The Best Laundry Basket (For People Who Hate Doing Laundry)

If you’re looking for the best laundry basket on the market, you will love this!  I hate doing laundry. But this laundry basket, as Marie Kondo says, “sparks joy”.

The Best Laundry Basket (For People Who Hate Doing Laundry)

I never thought I would write a post about laundry baskets. Most people don’t put a lot of thought about laundry baskets.

I’ve tried different types of laundry baskets. I’m over 50 years old, after all. I’ve lived a long time and tried a lot of different types of laundry baskets. I really love to pick out things that I love, especially if I’m going to be using them every single day like laundry baskets. I’m a bit of a perfectionist, and I research things a bit obsessively.

The fact of the matter is, most laundry baskets suck. They’re ugly, they’re made of cheap plastic, they’re not very durable and fall apart within a few years, and they can be hard to carry, especially for women.

If you’ve read Marie Kondo’s book, The Life Changing Magic Of Tidying Up, or seen her show on Netflix, she talks about how everything in your home should “spark joy”.

Well, folks, let me tell you, this laundry basket sparks joy. I love mine so much I’ve bought several over the years and this is the only laundry basket I ever use.

In fact, I think if Marie Kondo knew about this laundry basket, she would use it herself! (Although I’m not sure if they sell them in Japan yet…)

Why do I love this laundry basket so much? Not only is it a delight to use, but it’s the most durable laundry basket, the most beautiful laundry basket, the easiest to carry… and many other reasons.

Read on…

The Best Laundry Basket: Red Gorilla

After searching and searching, I found a laundry basket I think is the very best. It’s called Red Gorilla.

Of course, they don’t sell this just as a laundry basket. This is a multipurpose bucket that comes from the United Kingdom. You can use it for anything you need to carry, lug, or store. For example, you can use it for gardening, taking care of horses or pets, or to store toys in a playroom or child’s room.

The large size (10 gallons) Red Gorilla bucket is absolutely perfect for doing laundry.

The company used to be called TubTrugs but they just changed their name. It’s the same owner, so the product hasn’t changed at all, but they just changed the name when they were expanding from the UK to the US market.

Why These areThe Best Laundry Baskets

1. They are Durable

This laundry basket is so durable and strong. I think these laundry baskets will probably last longer than my refrigerator. I’m kidding, but it’s probably true!

Most laundry baskets are made from a cheap plastic that falls apart in a matter of years. Not these laundry baskets. They’re made of food-grade plastic and are super flexible and strong.

I've had my Red Gorilla laundry baskets for over 6 years now and they are showing zero signs of wear and tear.

2. They are Beautiful

Most laundry baskets you buy at Walmart are ugly. They look like they’re made in China (because they are). They look like they were made in a communist factory.

The Red Gorilla is the Fiestaware or Le Creuset of laundry baskets. These laundry baskets are made in the colors of the rainbow.

Which of course, reminds me of God's covenant.

“I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds,  I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.  Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”

So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.” (Genesis 9:9-17)

These laundry baskets also make me think of the way Japanese appliances sing to you. If you’ve ever had a Japanese rice cooker, you know what I mean. They play such a pleasant, melodic tune when the rice is done. Unlike so many American ovens — the horrible, relentless beeping.

This British laundry basket is the equivalent — lovely and a delight to behold.

3. They are Compact & Stackable

It’s true that all laundry baskets are stackable. But rectangular laundry baskets take up so much space!

Because the Red Gorilla laundry basket is round and tall, this means you have more space in the laundry room.

4. They Make Sorting Easy

The Red Gorilla laundry basket makes sorting so easy.

I used to sort my laundry based on lights and darks, but now I wash most everything permanent press so I don’t worry about sort lights and darks anymore.

However, I do separate out anything that needs to be hand-washed or washed on delicate.

I also like to sort my laundry by the person in the household. For example, I like to do all of my daughter’s wash in one load, all of my son’s all of my husband’s and so forth.

Why do I do this?  Because it’s less work!  This way I don’t have to figure out whose clothes are whose, and as the loads come out of the dryer, I fold them and stack them neatly right into the same basket.  No guesswork, no thinking involved (I can listen to an audiobook or podcast and be on autopilot).

I do my dishes the same way. I always keep the forks together, the spoons together, and so forth. This way, I don’t have to sort through the silverware — it is so much faster to unload the dishwasher.

This is a kind of Marie Kondo hack, but if you try it you’ll see I’m right — it  is so much easier! When the laundry is done, we can just carry each basket to each person’s room  — done and done!

5. They are a Lot Easier to Carry

Most laundry baskets are not easy to carry, especially for women, because they are fairly large and rectangular. Sometimes you can find square ones but they’re still not very easy to carry.

This Red Gorilla laundry basket is so easy to carry.  Designed for a woman’s body! It’s slightly more narrow at the bottom, so it’s easy to carry on your hip. I can actually carry 2 at a time, which I could never do with a square or rectangular basket (yes, I am Type A).

Also, if you’re folding your laundry the way Marie Kondo teaches in The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, the clothes fit so well in these baskets.

I think maybe the reason they have always made square and rectangular laundry baskets is because of the way people used to fold clothes. I say “used to” because once you start folding the Marie Kondo way, trust me, you will never go back.

Thanks to Marie Kondo, I actually enjoy folding clothes now, which is something I never thought would happen in my lifetime.

6. They are Great for Wet Towels & Cloth Diapers

I love the fact that this laundry basket is solid and doesn’t have holes or slats cut out on the sides, like most of the communist factory laundry baskets on the market.

It’s important to have a solid laundry basket because there are times when you have wet clothing or if you want to soak something.

For example, when you’re stripping cloth diapers. It’s very easy to use these laundry baskets for all kinds of things that you might need to put liquid things in.

7. They are Not Just for Laundry

There are so many uses for these buckets — they are not just for laundry!

You can use them in the garden for leaves or soil or to carry clippings. Or you can use them to lug toys or even store them in kids’ rooms or playrooms.

Also, they are great for horses or pets. The other day I used a couple of my laundry baskets to filter the gravel in our fish tank.

Drawbacks of This Laundry Basket

I need to warn you that there is one big problem with the Red Gorilla laundry basket: This laundry basket is so great that people in your family try to steal it and use it for other things.

For example, kids will fill it with their toys. Husbands will try to fill it with their electronics cables.

Do not let them! Be vigilant and hang on to your laundry baskets. They are YOURS. Don’t let anyone try to steal your joy. If they really want one, they will have to order their own.

After we got divorced, my husband texted me to ask me if I was using all my laundry baskets and could he have a few. LOL! No way was I giving any of my laundry baskets up. I gave him the link to order.

How to Order

You can get small, medium, large or extra large.

The best size for doing laundry is the large 10-gallon (38 liter) size.

Order on Amazon.

Share Your Thoughts Below

What are some of your best tips and tricks for doing laundry? Share in the comments! I’m always open to new ideas and hacks.

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