How to Use Laundry Baskets Around the House

Since laundry baskets can hold so many items, it's no surprise that people can use them for more than just holding their dirty clothes. They come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors, which lends them to fitting in to just about any décor or storage system. Read the tips below for ways that you can use laundry baskets around the house.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Take a plastic laundry basket to the beach. A smaller, round laundry basket is an excellent way to transport all of your kids' beach toys, your beach towels or both. After you empty the basket upon your arrival, you can flip the basket over and use the bottom as a makeshift table. The best part of this use is that before you get back into your car, you can hose off the basket without the worry of ruining it.

2. Transport your household items. By placing a laundry basket at both the top and bottom of your staircase, you can make bringing items up and down much easier and make fewer trips.

3. Make a portable cooler. For those summer barbecues, an easy and cost-effective alternative to a more expensive cooler is to line a plastic laundry basket with a plastic garbage bag and fill it with ice and beverages. The number of guests can determine the size you need. Use a few for different beverages; one for alcohol, one for non-alcoholic drinks and one for the kids' drinks.

4. Set your guests up with clean linens. When you're expecting company, you can fill a laundry basket with extra towels, washcloths and blankets, and simply place it in the guest room. When they're getting ready to leave, they can use the same laundry basket for their dirty linens.

5. Make trips to the woodshed easier. Transport your logs from the woodpile to the fireplace with a plastic laundry basket. You can even dress up your hearth with a nice wicker laundry basket to store logs, matches, newspapers and kindling.

6. Create easily identified toy boxes for your children. You can color-code your kids' toy collection by assigning a separate color for each child. They can keep just about anything in a plastic laundry basket, including stuffed animals, baby toys and sports equipment. Tailor the size to the amount of space you have available.

7. Protect the environment. If you're looking for a storage solution for your old magazines and newspapers, place them in a laundry basket. This also makes transportation easy when you have to take them to the curb or recycling center.

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