Both the Diaper Genie and the Litter Genie are waste disposal systems designed to trap odors so you don’t have to make a trip to the trash can each day. One is designed to hold dirty baby diapers while the other is designed to hold dirty cat litter.
Let’s compare the two and determine if a Diaper Genie is a fit for you to use for cat litter.
Can I use a Diaper Genie for cat litter?
When using a Diaper Genie for kitty litter, it’s important to be mindful of how much dirty litter you place in the canister before changing the bag. Diapers are much lighter than traditional clumping clay litters so a full canister of litter may be more weight than the plastic bags can hold.
However, you can simply change the bag before the canister is full of cat litter, without wasting the plastic bag refills. The Diaper Genie’s plastic bag system is actually a long tube of plastic that you create a bag with by tying a knot at the bottom and top. You cut the liner where you need to so you’re able to create a longer or shorter bag, based on how full it is.
Litter Genie vs Diaper Genie
Both products use a very similar system to deposit waste inside a canister that temporarily seals the plastic bag holding the waste, to trap odors inside. The benefit of using a disposal system such as this is that you don’t have to take dirty cat litter outside each day to remove odors from your home.
Pros of Diaper Genie for Cat Litter
The Diaper Genie has a hands-free design so you can simply scoop the litter, use your foot to open both the lid and the sealing mechanism, drop the dirty litter into the bag and release your foot to close the lid and temporarily seal the bag and odors inside.
On the other hand, the Litter Genie requires you to scoop litter with one hand and open the lid with the other. Then you must close the lid and use one hand to hold onto the canister and the other hand to pull back the divider to allow waste to fall into the bag. When you release the divider, it temporarily seals the bag.
The larger size of the Diaper Genie will also allow you to go longer between changing the bag. The bags are meant to hold diapers, which are much lighter than your typical clumping clay litter. Do be careful not to overfill the bag and put too much weight in it or it may tear and you’ll have dirty litter everywhere.
The Diaper Genie refill cartridges are more affordable and they contain a longer tube of plastic (21 feet), while the Litter Genie refills have 14 feet of plastic liner (source).
A Diaper Genie unit is more expensive than a Litter Genie, however, it seems the refills are more affordable than the Litter Genie. It’s also a larger container that may be bigger than you require and that may need to be emptied before full so the bag doesn’t get too heavy with cat litter.
Pros of Litter Genie for Cat Litter
The Litter Genie is smaller in size than the Diaper Genie so if you live in a small apartment, the Litter Genie may be a better fit. It’s also more affordable, however, the Litter Genie refills are more expensive.
It may also be easier when you’re crouched down, scooping litter, to place the dirty litter into the Litter Genie’s shorter canister.
Can you use Diaper Genie refills in a Litter Genie?
Diaper Genie refills will not work in a Litter Genie, and vice versa, because the refill cartridges are round, while the Litter Genie refill cartridges have a square shape. These cartridges fit snuggly in the top of their respective containers.
There is a work-around if you happen to have un-used Diaper Genie refills but only have a Litter Genie container. Check out this article for a hack.
How To Use a Diaper Genie
A Diaper Genie is different than a regular garbage can because of the way the container closes and traps in odors. Here’s a short video explaining the components and how it works:
How To Use a Litter Genie
A Litter Genie is a similar system but it is a smaller container and uses a different system to trap odors. Here is a short video showing how it works:
I hope this article has helped you understand the differences between a Diaper Genie vs a Litter Genie and if both can be used for cat litter 🙂