Monday, March 14, 2016

DIY Laundry Sorter Baskets

We recently changed up our laundry sorting system, and this is what we ended up with... 

The baskets were each $1 from Dollar General, and we mounted them with these double hooks from Home Depot which were $3 each...




So far we've used stacking laundry bins in the laundry room, but I wanted to put something in the kids bathroom in hopes of them using it a little better. They suggested that I buy basketball hoop hampers that hung over their doors, and considering how excited they were to use them we gave that a try. I'd totally recommend them, by the way, if your kids are at least 6-8 years old. The hoops definitely worked in the motivation department (they were LOOKING for clothes they could throw in), but unfortunately only my oldest (age 7) could get his clothes in with out a lot of effort. My 4 year old would throw clothes over and over again then eventually stand on a step stool to get them in or someone else would end up throwing it in for him. 

Considering that the basketball hoops weren't so useable for the little ones, (and I have an almost 2 year old who will be using them himself at some point) I returned the hoop hampers and gave it another go. This time I wanted to be sure that the sorter was low enough and easy enough for little people to use, since that is the entire point. The four-bin laundry sorters were all too big to fit in the space I was working with, so I consulted Pinterest for alternate ideas and found this post. I liked the basket idea but think our real hooks are a much safer bet than the self-adhesive hooks she used.

Each child has their own basket. When theirs is full they can easily remove it, carry it to the laundry room, run their load, then bring their clean clothes back in the same basket. Yes, my four-year-old and seven-year-old each do their own laundry. The real trick is keeping dirty clothes off the floor in the mean time. So I pointed out that the baskets practically ARE like a basketball hoop, they just make it easier to score. :) 

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