At 63, I Finally Stopped Hiding My Laundry Basket Behind the Bathroom Door
I have never written anything like this before, and I want to say at the start that I am not a writer and I am certainly not in the habit of telling other women how to run their homes.
But four different people have asked me about my laundry basket, of all things, and I have now explained it enough times that it seemed easier to write it down properly.
It started when my daughter came over one afternoon and noticed the thing sitting behind my bathroom door.
She wasn't wrong.
It was an old plastic laundry basket that had been there for years. Functional, slightly scratched, and exactly the sort of thing I pushed behind the door whenever somebody came over.
I didn't dislike it enough to replace it.
Nobody decides to go shopping because their laundry basket is ugly.
You buy one because you need somewhere for the washing to go, and then somehow it stays there for the next ten years.
How It Happens
A laundry basket is probably the last thing most of us think of as nice. It has a job, not a personality.
So the stores sell us plastic bins and mesh pop-ups, usually in white, gray or beige, and most of us simply choose one and forget about it.
And because it is only a laundry basket, you never quite get around to doing anything about it.
It is always the next thing on a list that never comes up.
What I Had Wrong
Here is the bit I got most wrong.
I thought a laundry basket had to look practical to be practical.
Then I discovered quilted fabric baskets.
They have the softness of something decorative, while still doing the job a laundry basket is supposed to do.
Instead of automatically looking for somewhere to hide it, you can actually leave it in the room.
Practical and pretty were not a choice of one or the other.
I had simply never been offered the pretty version.
That took me 63 years to figure out.
Mine Came From Eliz Rose Boutique
I found mine at Eliz Rose Boutique, a small American boutique with a collection of quilted laundry baskets covered in the loveliest animal and floral designs.
Cats, dogs, owls, flowers and all sorts of charming little scenes.
I chose the design that made me smile first.
What immediately surprised me was how different it looked from the plastic basket I had been using.
The quilted fabric gives it that soft, decorative appearance, while the handles make it convenient to carry from one room to another.
And it comes in three sizes, so there is one for a smaller bathroom and another if you need something roomier.
Mine ended up in the bedroom.
What Happened When People Came Over
This was the part I wasn't expecting.
People actually noticed it.
My daughter asked where it came from.
Then my sister noticed it.
Then a friend visiting for coffee asked about it.
I don't think anyone had ever asked me where I bought a laundry basket before.
And I think that's really the appeal.
It does an ordinary job without looking like an ordinary household object.
There are three things in particular that changed my mind about it.
One. It looks good enough to leave out.
Instead of immediately hiding the laundry basket when somebody visits,
it can simply remain part of the room.
Two. It's easy to carry.
The handles make moving laundry between the bedroom, bathroom and washing
machine much simpler.
Three. You can choose a design you actually like.
That sounds obvious, but after years of plain plastic baskets, having
cats, dogs, flowers or another design you love makes the whole thing feel
surprisingly personal.
About The Price
I should mention the price because this was the point where I expected to change my mind.
The laundry baskets were originally $125.
Right now, Eliz Rose Boutique has reduced them to $54.95.
And shipping within the United States is free.
That made considerably more sense to me than spending over a hundred dollars on something whose main job is holding towels.
I ended up looking through the other designs afterward, which may have been a mistake because now I have several favorites.
What I Would Tell You If We Were Friends
Go and look at the laundry basket currently sitting in your bathroom or bedroom.
If it's plastic, scratched, hidden behind a door, or simply something you've stopped noticing years ago, you don't need to replace it.
I certainly didn't.
But sometimes the smallest things in a house are the things you see every single day.
And if something practical can also make that little corner of your home prettier, I think that's rather lovely.
There are plenty of designs, so I would choose the one that makes you smile when you see it.
Mine still does.
The old plastic basket is gone, and strangely enough, I haven't missed it once.
Patricia ❤️
- Soft quilted fabric with charming animal and floral artwork
- Convenient carrying handles
- Available in Small, Medium & Large
- Beautiful enough to leave on display
- Multiple designs to choose from
- Free U.S. Shipping