dry pail

English

Etymology

From dry +‎ pail.

Noun

dry pail (plural dry pails)

1. A small basket/bucket or hanging wet bag, usually with holes to allow for airflow and sometimes without a lid, used to store soiled cloth diapers or, very rarely, disposable diapers; a diaper pail without water or cleaning solution.
   • 2011, Peggy Wilson, The Naturally Frugal Baby, 2 edition, Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 93:

     Other people have recommended a wastebasket with a tight-fitting lid. We didn't think at the time that that would provide enough odor containment; now I think that it would, for a dry pail system.

   • 2013 April 13, Attached Mama, “Cloth Diaper Washing: Wet Pail or Dry Pail?”, in Eco Baby Steps‎^[1]:

     A dry diaper pail can be either a hard pail with a liner or a hanging pail (just the wet bag or liner). A dry pail isn’t exactly dry, since you fill it with wet diapers, but "dry" refers to not adding more water.

   • 2021, Bailey Bouwman, Cloth Diapers: The Ultimate Guide to Textiles, Washing & More, Simply Bailey Social Marketing, →ISBN, page 195:

     Wet pails have largely fallen out of favour. Many families successfully store dirty diapers in a wet bag or dry pail and wash on wash day. Modern washing machines, detergent, and changes in diapers has made this an unnecessary step for some families.

Usage notes

• While not all diaper pails contain water, dry pail refers specifically to an informal, often small receptacle for cloth diapers, such as a holed basket or hanging wet bag.

Derived terms

• dry pailing

Verb

dry pail (third-person singular simple present dry pails, present participle dry pailing, simple past and past participle dry pailed)

1. (slang, rare) To use a dry pail.