How to Pick the Perfect Laundry Basket

Some Plastic Wicker Laundry Basket work better than others for hampers, something I didn’t think much about until I was looking for ‘the one’. I definitely was the weirdo in Target hauling baskets to the towel section for testing, (I folded them all back!) but to save you the same fate, here are some quick tips.

Low or No Handles

Handles that stick over the lip of the basket will get in the way of the laundry insert fitting tightly. Go for handles that are cutouts in the basket sides or handles that pull away from the basket lip.

Tight Weave

The tighter and stronger the weave, the more towels your basket can take. A galvanized metal basket is going to be the strongest, while a sewn rope basket is going to flop everywhere and lose its shape. Some woven baskets come with interior reinforcements for display- keep those in!

If your laundry basket will be in your bathroom, I highly suggest getting a synthetic fiber or sealed metal weave. The constant humidity over the past year has been weakening the shape of our natural fiber basket, so into the closet it lives now.

Size

If you’re shopping online for light string with decoration and don’t know what size to look for, compare product dimensions with other laundry baskets. A good starting point is 18-20″ tall for standard hampers.