Laundry all over the floor? Old woven laundry bin falling apart? Allow me to suggest the Brabantia laundry bin. There are some household chores, like cleaning the bathroom, or anything that involves getting my hands wet, that I really don’t like. There are others, mainly the ones where my hands remain dry, like hoovering and general organising of things into tidy piles, that I’m much better at.

Laundry, although it involves a certain amount of moistness, is one that I often find strangely satisfying. There is something about the endless rhythm of it, the washing, drying and putting away cycle, that’s almost soothing. Unlike cleaning the bathroom, laundry doesn’t ever trick you into believing it’s finished – it’s just always there. If someone were to put together a soundtrack of family life, the swooshing of the washing machine would be in there somewhere.

Over the years I’ve experimented with different washing systems, but have concluded that the best approach is to buy low maintenance clothes and then wash everything on the ‘auto 40’ setting. There just isn’t time in life for anything else. We are on this planet for 80-odd years – why spend a year of that sorting colours?

I’ve also owned a fair few laundry baskets in my time. Normally the cheap sort, where you’re going for a 99% to 1% practicality to style ratio. I also have an Ali Baba style basket that I found in a second-hand shop. My boyfriend at the time was a little uncomfortable with the idea of it having held someone else’s dirty pants, but as I pointed out, you’re washing everything that goes it in anyway, so what can go wrong? I like it because it reminds me of the basket my Gran and Grandad had on their landing for their washing. I would hide in it sometimes during games of hide and seek, cosy amongst my Grandad’s M&S pyjamas. View Post