Q. What Is a Wet Pail?

A. Wet pails are places to keep dirty cloth diapers until you can get them to the washing machine. The pail is considered wet because it is half-filled with water before the soiled diapers are tossed in, thereby pre-soaking them and helping to eliminate stains. All you need for the pail is a medium-sized garbage can. Just make sure that the lid fits really well to contain odors and is tight enough to keep your baby and pets from getting in. Most parents add baking soda to the water; you can also add a bit of laundry detergent, vinegar or even essential oils for a more pleasant aroma. You might want to keep the pail in the bathroom so you can first shake excess waste off the diaper and into the toilet; this also makes it easier to dump the water in the pail into the toilet before putting the diapers in the wash.