Five Minute Fix: The Laundry Basket

If you’re thinking, “Ok, Erin, why are we talking about laundry today?” Just wait.  I’m about to blow your mind. I hate laundry baskets.  I don’t even have a really small house, and I still think they’re a total waste of space and efficiency. This is partly because my laundry room is configured like this and getting in and out of that space with a big plastic basket is not happening. The steps stop just short of the washer and the roof is pitched above the dryer, really limiting my space options. The only place to set a basket is on the one tiny piece of floor which has to double as the spot in which I stand, so you see the dilemma.  I can’t image many of you are better off.  So many laundry rooms are in closets or hallways, not conducive to bulky bins.

So what do I do if carrying my dirties doesn’t involve a basket? Well, this super solution might change your life (or, your laundry life at the very least). This is part of a series I call five minute fix where I share super small things that make a big difference. And this one makes a BIG difference.

While I’m sorting my laundry, I lay out four (dirty) towels on the floor and sort my colors, darks, other towels, and whites right on top of the towels.  Then, I gather up all four corners and carry the bundle down two flights of stairs.  I throw the entire bundle into the washer, pull out the towel, and start the wash.  See?  You don’t even have to transfer things from a basket into the washer (if this was an informercial, you’d see a woman struggling with the small pieces that tumble out of the basket and onto the floor with only half of the laundry ending up in the basin. I understand that is a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the point!).  After everything is in the washer, I wash that load, set the carrying towel aside and repeat the same thing with the other bundles.  Then, the last bundle is ALL the towels and you wash the previously used towel ‘baskets’ along with the rest of the towels.

I usually fold and sort all of the clean laundry and stack in on top of the dryer until the last of the towels are done and I can reverse the bundling and carry everything back up the stairs. Do you see how much better this works then having multiple baskets? PLUS, do you know of any other laundry basket in which you can carry a full load with just one hand?  I didn’t think so.  The Earnest Home co Towel Basket a miracle solution.

It might be silly, but sometimes it’s the smallest things that make the biggest differences.

Have a happy hump day out there!

p.s.  this might be the only time I willingly place a zoomed in photo of my thighs online… just saying.

p.p.s.  what simple laundry solutions do you have?  Share them in the comments below!