washing, then line-dry them outside! Sunshine is amazing in keeping white white. And they actually really smell like clean laundry. Seems like cloth diapering is one of those things, if you’re going to be old-fashioned enough to do it, you’ve got to go the whole way ;) grandma knew best, after all ;)
That’s a good tip about the borax, Elisabeth. We did the rinse before and the line dry but I actually think our old washing machine may not have been able to wash them hot enough? Ultimately, my husband just would not get on board so we went back to disposables. :(. But I LOVE hanging washing out on the line and you are too right about things smelling fresh that way.
I loved using Resolve for pets for potty training accidents. I think it contains enzymes that help eat away at those odor causing smells!
oh thanks for that info! Honestly the smell kills me sometimes. Ha, I know it’s par for the course though.
I don’t know when this article was written, but check out Diaper Dust on Amazon! Or the website is ww.thediaperdust.com It’s incredible!! I don’t even need a pail!!!
Great tips. I’m a 28 year old woman with urinary incontinence. For 4 years now I’ve had to wear diapers 24/7… *It kinda sucks* but through all the things I’ve learned to adapt to and get used to one thing I’ve never gotten used to for good reasons. The diaper pail oder. I use so many air fresheners *they help bit barely. I’ll try these tips and hopefully have fresh air again. Anyone who’s had a diaper pail knows the stagnant air with that smell is horrible. I love how u said “consider it exercise” that’s the kind of outlook that helps make it feel like less of a hassle. I’m extremely clean and constantly cleaning my bedroom but the odor just lingers. Maybe will just use the garage trash can and skip the pail and liners. I just want fresh air again. Thx for all the useful ideas and tips
I rented this apartment and actually like it except for the smell of dirty diapers. I’ve tried vinegar/baking soda,ammonia,pine sol, Lysol,moth balls still I have the smell. Help me please!
I know how you can get rid of the wet diaper smell from your house I will trade you fresh new diapers for all your stinky wet ones