Wet Pail - FAIL!

I have a new customer, T, who is due in a few weeks with her sixth baby. I met T at her home months ago when I accompanied my friend Kyla on a diaper consultation. Most of the consults that we go to are to meet with first time moms who are brand new to cloth diapering. T was completely different. She has CD'd for 12 years now and had lots of tips to share. Running a diaper pin across your scalp to lubricate it for a smooth and safe pin job, a wet pail with the leftover lemon pieces from lemonade added in to cut odors and ammonia. She shared her tried and true secrets, we shared the new wonders of pocket diapers, wet bags and wonderful wool (not new, but still cool). It was a great meeting. (All consults are awesome, but it was nice to learn something new myself too!)

I talked to T on Saturday about the wool wraps that she had bought from me. She had read all of the info but still had some questions about airing them out after use and things like that. She also mentioned that since she started using the wetbag that she bought instead of a wetpail, her toddler's diapers stink. Never in 12 years has she had stink. I went through her wash routine and found that she isn't doing a pre-rinse. She has never needed it b/c of the wet pail. I suggested that she try that and if it doesn't work, go back to what she knows does.

Then I got to thinking....maybe I should try the wetpail and see how it works. On Saturday I started a wetpail. I rinsed the dirty diapers with the sprayer into the toilet as usual. Then I used the sprayer to top off the water, making sure that the diapers were covered. I even threw in a couple of lemon wedges for good measure. I usually go for two days between washes and then the pail is full. I managed to have two days without any smell from the diaper pail. Huh, maybe there is something to this.

Today the pail was full, it was time to wash the diapers. Our bathroom and all of our home really is on the main floor. The laundry room is downstairs. I lift the pail, thud! Back it goes to the floor. Holy crap that is heavy! This is a 24L pail. 24L of water weighs about 24kg, which is 52lbs! I managed to struggle the pail down to the laundry room. Thankfully it has a lid. Now comes the lift into the washing machine. I heave the pail up and dump it over the open machine. With a dry pail, the diapers come out nice and slow, one by one, so that I can kind of shake them out and disperse them around the basin evenly. No such luck with the wet pail Woosh they go! All in one big lump on top of the agitator. Blech, now I have to move them by hand into the basin. Once the diapers are in, I notice something yellow. What is that? I don't have any yellow diapers. Ah crap, the lemons! One piece is sitting on the top, easy to retrieve. Of course, the other one is buried under two days of dirty diapers. Oh the joys of digging through soggy dirty diapers looking for a lemon. Finally! Diapers are in, machine is on. I notice that a bit of water dripped on the outside of the bucket, so I grab a rag to wipe it off. I tip the pail to the side to wipe it down and manage to dump the leftover diaper-soak water all over my foot. Awesome.

So, does it work you ask?
Yes. I can smell the difference. It was pouring today and I had to use the dryer. There was no smell, it was wonderful. the wetpail obviously works wonders.....

BUT

T, I need help! I am a wet pail FAILure. I give you so much credit for doing this. I know that you have the same downstairs laundry as me. Maybe I just need to hire your older children to come over and help me out.


For any locals that happen to read this...
If you would like a free in-home diaper consultation, please email Kyla via her website www.TwoPotatoTots.ca