REASONS TO BUY
Very good odor control
Unscented liners
Small size
Easy to use
Cloth covers
REASONS TO AVOID
No foot pedal
Proprietary bags
Playtex Diaper Genie Expressions Review
Smaller diaper pail with good odor control
The simple to use push button on the Expressions lid releases the lid for diaper disposal.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Our Verdict
The Playtex Diaper Genie Expressions impresses with near top odor control and an easy to use design. We like the Push N' Lock clamp system that traps odors and prevents the escape of stinky smells when you make a deposit. The lid of this Genie opens with the push of a button and the inner liner twists after each deposit to trap odors in the bag. Diaper Genie offers cute fabric sleeves for the Expressions (sold separately) that can coordinate with your nursery decor or create a good looking standalone pail. The internal liners are easy to change, and the bag removal process is fairly intuitive. This pail uses proprietary bags, so your lifetime cost will be more than some of the competition, and the bags could be harder to keep on hand than ordinary kitchen bags. If you are looking for a quality pail, that looks good, is easy to use, and contains odors then the Expressions is the product for you. Compare it to top competitors in our review of the best diaper pails.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Playtex Diaper Genie Expressions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  |  Best Overall Diaper Pail |  Perfect Pail for Cloth Diapers | ||
| Price | $35 List | $74 List $59.99 at Amazon | $130 List $99.99 at Amazon | $40 List $39.95 at Amazon | $25 List |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | Impressive performance and odor containment make it a tester favorite | Superior odor containment that is easy to use makes the continuing liner expense worthwhile | One of our favorite cloth diaper pails that can be used as a great kitchen trash can in the future | Colorfully designed, these convenient bags have limited odor control and durability | Unique diaper pail system keeps things neat and tidy |
| Rating Categories | Playtex Genie Expre... | Munchkin Step | simplehuman 38 Lite... | Planet Wise Hanging... | Diaper One-N-Done |
| Odor Control (60%) | |||||
| Ease of Diaper Disposal (25%) | |||||
| Ease of Bag Change (15%) | |||||
| Specs | Playtex Genie Expre... | Munchkin Step | simplehuman 38 Lite... | Planet Wise Hanging... | Diaper One-N-Done |
| Dimensions | 12"W x 10"D x 27"H | 15.8"W x 12.5"D x 25.7"H | 16"W x 26.5"H | 6"W x 6"D x 11"H | |
| Type of Refill | Proprietary Liner | Trash Bag | No Bag | Proprietary Liner | |
| Refill Cost | $8 | $14 | $0 | $3 | |
| Estimated Lifetime Cost of Refills | $292 | $53 | $0 | $182 | |
| Estimated Total Cost of Ownership | $357 | $153 | $34 | $201 | |
| One-Handed Operation | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | |
| Foot-Pedal Opener | Yes | Yes | No | No | |
| Material | Plastic | Stainless Steel | Cotton/PUL | Plastic | |
| Childproof Safety Lock | No | No | No | No |
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Our Analysis and Test Results
Playtex Baby was born in 1952, but since 2015, it has been a part of a larger company, Edgewell Personal Care. Edgewell is a worldwide corporation that is home to over 25 brands like BananaBoat sunscreen and Schick shaving products.
Performance Comparison
Playtex Diaper Genies all require the purchase of proprietary bags. While somewhat expensive, these liners allow you to use only as much bag as you need and they keep odors under control better than the competition.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Likes
The Diaper Genie Expressions does a great job at containing odor with the Push N' Lock clamp system. The trap door is securely hinged allowing it to keep odors inside the pail. You press the button on the lid, the push the dirty diaper through the door, and voila! You have disposed of your diaper without a puff of poop!
One thing that makes the Expressions great is how easy it is to use. No guessing games here. Once the bag is full, they are simple to remove. The top of the lid opens, and after using the provided blade to cut the bag, tie it up and toss in your garbage can. We also appreciate that the 7-layer proprietary bags trap odors and are unscented.
The attached blade on the Expressions makes it easy to cut the liner when it needs to be changed.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
The style of the Expressions is relatively compact making it less of an eyesore and using less valuable real estate in your home. The smaller size also limits how many diapers can pile up, thereby limiting the amount of odor it can collect. Because the liners tie off when you change the bag you can change it frequently without wasting bag space.
The Expressions is different than other pails because you can choose from a variety of fabric sleeves to “decorate” it with several cute options. The only downside is Playtex sells all of the covers separately with no option to buy them as a set.
Dislikes
One of the main complaints with this is the lack of a foot pedal. While at first, it may not seem to be a huge issue, some users feel that the clamp for containing odors is so stiff that they really have to shove the diaper through the opening. The problem is that poop can squish out onto your hand as you push it through and the hands-on mess is never fun.
The Push N' Lock clamp on the Playtex Diaper Genie Expressions almost works too well as pushing full diapers through may cause an unexpected emptying of contents.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
This pail uses a proprietary liner and won't work with regular trash bags. This design means a higher lifetime cost compared to those products that work with any bag. Although most major chain stores carry liners for the Diaper Genie, it could mean purchasing online if your local store doesn't carry what you need.
The lid on the Expressions releases easily to place a new cartridge of bags inside.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Conclusion
The Diaper Genie Expressions is a great performer with a small footprint. It is easy to use, has available stylish fabric sleeves to improve its appearance, and does a great job containing diaper stench. While it is missing a foot pedal and the lifetime cost is higher than options that use kitchen bags, the Expressions gets the job done without any hassles, so if you are prepared for continued investment in the liner refills, then the Expressions is one to consider.
Manufacturer Video
—Juliet Spurrier, MD and Lindsay Selig
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