A Domestic Goddesses Best Defense Against Smelly, Stinky Clothes – Sterilite Laundry Hamper
Written: Mar 22 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Nice appearance, inexpensive, durable and sturdy.
Cons: None so far ….
The Bottom Line: Looking for a laundry hamper that will last for years? The Sterilite 1252 model is a great pick!
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| Freak369's Full Review: Sterilite White Laundry Hamper 1252 |
When it comes to laundry, I try to stay on top of it by doing at least two loads a day. With four boys, my brother and Chris contributing to the pile, it adds up – fast. I have about six laundry hampers around the house, two of which are the Sterilite White Laundry Hamper [1252]. I picked these up when several of the others started to look worn and the lids busted. Not satisfied with the standard laundry hamper assortment, it turned into a small quest to try and find something that didn’t look like a garbage can. I’m not into the frilly girly things so the pink ones with flowers were completely out of the question and there was no way I was paying upwards of $250.00 for a Nightmare Before Christmas one so I start hunting the aisles of Wal-Mart and Target to try and find suitable replacements. I came across these for $4.70 on sale and, after giving them a test run in the aisle, I figured why not give them a try and see how they hold up. My initial concern was that the slotted area in the front would reduce the overall strength of the hamper walls and after almost a year of constant use, I can say that these are one of the strongest hampers I’ve come across.
The flip top lid is something that is a complete necessity; any other type of lid is pointless and will most likely get lost, broken or used as a chew toy by my dog. I really wanted to try and find one with a foot pedal that would flip up the lid but any that I came across looked too much like a garbage can or simply weren’t big enough to hold the volume of clothes that I deal with. The Sterilite name is one that I have grown to trust over the years; their storage containers are top notch and the prices of their products are extremely reasonable. These were the prefect size for the boys bathroom as well as mine and even though I do laundry on a regular basis, things do tend to get backed up and when they do, I’m glad that I went with this style laundry hamper – it holds a ton of clothes, is a lot more sturdy than you think and takes up a minimal amount of space.
Perks
The size is an obvious selling point; not too small that you need to empty it on a daily basis but no so big that it takes over the bathroom or bedroom. Seeing that this is only thirteen inches wide, it can be slid into corners, between closets or right next to the shower without getting in the way. The height is another perk, twenty five inches of dirt clothes – in this house that’s easily two large loads or three smaller ones. Times that by four boys and my own clothes and you can understand why I spend a lot of time doing laundry. Just as soon as I get the last load sorted, folded and into their respective baskets there is another pile waiting. With all these dirty clothes there comes the inevitable – the smell. Since I do laundry almost every day there usually aren’t many pieces of clothing that stink to high heaven but trust me, if the front and back we not slotted, you would have a true time bomb waiting for you when you decided to slip on that domestic goddess t-shirt. Since I put one of these in the boys bathroom I was curious to see if the slats would warp or break under the pressure of all their clothes and so far [almost a full year later] it’s no worse for wear.
Durability
I have two of these, one in my bathroom and one in the bathroom that two of my boys share. They have gotten into a nasty habit of trying to jam as many pieces of clothing into the hamper as possible – not that it is a contest but they have certain chores to do each day, one of them being bringing the laundry hampers to the laundry room so the clothes can be sorted. This means that it sees a lot of action, not to mention them literally jumping on top of the clothes so they can say “Hummm, there’s still some room, we can take it down tomorrow”, essentially brushing it off on to someone else. Even with all the pressure that’s put on the sides of the hamper it has held up nicely over the past year or so. I thought for sure that the tabs on the lid would be the first thing to break but they too have proven to be a true workhorse. Now, getting the hamper to the laundry room is another topic all together, since they stuff it until it is ready to scream blood murder, it gets to be a bit heavy so they slide it down the step. Not only does this sound like a pack of elephants charging down the steps but it also does a number on my poor walls. The hamper, well, aside from some small dings and scrapes, it looks almost as good as the day I purchased it. Cleaning it up is pretty simple, a wet paper towel removes most of the dust and dirt but is a time consuming task to clean the slotted area. For this, I take it outside, scrub it down with a milk soap and water then use the garden hose to rinse it off. After a few houses of having them upside down they are completely dry and ready to go back into battle against the mass of dirty clothes it sees on a daily basis.
The Bottom Line
If you are in the market for a new laundry hamper but want something with a little more pizzazz than the regular closed front ones, this is definitely one to check out. The flip top lid is a lot stronger than I expected, the slotted front and back allow air to hit clothes so you don’t get a he stink build up and it cleans up with a wet paper towel. For about $5.00 at most stores, this is a product that will outlast others, has a decorative design and will keep up with even the toughest clothes stuffers. So far I am completely happy with my purchase and when the other hampers need to be replaced, chances are I’ll go with Sterilite’s 1252 model as replacements. If these can put up with a years worth of use and abuse by my two oldest boys chances are, unless you have a small army of ruffians, you’ll get years of faithful service from this hamper.
As always, thanks for the visit …
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2004 Freak369
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Recommended:
Yes
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