Rubbermaid Hip Hugger Laundry Basket; Aiding and Abetting My Least Favorite Chore
Written: Jun 02 '04 (Updated Jun 02 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Three handles; curved side for easy carrying; large capacity; exceptionally durable.
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: This is the last laundry basket I'll ever own!
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| krissingene's Full Review: Rubbermaid Hip Hugger Laundry Basket |
I hate doing laundry. Ever since I was ten years old and my mom taught me to wash my own clothes, I hated it - the gathering, the sorting, the folding, ugh! At least at her house, the washer and dryer were conveniently located just off the kitchen; in ours, I have to haul everything down a narrow flight of stairs into the basement. Then I did one of the worst things a laundry-hater could possibly do - I had a baby, effectively doubling the number of loads of laundry that must be done in any given week. So in just one home, we have a man who works in a sawmill and comes home most days covered in red mud and smelling to high heavens, a four-month-old infant with an aversion to clean clothes who must immediately spit up (or worse) on anything clean that touches her body, and a grumpy mom who somehow manages to have all these messes transferred immediately onto her person. Hated or not, laundry is a big issue for us.
For the first years of our marriage, I subscribed to my mom's theory of "buy the cheapest laundry baskets you can find because they're not gonna last anyway", cursing the flaccid plastic baskets with each trip up and down the stairs. After replacing laundry baskets every four months or so for three years (the weak mesh sides invariably burst under large loads of clothes), I demanded a better basket. Not just stronger, but bigger, more durable and more comfortable. Dare I dream such a dream?
~* "$4.99 For A Laundry Basket?!" *~
Apparently I stuck to mom's way of basket shopping a bit too well, as this was the response I got from my husband upon locating and picking up the Rubbermaid Hip Hugger Laundry Basket, by far the sturdiest looking basket available at our local Wal-Mart. Despite his protests, I calmly and quietly explained to him that were I to continue washing his socks, I would have this basket, and that was that.
The basket I selected was white with three gray handles - one at each end and one along the back side. The front side of the basket was slightly curved in to rest easily against the hip, resulting in an overall kidney bean shape. Only the one bushel (35.2 L) size was available; had it been in stock, I would have preferred the larger 1.5 bushel (52.9 L) basket, which looks essentially the same except having blue handles. I have since seen it sold at Linens-N-Things for $8.99 and may be adding it to my must-have list in the near future... The Rubbermaid Hip Hugger Laundry Basket that I bought is available in White, Blue Mist, Dark Hunter and Tint Clear; the larger size is available in White, Blue Mist, Dark Hunter and Light Platinum.
~* FIT, Darn You! *~
According to the Rubbermaid website, my laundry basket measures 9.375" x 25.75" x 17.75". That's a lot of decimal places, but they add up to one very generous-sized basket - ideal for carrying large loads of laundry at one time (I admit, I tend to cram the washer to capacity in order to do fewer loads, so this a perk for me). However, there is one small detail that the fine folks at Rubbermaid must have missed.
All of the doorways in my home measure 28-30" wide. Now, it doesn't take a math whiz to figure out that, unless I happen to be less than 10" wide myself (and I do not), then I can't walk through a doorway with this basket on my hip as designed. (And even though it seems as though the basket should fit easily through the doorway at its widest point, I must turn it sideways to maneuver it through.) As the stairway in my home is surrounded by a wall on each side - no wider than the doorway - I have to carry the basket down the stairs in front of me. Obstructed vision aside, the Rubbermaid Hip Hugger is remarkably well-designed for such a situation - the oddly-situated third handle on the long edge of the basket makes carrying in awkward positions much easier, and the curved side fits just as well across one's front as on the hip.
~* Whose Hips Does It Fit Anyway? *~
Okay, fine, so my hips are a bit larger than your standard variety ("child birthin' hips", my grandma called them. Bless her, those hips didn't help matters a bit.) Even so, the gently curved side of the Rubbermaid Hip Hugger basket rests against my proportions just as easily as on my mom's tiny size two frame (disgusting, isn't it?) Yes, I admitted to her that I had purchased a $5 laundry basket. She was a bit disgusted, but after a test-carry of mine, actually went out and bought her own. Miracles really do happen!
While collecting laundry on the main floor of my house, and after navigating the stairs with the basket in front of me, I'm actually able to use this basket properly - that is, slung casually across one side and held with one hand, leaving the other free to open doors, grab detergent, load the washer, etc. The basket itself weighs just over a pound (it is, after all, heavy Rubbermaid material), and even loaded with a full load of laundry isn't overly heavy.
While I've never quite understood why all laundry baskets have open cutouts along the sides (ventilation, perhaps?), the Rubbermaid website confirms that this basket's "smooth finish prevents snagging delicate items", a problem I have never had with this particular basket. The cutouts are small enough to avoid losing even the tiniest stray baby socks during laundry relocation as well, a feature for which I am eternally grateful - although, assuming they make it into the dryer, they will almost certainly be eaten at once by our resident Sock Gnome anyway.
~* Use With Adult Supervision *~
Folding laundry is more than a dreaded chore when my daughter is awake - it's darn near impossible. She, like me, reaps no joy in the folding and putting away of clean clothes and is adamant that this should be done when she is sleeping or otherwise engaged. The only method I've found of getting this out of the way while she is alert is...well, to stick her in the basket too. Not with the socks of course (towels work great) and certainly only with the clean clothes, but she gets a kick of looking at Mommy out of the side cutouts of the basket - and more recently enjoys grabbing the plastic 'bars' as well. Unlike the cheap baskets that used to litter our home, I've found that the plastic edges on this basket are very smooth and so am not worried about her hurting her small hands - and well, laundry is more fun when she's there anyway.
At 21.5" long, she still lies easily on top of the clean towels, although I'm certain it won't be long until she's sitting in the basket, then jumping in it, and probably running away with it and converting it into a spaceship. I have every confidence that this basket will hold up to frequent use until that time arrives, as well as to the abuse she'll surely dish out in the near future.
(DO NOT leave your baby unattended in a laundry basket! Rachael enjoys playing in ours only under constant supervision.)
~* I STILL Hate Laundry *~
...and chances are good that I will continue to despise laundry for all my days. The only good thing about the dreaded chore is that I have a wonderful basket that makes lugging the clothes up and down the stairs easier and, until a basket is invented that will carry the clothes to the washer and put them in itself, the Rubbermaid Hip Hugger Laundry Basket will always be found in my home.
~* For More Information *~
Visit Rubbermaid online at www.rubbermaid.com, call 1-888-895-2110 (Monday -Friday, 8 AM - 5 PM EST) or write to:
Rubbermaid Home Products Division
ATTN: Consumer Services
1147 Akron Road
Wooster, Ohio 44691-6000 USA
In Canada, call 866-595-0525 or write to:
Rubbermaid Canada
Consumer Service Dept
2562 Stanfield Rd
Mississauga, ON L4Y1S5
~* Also By Rubbermaid *~
Servin Saver Egg Keeper
Recommended:
Yes
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krissingene
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Member: Kristin
Location: Southern VA
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The strength of Motherhood is greater than Natural Laws. -Barbara Kingsolver
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