A LETTER FROM A READER

My Daughter Said My Laundry Basket Was an Eyesore. She Wasn't Wrong.

By Sandra K. · Portland, Oregon - September 2026

I never thought I'd write something like this — I'm not a writer, just someone who spent years hiding her laundry basket in the hallway closet. It was cracked, it wobbled, and it was a color I can only describe as "dentist's office beige." Every time company came over, it was the first thing I'd shove out of sight.

Here's the thing about ugly, practical objects: nobody sets out to buy something ugly. You just need a laundry basket, so you grab whatever's cheapest, and five years later it's still there — cracked, sad, and somehow never quite at the top of the replace-it list. I have a feeling most of us have at least one thing like that in the house.

My daughter was the one who finally said something. She was folding towels and just looked at me: "Mom, why do you still have this thing?" I didn't have a good answer, so I went looking for something better — fully expecting to choose between practical and actually nice to look at.

Turns out I didn't have to choose. I found these quilted fabric storage baskets — they hold their shape standing up empty, fold completely flat when you don't need them, and come in more patterns than I knew what to do with. I wasn't looking for just one, either. I ended up picking a few: one for the laundry room, one for towels in the bathroom, one that just lives by the front door for shoes.

That's honestly my favorite part — they don't all have to match. I've got a botanical print in the bathroom, something brighter in my grandkids' room, and a plain neutral one in the hallway that goes with everything. There's a pattern for pretty much every corner of a house, which made it easy to actually finish the project instead of just meaning to.

I didn't expect anyone to notice a laundry basket. But my sister asked where I got the one in my bathroom the very next time she visited. That has never happened to me before, over any laundry basket, ever.

I found mine through Scarlet & Sarah — a small mother-daughter boutique out of Portland, Oregon, same town I'm in, which I liked. I recently found out they're closing for good, because of the medical situation of Sarah. To cover the medical bills and to clear their warehouse, they now have a final closing sale with up to 60% off. I'd hate for people to miss it the way I almost did, so I'm passing it along.

If you've got a laundry basket you're a little embarrassed of too — and be honest, you probably do — I'd take a look before tonight. Once Scarlet & Sarah closes, that's it.

Shipping's free, and if it's not what you pictured, they'll take it back within 30 days — no hard feelings.