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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

That the current laundry storage systems on the market are all a bit crap and inflexible?

106 replies

NotColdNotFrozen · 18/11/2024 12:30

Why can’t they sell a vertical laundry solution which enables me to sort the laundry into different washes, so that I can quickly put a load on? Or different colours? Why can’t it be modular and go upwards rather than have the big old laundry hampers which take up space?

Why can’t they be modular and the modules have wheels so that I can wheel around?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
17
Doggymummar · 19/11/2024 13:07

We have a pile in the bathroom floor. When you can't open the door anymore it goes in the machine.

joke we have a Sortera

SharpOpalNewt · 19/11/2024 13:13

coffeeandteav · 18/11/2024 19:35

Do people carry the basket downstairs?

I just get a bundle in my arms and carry it.

My mum used to have a separate plastic basket to carry it but I don't want to store one.

I have a collapsible basket (cost about £10) that is stored next to the washing machine. Also you can get fabric ones that collapse down for about £5.

I quite like collapsing it and popping it open again. It's satisfying!

BertieBotts · 19/11/2024 13:15

Actually I reckon something like this would do the trick. It's a trolley which takes 2x collapsible shopping crates. Not sure if they come any cheaper than this. The whole thing folds flat when not in use though.

You'd probably need a couple if you want to sort into 4 different wash types.

www.amazon.co.uk/shopping-Two-tier-Collapsible-Multi-purpose-portable/dp/B0CQTGWLW2?th=1

Itsalwaysfools · 19/11/2024 13:26

Christwosheds · 18/11/2024 19:57

How is this even possible ?
I am at the other extreme, I sort by colour group as well as whites and blacks, plus wools, silks, and sheets.

You'd have to have a large family to make this work. As a single person household, I'd be waiting months for certain clothes to make it into the washing machine.

mogtheexcellent · 19/11/2024 13:52

I started a game with DD when she was a toddler. She stands at top of stairs and throws the washing down while shouting 'Geronimo'. She still does this at age 10 but refuses to touch DHs pants.

Much more fun. I work full time long hours so only wash on friday nights and sat mornings.

Doggymummar · 19/11/2024 14:16

Itsalwaysfools · 19/11/2024 13:26

You'd have to have a large family to make this work. As a single person household, I'd be waiting months for certain clothes to make it into the washing machine.

Oh yes, I've not done a white wash since August, I feel guilty every time I run the machine.

RobinEllacotStrike · 19/11/2024 14:21

my friend has recently built a new house. She put the laundry UPSTAIRS!!! Its effectivley a very wide hallway, with the laundry behind beautiful folding doors that open out to reveal the laundry.

She also has an upstairs terrace and she dries the clothes there. So the laundry is all kept in one place and nothing in carried up or down stairs.

Its genius! This design would also work very well if you used a tumble drier.

ItsVeryHyacinthBucket · 19/11/2024 14:29

DiscoBeat · 18/11/2024 13:02

I guess it's not very lovely but then it's in the laundry room which is a functional room.

Oh, the unwitting privilege! We don't all have a laundry room, dear.

Crumpleton · 19/11/2024 14:45

I like this type, compact and each bag is washable.

That the current laundry storage systems on the market are all a bit crap and inflexible?
SaffyWall · 19/11/2024 14:47

These are pretty good - my sister has a stack of three in the utility which works well.

https://www.brabantia.com/uk/stackable-laundry-box-35-litre-green/

whirlyhead · 19/11/2024 14:50

I have the joseph joseph double bin and it's great. Love the way the bags lift out. Bit of a faff to put together though!!

Nat6999 · 19/11/2024 15:25

amoreoamicizia · 18/11/2024 19:28

I think recycling storage needs a redesign too. It's still not caught up.

These are what I have in my utility room for recycling. From Dunelm

That the current laundry storage systems on the market are all a bit crap and inflexible?
namechange0998776554799000 · 19/11/2024 15:48

I have the Joseph Joseph one and it's perfect. On one side goes all the similarly coloured things that can be washed & tumble dried together - just lift the bag out once it's full and carry to the washing machine. On the other side goes delicates, whites etc - I let that build up for a while then sort & wash accordingly. I also have a sturdy bag for carrying wet washing from the washing machine to the tumble dryer (my house is laid out badly) and a solid basket for carrying dry folded laundry back upstairs. It's a system that works really well for me, I wouldn't change it

Becs258 · 19/11/2024 15:51

TheYoungestSibling · 18/11/2024 12:43

Kallax. One wide, four high. Different coloured boxes. Sort as you go. Full box = load of laundry.

This is what we do. I have a 4 x 2, but use the top two for storage. Laundry is the only thing I’m anal about, and it makes it easy to see what needs washing.

StarrySkiesAtMidnight · 19/11/2024 16:06

TheYoungestSibling · 18/11/2024 12:43

Kallax. One wide, four high. Different coloured boxes. Sort as you go. Full box = load of laundry.

Same.
Got some custom iron-on laundry labels on Etsy too!

https://www.etsy.com/uk/search?q=iron+on+laundry+labels&ref=search_bar

SwedishEdith · 19/11/2024 17:54

coffeeandteav · 18/11/2024 19:35

Do people carry the basket downstairs?

I just get a bundle in my arms and carry it.

My mum used to have a separate plastic basket to carry it but I don't want to store one.

I just chuck it over the bannister/from the landing and then kick it down the stairs and into the utility and leave it in a heap on the floor.

GargoylesofBeelzebub · 19/11/2024 18:43

I have this.

I found it really difficult to find what I wanted. This isn't quite right but the best I could do.

Lifewit Laundry Hamper 4 Section,... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C1ZF3MMG?ref=ppxpoppmobappshare

StripeyDeckchair · 19/11/2024 18:50

I use this recycling bag.
Sort into 3 loads, carry it downstairs, wash & fold the bag & put it away

www.rexlondon.com/love-birds-recycling-bag?feed=shopping&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_id=20588960606&adgroup_id=&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-qj_3YfpiQMVJ5JQBh2CMwiJEAQYBCABEgKUJPD_BwE

angryanderson88 · 19/11/2024 18:53

I've had this pop up ikea one for years https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/fyllen-laundry-basket-white-60522049/

It's got handles and holds its shape so looks fine in my bedroom, but the basket weights almost nothing so I can lug it around even when full. I also use ikea bags for moving loads from washer to dryer etc. long since ditched the old fashioned hard plastic laundry baskets as they take up so much storage space.

It's like a bigger diameter version of the brightly coloured ones you get in their kids section which are great as their laundry baskets or soft toy storage.

seven201 · 19/11/2024 22:32

I have one of those cheap Ikea striped tall bag things for collecting laundry and it has handles. I throw it down the stairs sometimes and it makes a satisfying thud. I collect clean washing into cheap Amazon fold flat vertical basket things then usually dump it on the kitchen island and fold into piles then deliver to the right rooms in the house. My utility room is 1.5m wide and probably about the same depth so just no room for anything else. I'm happy with the fold down basked system as I store them in the gap next to one of the appliances. I do have a hatred of big ugly washing baskets, so I do see where you're coming from! We should also have our washing appliances upstairs, it makes little sense to move it all down to just have to bring it up again!

OrNo · 19/11/2024 22:45

I have a narrow Billy bookcase with shelves and labelled cardboard boxes. Works an absolute dream! I did it as a stop gap in a house that didn't have room for a horizontal system but it's absolutely bloody brilliant!

The boxes are exactly the right size for one full washing machine load. The shelves are wide apart enough to allow for a bit of extra bulge in the boxes.

TubularBeIIs · 19/11/2024 23:11

angryanderson88 · 19/11/2024 18:53

I've had this pop up ikea one for years https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/fyllen-laundry-basket-white-60522049/

It's got handles and holds its shape so looks fine in my bedroom, but the basket weights almost nothing so I can lug it around even when full. I also use ikea bags for moving loads from washer to dryer etc. long since ditched the old fashioned hard plastic laundry baskets as they take up so much storage space.

It's like a bigger diameter version of the brightly coloured ones you get in their kids section which are great as their laundry baskets or soft toy storage.

They are brilliant. I've had mine for many years. New ones are much smaller and bit pathetic looking :)

GreenTeaLikesMe · 19/11/2024 23:44

Someone upthread was asking about space saving Japanese solutions, but to be honest, I think everyone here tends to use those collapsible IKEA bags and doesn't sort laundry much at all. I separate a few things for handwashing, but everything else goes in one wash. Maybe because we wash everything on cold water here, so it's kind of OK for everything to be washed together?

The space saving Japanese laundry thing which everyone in the UK OUGHT to have (if only UK home building firms would build the things) is the yokushitsu kansoki (bathroom drying system).

This is where the bathroom is built as a walk-in wetroom, with a door that shuts tight with a snap, and a heat/ventilation system built into the ceiling. You hang your laundry on those portable rack things, and if it looks like rain, you carry them into the bathroom, hang them on the rails that are over the bathtub, shut the bathroom door, and switch on the heat/dry function using a switch on the outside of the door. This sends heat into the bathroom and extracts the moisture via the ventilation system, so your clothes are just gently steamed dry as they hang there. It uses little energy compared to a dryer and takes up no space, as it's just multipurposing the bathroom you have already. The clothes also don't need ironing.

Sorry to bang on about it, but it is the BEST system, and with UK homes so small these days like in Japan, there is a desperate need for space saving systems that dry clothes efficiently and cheaply. Last time I stayed with a flat-dwelling friend in the UK, her home was constantly covered in damp laundry and she was worried about moisture building up in the flat (condensation, mould). It was really hard!