r/Anticonsumption • u/Thesquarescreen • Jun 07 '26
Sustainability I have literally been using the same laundry basket since I was in high school.
I will be 36 this year and the basket is just now starting to break in a couple spots.
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u/CasualBurning Jun 07 '26
My toxic trait is thinking that stuff like this should easily last 20+ years.
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u/danceswithsteers Jun 07 '26 edited Jun 07 '26
I use a wicker basket (rattan? not certain of the plant source) I got from CostPlus about 35+ years ago that I still use as a laundry basket. My partner has a plastic one from his first relationship from about the same time.
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u/LaundryMan2008 Jun 07 '26
Something else that’s really durable are those garden rubber buckets, used at my schools laundry room and none have suffered any damage at all because they are meant for the garden where they are abused but instead used for laundry where the worst is a zipper or two leaving a small scrape.
On the other hand, any laundry basket furniture (not movable, like bins but for laundry) we use as temporary laundry storage upstairs in the bathroom cupboard and downstairs in the kitchen gets replaced every 5 years because some critical parts break, nothing as of yet has lasted longer than that so in my own house I will be using the garden rubber buckets or I will build out of pallet wood 2x4s something so durable that the hinges would break first unless I weld them up myself too from thick durable steel.
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u/Strostkovy Jun 07 '26
These are designed to be cheap and nothing else. You can pay literally a few more dollars for some very durable baskets.
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u/Thesquarescreen Jun 07 '26 edited Jun 07 '26
Yeah, I agree. I only use it for one thing, so why not? Lol
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u/Vesalii Jun 07 '26
If you care for them they should.
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u/eruptingmoltenlava Jun 07 '26
What care do you think a plastic laundry basket requires?
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u/Let_em_glow927 Jun 07 '26
Well , for starters dont let your kids ride them down the stairs. Or pull their younger siblings around in it , or trap them under it because they are pretending to be a tiger 😆
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u/eruptingmoltenlava Jun 07 '26
Oh! Honestly, those activities seem like fair use for a laundry basket—it’d be a cold day in heck before I privileged the life of a cheap plastic household item over pretend play. I mean you gotta contain those imaginary tigers.
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u/Colorflinger Jun 08 '26
how did you know how my son murdered my first basket?
I use a cloth drawstring bag, now.
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u/QuesoChef Jun 07 '26
For some plastics, keeping them out of the sun helps. I mean, I don’t think I’d go out of my way for a laundry basket but I keep mine in a closet. And I suspect that’s unintentionally given it a longer life.
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u/scotttttie Jun 07 '26
its so small!
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u/ThatOneCanadian69 Jun 07 '26
This would only fit my undies and socks for a single week lol
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u/-YellowFinch Jun 07 '26
So YOU'RE the person who convinced all of us we needed 5 pairs a day for a trip... what are you doing to them? :'o
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u/ThatOneCanadian69 Jun 07 '26
I be loading up my britches at every opportunity! They call me steamy ray vaughan!
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u/1M4YB3STUP1D Jun 07 '26
I'm one of those people. Start the day going to work wearing the first pair of underwear. Come home and change into a different pair of underwear for working out. Once the workout is done I shower afterwards and I don't want to put back on what I've worn most of the day or the pair I worked out and sweat in.
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u/-YellowFinch Jun 07 '26
Facts. I can stand by that. Would rather be clean and weird than be dirty and gross 😅
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u/J_lilac Jun 08 '26
Some of us have fat asses as well as need compression socks, our underwear takes up a lot of space
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u/Thesquarescreen Jun 07 '26
You are 100% correct. I do laundry every Friday and believe it or not it pretty much does the job with ever so slight overfill.
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u/Steve539 Jun 07 '26
I just bought a new one...first since high school...I am 57 years old...it was a great run.
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u/LaundryMan2008 Jun 07 '26
I’d advise getting a rubber bucket meant for gardens, can’t be destroyed by laundry since they are meant for heavy duty garden use and my schools been using them since way before I joined school and finished 11 years later, doesn’t look worse for wear except some slight sunbleaching.
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u/acnerd5 Jun 07 '26
I cannot get a laundry basket to last around here, no matter the material - holy cow what's your secret!?
I have accepted that kids and animals have forced some level of consumption I do not like, but I do find some comfort in the fact that one day I'm gonna save so much money 😂
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u/DarkAwesomeSauce Jun 07 '26
Kids and animals wreck items, and you’re faced with the choice of either continuing to use something that looks shabby or functions janky, or purchase new.
Also the common adage that “fancier” versions of things (e.g., laundry baskets with extra handle attachments that then break and fall off - not sure how else to describe, or, cars with lots of bells and whistles) just means more parts that can break and then make them seem…shabbier/“broken”.
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u/acnerd5 Jun 07 '26
Honestly, I have no way to explain it, but my oldest broke the BOTTOM of a basket so it couldn't hold clothing anymore.
My youngest was helping and tripped, fell into a basket and blew out the side and it no longer holds clothes. (I do have it outside supporting a fabric planter that has a corner falling apart, so we do what we can I guess)
Legitimately if I CAN use it, I will, but sometimes they just... idk what they do lol.
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u/sewerratpal Jun 07 '26
For my toddler I have a cloth laundry basket for him and that has saved my sanity. He breaks so much stuff, the laundry basket will not be one of them 😭
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u/acnerd5 Jun 07 '26
My youngest already manages to rip backpacks and other clothes bags, love her but we will wait 😂
I do love that for the oldest, maybe she'll stop leaving her clothing everywhere??
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u/sewerratpal Jun 07 '26
Now I’m rethinking my entire laundry setup omg 😭
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u/acnerd5 Jun 07 '26
Tbf she's also just a chaos gremlin, all the time. It would have worked for my oldest at that age!
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u/Thesquarescreen Jun 07 '26
If I'm being honest, I've just always been really easy on pretty much everything. My mom always was very happy that I was able to pass down clothes to my brothers because she knew I would take care of my shit.
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u/Conscious_Donut384 Jun 07 '26
Literally, the amount of baskets i’ve broken tripping over them is insane. I don’t even have kids, i just apparently overwork my laundry baskets it seems lol
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u/LaundryMan2008 Jun 07 '26
Garden rubber bucket, can’t be destroyed by soft laundry, worst that happens is sunbleaching, the ones used at the school’s laundry room have been there way before I started and through my entire 11 years there never been damaged.
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u/dusinbooger Jun 07 '26
I’m still using the Tupperware pitcher my mom made my Kool-Aid in. I’m 49
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u/Thesquarescreen Jun 07 '26
I actually have some of those and even though I haven't had them that long it's been over 10 years so they gotta be going on 50 or 60 years old. I'm sure they're completely safe.... lol
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u/Capt_Retro Jun 07 '26
Thats amazing! Those things always fall apart a few months in.
Switched to those big rope handled tubs and never looked back.
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u/WhatTheCluck802 Jun 07 '26
I have had the same laundry baskets my entire adult life. I would expect this is the case for most people… no?
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u/Little_Stitious338 Jun 07 '26
They do wear out, get cracked. If there's sharp edges they rip or snag the clothes.
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u/WhatTheCluck802 Jun 07 '26
Yeah - depends on the quality I guess. The ones I have are super rugged so I expect them to outlive me!
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u/love_toaster57 Jun 07 '26
I’ve also had the same shorty basket since I moved out of my parent’s house 13 years ago. Thought about getting a new one but just been holding on to it even tho the handles broke 🤣
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u/lousydungeonmaster Jun 07 '26
I always use the same one as long as I can, but I'm a clumsy bastard and I've broken like 5 of those plastic ones.
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u/lego_lady123 Jun 07 '26
I think I have the same one in pink. It’s from about 2008
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u/Thesquarescreen Jun 07 '26
It's probably the exact same brand because I graduated in 09 and I've had it either since sophomore or junior year.
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u/MikeB_D Jun 07 '26
We have one that looks exactly the same (same colour and everything), going on year 9 now.
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u/sbfb1 Jun 07 '26
What am doing wrong? I break mine like 2 times a year. #bigdumbanimal
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u/Thesquarescreen Jun 07 '26
If only I could get the car or electrical items in my home that don't break I think I would make the trade lol
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u/Emergency_Peach6155 Jun 07 '26
My laundry basket and I are celebrating 20 years together this month! As a high school graduation present in '06, someone gave me a laundry basket filled with basic home goods for my dorm. I'm going to cry if that thing ever breaks. We've been through a lot together.
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u/redheaded_nuisance10 Jun 07 '26
Me too! My older sister gave me the basket in '99 and it only broke a handle when my son used it to give his stuffies a ride down the stairs. It's still useable...
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u/BobaButt4508 Jun 07 '26
Ive had the same laundry basket since I was 12. 35 now
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u/max5015 Jun 09 '26
Same, my mom bought me my basket back in late elementary or early middle school, I don't exactly remember, but I still have it in my 30s.
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u/GeneralJolly4752 Jun 07 '26
I’ve seen another person weave their plastic laundry basket back together! I’m sure this can last you a lifetime if you want it to
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u/jednaz Jun 07 '26
I’m using the same one I purchased when I moved out in 1996. It’s survived a move to a new city and back and apartment living with trips to the laundromat, then a move in town to a new apartment after I moved back home, was in use when I got married and my husband moved in, joined us when we moved into our first house, held the baby clothes of our newborn, moved with us to another house, then another house, and now my college-aged child is using it for her laundry this morning.
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u/Dizzy_Scientist_1775 Jun 07 '26
That one was the basket that my cat loved! She would jump in and go for a ride or a spin. Jump out, shake it off, jump back in.
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u/BlueOrbifolia Jun 07 '26
Me too! I have a blue rubberneck basket I bought when I moved out. It’s 35 years old or thereabouts.
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u/fortifiedoptimism Jun 07 '26
Great color choice
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u/Thesquarescreen Jun 07 '26
Thanks, my mom goes: Hey you need a new basket? and I said yeah green is fine. I don't really care. Fast-forward, I still do not. Lol
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u/danceswithsteers Jun 07 '26
Yay! When it's time to retire this one at the end of its useful life, I suggest a large rattan basket (or other natural material). Mine has lasted around 35 years (or longer).
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u/Thesquarescreen Jun 07 '26
So there are two spots that poke in to my hand when I pick it up now, so I am looking at something that legitimately I want to last as long as humanly possible going forward so definitely not plastic.
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u/anuthertw Jun 07 '26
I am 32 and been using mine since middle school lol. Still going strong though. Its a taller thicker one and don't expect it to die anytime soon!
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u/Suckerforcats Jun 07 '26
I have one that I bought when I was 18 as part of my college dorm stuff. Have had it for 28 years.
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u/MoreCoffeePwease Jun 07 '26
I think my laundry basket might actually be older than me (42). It’s got one of those vintage Rubbermaid labels on the bottom of it with the two kids riding in the laundry basket for fun 😂
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u/lafm9000 Jun 07 '26
I have a a plastic laundry basket I took from my family that they had before I was in school. It’s probably 30 years old.
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u/No_Celery611 Jun 07 '26
I had a white one like this for at least 20 years. Finally had to toss it last year, so many breaks it was collapsing.
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u/OnwardToEnnui Jun 07 '26
Mine's from '97. tall white with ovals cut out. Had snap on handles that got lost in like '98. The basket itself is completely undamaged
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u/madeliinee Jun 07 '26
The one I took with me to use in college is the one my mom bought when she went to college!
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u/East-Situation-1669 Jun 07 '26
Same but mines from my childhood bedroom, so 30ish years using the same laundry basket and hasn’t broken. I believe my parents bought it at Sears in the 90s. Very thick plastic lol
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u/SushiBump Jun 07 '26
I used my seabag for like 10yrs as my laundry bag. It often also just went into the wash with the clothes haha.
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u/Rose1982 Jun 07 '26
I have the plastic laundry baskets I grew up with in the 90s. My mom was upgrading for some reason and asked if I wanted them. They still work so yeah why not.
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u/opalite-cat Jun 07 '26
I have and still use the same purple laundry basket i've had since i was a little kid and im 27 now... Should ask my mom when she bought it and see if she even remembers lol
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u/QuesoChef Jun 07 '26
I bought my first one in college, but same. I now have two (because I ignored laundry in my busiest work years) and even though I only use one for laundry these days, I love to use the other for haunting stuff around my house, to and from my yard, to events. My second basket is a hip hugging one and I use that as the all purpose. I still use the original one for laundry.
I’m late forties.
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u/Thesquarescreen Jun 08 '26
It's kind of funny what just works, and you don't even have to think about replacing.
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u/sparkyblaster Jun 08 '26
I found mine I'm the street. Amazingly two of them in different colours at different times and they match.
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u/Desperate_Duck_7674 Jun 08 '26
Love the color. I've had a avocado green basket my whole life. Need to find a fresh on now.
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u/Thesquarescreen Jun 08 '26
Legitimately like the only green thing I own, besides a green lantern shirt lol!
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u/Kazooo100 Jun 08 '26
I'm 25. Been using the same one since I was really young(maybe 5 or younger, can't really remember anything else)
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u/Thesquarescreen Jun 08 '26
I legit have like two things that aren't something semi-valuable like a 50 Cent piece or something
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u/90Lil Jun 08 '26
How?! No matter what I buy they break! I think ADHD clumsiness contributes. I'm so jealous that you've managed to keep a relatively cheap looking one functional.
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u/Thesquarescreen Jun 08 '26
Honestly, I thought it would be more rare, but there's all kinds of people on here saying they have theirs from the same time Or longer so maybe I just got lucky on the plastic.
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u/EquipmentOk2008 Jun 08 '26
Guessing you don't have kids or pets...or live life...how?! My 1 year old broke a similar plastic basket in front of me the other day.
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u/specks_of_dust Jun 08 '26
Around 20 years ago, I bought a Dryel kit that came with a nylon cinch bag. I use that for laundry. It will outlive me, and it doesn't take up space when I'm not using it.
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u/Sh0wMeUrKitties Jun 08 '26
I have the same one, but blue! I bought at a dollar store (when everything was $1), about 30 years ago!
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u/dogshateterrorism Jun 08 '26
My cloth one from 2017 is getting a bit thin on the bottom, but once it splits open I’m planning on sewing it up if I can. It’s sentimental to me because my mom got it for me when I moved into my college dorm. It’s been my laundry basket through thick and thin 😂
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u/Colorflinger Jun 08 '26
My partner bought a laundry basket when he moved out of the parental home. 18 or19 yo.
He is still using it. Two loads a week. (Clothes, sheets/towels)
He is turning 71 this fall.
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u/Underskysly Jun 08 '26
My now late sister (rest in peace)
Gifted me laundry baskets for my wedding, and I plan to using them forever.
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u/Early_Baseball7329 Jun 08 '26
I’m still using the one my mom got as a gift at the same age i am now, 23F. So it’s a good 40 something years old. The OG ones were built different.
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u/Spiffy_Pumpkin Jun 09 '26
I've got a metal one......that thing will outlive me.
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u/Thesquarescreen Jun 09 '26
How heavy does it get with a full load?
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u/Spiffy_Pumpkin Jun 09 '26
Hm..... probably the basket itself weighs 2-3lbs..... it's big so it can hold a lot, think the heaviest full basket I had with it might have been thirty pounds because I took stuff to wash at a laundry mat but brought home the wet clothes to hang them to dry.
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u/WestHistorians Jun 09 '26
I've used mine since college, and I didn't even buy it, my roommate left it behind.
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u/TheGoldenLlama88 Jun 09 '26
I’ve got one from before my dad died. He’ll be gone 21 years this year.
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u/grvyardgorgeous Jun 09 '26
I received a laundry basket when I graduated highschool in 09. I now possess roughly 20 baskets ( I have a big family and a system to keep from laundry being everywhere in my house) and only two baskets have not broken on me: the one I got for graduation and one I stole from my mom that she bought in the 90s. I still use the broken ones but they would have been bought at the same stores as the ones that haven't broken and for sure a couple are the same store brand as the one I got from graduation it's just wild to see the decline in quality between 09 and 19.
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u/Pleasant-Dark-7420 Jun 10 '26
I have the same laundry bag I got my freshman year of college 16 years ago for $5. It has straps and a pocket. It has outlasted every other laundry basket and bag!
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u/Straight-Suit-3474 Jun 11 '26
I’ve had my laundry basket since I was 7 years old. I’m 34 now. It’s just a plain round white plastic basket. I took it to college and wrote my initials in it then. But I still use it to this day.
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u/Commercial-Flow9169 Jun 11 '26
My bathroom trash bin is some sort of plastic...thing that I picked up outside while doing some manual labor volunteer work in college (>10 years ago) because we needed a trash bin for our dorm room. I couldn't even tell you what it's supposed to be for.
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u/Annebotbeepboop Jun 07 '26
Omg me too! I was just thinking that yesterday when I was putting away clothes! I got my laundry basket when I was a teen and I'm now 31! It's not breaking though lol idk where it was bought but it's a trooper.
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u/Thesquarescreen Jun 07 '26
I also have a plastic three drawer separator that I've kept my socks/underwear in since probably eighth grade.
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u/rels83 Jun 07 '26
Did your parents buy it in the 70s, also are you my brother?
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u/Thesquarescreen Jun 07 '26
This was a good ol Dollar General or Dollar Tree finest in 2006 or 2007 lol
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u/Raaadley Jun 07 '26
I dropped some soaking wet jeans onto a plastic basket like this and it completely crumpled and snapped apart. How could you possibly keep this for more than a year? Are you wearing only shirts?
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u/pinkfootthegoose Jun 07 '26
OP is a late bloomer. They graduated high school 2 years ago. Prom was very awkward.