Mobility Solution for Doing Laundry: A Wheeled Laundry Basket
One of the aspects of being part of the disability community I love the most is sharing tips and tricks on adaptive living and accommodations.
Around my home, there are quite a few accessibility adaptions that Andrew and I have made to make our space functional, safe and comfortable for us to reside. Every few weeks, I will highlight something we use that might be helpful to one of my readers, disabled or not.
For today's post I want to talk about a relatively simple solution we use to help us do our laundry. It is a large plastic barrel that we added wheels that we use for our laundry basket. We have two because, hey, we hate to do laundry. Two buckets mean less frequent folding, YAY! But back to the baskets.
Because of our disabilities, carrying laundry baskets is not a practical option for us. The wheeled solution is something that Andrew was doing before we got together. When I was on my own, I frequently just pushed standard-sized laundry baskets on the floor. But having wheels makes it so much easier. Additionally, the baskets hold much more laundry, meaning we can do it less frequently.
What we are using is really more like a tub. You can find it at most big box stores like Big Lots, Walmart or Home Depot. Most have sturdy, thick roped handles for picking up and carrying. We just use the handles to hold on to as we roll it around. I typically pull it behind me. At the same time, Andrew pushes it in front of him.
Once you have a tub, the next step is just adding the wheels. I recommend you invest in some sturdy, free-wheeling caster wheels like these. Three or four is a good number of wheels, evenly spaced for good balance distribution. Just drill four holes for each wheel in the bottom of the tub and then attach using washers and nuts. I recommend using a nylon insert nut or a locking washer to prevent the wheel from coming loose.
I love anything on wheels. Because Andrew nor I can lift or carry heavy or awkward objects, wheels are the way to go. We own no less than three hand-trucks and probably four furniture dollies. Bonus tip: if you live near a Harbor Freight Hardware store, they have the best deal on furniture dollies. For some applications they are just easier to use than installing permanent wheels on something. For example, we have two dollies underneath a large piece of furniture we use for storage in the garage. We don't need to move it a lot, but it makes it a viable option when we do.
I love being part of a community that helps each other with tips and advice on living a more accessible life. When I joined Little People of America (LPA), I welcomed learning about mobility scooters, different step stools, grabbers, reachers, etc. Additionally, just being around people who knew how to customize specific solutions for their lives was so empowering. I have had that kind of attitude my whole life, but to be among others who did the same made me feel more validated and less alone.
When I worked at Silicon Valley Independent Living Center, I got to live the same experience, only this time among people with all different types of disabilities, not just those of short stature. It was there that I was exposed to the immersive world of Assistive Technology. There is a whole industry centered around adaptive products for disabled people. Some are very high tech, but some are also very low tech. While one community member might need a complete computer screen reader system, another member might need a ramp or some grab bars. The wonderfully awesome part is that each person figures out what works best for them and then either finds it in the marketplace or imagines it into existence for themselves.
If you have any other tips suggestions or want to mention a favorite piece of adaptive equipment you use, please leave it in the comments below. I love to see the comments continue.