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Bath & Laundry

The best laundry baskets for wet towels

A damp towel in a cloth hamper smells within about thirty-six hours. The fix is not a better detergent — it is a container that lets air through and does not hold water itself.

By Mike M.Last updated

Best for damp laundry

Rubbermaid XL Hip-Hugger Laundry Basket

Open-topped rigid plastic with a curved side that sits against your hip, which is the only feature that matters once the basket is holding ten pounds of wet towels and you have to carry it down two flights.

Scored 9.4 · A full load of wet towels. The full ranking and the runners-up are below.

Quick picks

Our ranking at a glance. Tap any row for the full write-up, or the price to go straight to Amazon. Scores are ours, weighing published specs, the design and what owners report after a year — the method is published in full.

#ProductBest forScorePrice
1
Rubbermaid XL Hip-Hugger Laundry Basket

Rubbermaid XL Hip-Hugger Laundry Basket

A full load of wet towels

A full load of wet towels9.49.4 out of 10 on our Fits a small bathroom, Value, Durability, Renter-safe scoring
2
CNEIESD 2-Bushel Ventilated Laundry Hamper

CNEIESD 2-Bushel Ventilated Laundry Hamper

Best value

Best value9.39.3 out of 10 on our Fits a small bathroom, Value, Durability, Renter-safe scoring
3
Mind Reader Slim Ventilated Hamper, 40L

Mind Reader Slim Ventilated Hamper, 40L

A bathroom with no floor left

A bathroom with no floor left9.39.3 out of 10 on our Fits a small bathroom, Value, Durability, Renter-safe scoring
4
Handy Laundry Pop-Up Mesh Hamper, 71L

Handy Laundry Pop-Up Mesh Hamper, 71L

Moving, travel and the cheapest option

Moving, travel and the cheapest option9.39.3 out of 10 on our Fits a small bathroom, Value, Durability, Renter-safe scoring

#ad — Amazon links on this page are affiliate links. How this site is funded.

Buy the Rubbermaid XL Hip-Hugger. It is rigid, open-topped, 2.1 bushels, and the curved side makes a heavy wet load carryable down stairs — and because it is plastic, it wipes dry in seconds instead of holding the moisture the towels gave up. For most first apartments the CNEIESD 2-bushel ventilated hamper does the same job for around a third of the money.

Almost every hamper sold today is a fabric bag on a frame, because fabric is cheap to ship and photographs well. It is also the worst possible container for a wet towel. The towel gives up its water, the fabric absorbs it, and now you have a damp bag holding damp laundry in a room that is already the most humid in the apartment. That is how a bathroom develops a smell you cannot find the source of.

Scores weigh published specifications, the physical design and consistent owner-reported experience over time — see how we pick. Our general hamper ranking, which optimizes for capacity and looks rather than damp loads, is in best laundry hampers.

Why a cloth hamper is the wrong container

Three reasons, in order of how quickly they bite:

  1. Fabric absorbs and holds. A polyester or canvas liner takes up the water the towel releases and then releases it slowly back into a closed space. Everything in the pile stays at high humidity for days.
  2. No airflow through the pile. Even an open-topped cloth hamper only exchanges air across the surface. The towel at the bottom is in a sealed, warm, wet environment, which is precisely what mildew wants.
  3. The hamper itself needs washing. Once it smells, washing the clothes does nothing, because they go straight back into the thing that smells. Most cloth hampers are awkward or impossible to launder.

The practical consequence is the rule we give on how many towels you need: a towel should dry on a hook or a rail before it goes in the hamper at all. A basket that breathes is the safety net for the times you do not do that.

What to look for

What matters in a basket for damp laundry
FeatureWhy it mattersWhat to look for
MaterialIt must not absorb the water the towels releaseMoulded plastic or open mesh. Not canvas, not lined fabric, not wicker.
VentilationAir has to move through the pile, not over itVent slots or cut-outs through the side walls, or full mesh construction.
RigidityA wet load is heavy and a soft basket folds inwardRigid walls, or a reinforced rim. Collapsible is a trade-off, not a feature.
HandlesA full basket of wet towels is 10-15 lb of awkwardTwo large grips minimum; four is better. A hip curve is better still.
Wipe-clean interiorThe basket is the thing that eventually smellsSmooth plastic you can wipe with a disinfectant cloth in ten seconds.
LidOptional, and a liability unless the body is ventedOnly buy a lid if the walls have vent cut-outs.

Capacity is measured two ways and the labels are not interchangeable: American brands use bushels (1 bushel is about 35 litres) and imported ones use litres. A 2-bushel basket is roughly 70 litres, which is about one full washing machine load for one person’s week. Anything under 40 litres is a single load, not a week.

Ventilated plastic or mesh?

Both breathe, and they fail in opposite directions. Ventilated plastic is rigid, holds its shape under a heavy wet load, wipes clean, and will not itself become damp. Mesh gives better airflow — air moves through the whole pile rather than through slots — and folds flat to nothing, which is the right answer for a dorm or a one-year lease.

The decision rule is simple: if the towels go in genuinely dripping, buy plastic, because mesh is still fabric and will wick. If they go in damp and the basket needs to disappear when you move, buy mesh. In a dorm room the collapsibility usually wins.

Where it goes in a small bathroom

A 2-bushel basket is about 24 inches across, which in a lot of rental bathrooms is the entire floor between the toilet and the tub. Three places it actually fits:

  • Beside the toilet — the dead space the over-toilet shelf stands in. A slim 40 L hamper fits here where a 2-bushel basket does not.
  • Under the sink — only if the trap allows it, and only a low basket. See under-sink organizers for the measurement to take first.
  • In the bedroom closet — the honest answer for a bathroom with no floor. Keep a slim vented hamper in the bathroom for towels and the big basket in the closet for clothes.

And if the apartment has no washer, the basket is also the thing you carry to the laundromat, which moves handles from a nice-to-have to the deciding feature — see apartment laundry without a washer. If you would rather not carry it anywhere, a portable washer that hooks to a faucet is the renter’s way out — and a 0.9 cubic foot drum holds about four bath towels, which is the number that decides how big a basket you need.

The short version

  • A cloth hamper absorbs what the towels release and then holds the whole pile at high humidity. Plastic or mesh only.
  • Ventilation has to be through the side walls, not just an open top — the towel at the bottom is the one that sours.
  • Rigid plastic for dripping loads; collapsible mesh for a dorm or a short lease.
  • Two bushels is about 70 litres, roughly one person's week. Under 40 litres is a single load.
  • If there is no washer in the building, buy for handles first — you are carrying it several blocks.

Every pick in detail

#1 · A full load of wet towels

Rubbermaid XL Hip-Hugger Laundry Basket

9.4/ 10

Open-topped rigid plastic with a curved side that sits against your hip, which is the only feature that matters once the basket is holding ten pounds of wet towels and you have to carry it down two flights.

Fits a small bathroom
8.9
Value
9.1
Durability
9.7
Renter-safe
9.6

What we like

  • Rigid walls do not collapse inward when the load is heavy and wet
  • The hip curve genuinely changes how a full basket carries down stairs
  • Wipes dry in seconds, so nothing stays damp between loads

Good to know

Roughly two and a half times the price of the CNEIESD for the same job

Specifications

  • 2.1 bushel capacity — the largest here
  • Rigid moulded plastic, open top
  • Hip-hugger curve on one long side
  • Rubbermaid household line

Who it is for

A shared apartment or a house, and anyone carrying laundry to a basement or a laundromat.

#2 · Best value

CNEIESD 2-Bushel Ventilated Laundry Hamper

9.3/ 10

Two bushels of ventilated polypropylene for under fifteen dollars. The diamond perforations run throughout the walls rather than sitting in a band near the rim, so air reaches the towel at the bottom of the pile and not just the one on top.

Fits a small bathroom
9.0
Value
9.7
Durability
9.1
Renter-safe
9.6

What we like

  • Near-Rubbermaid capacity for roughly a third of the money
  • Perforations ventilate the whole wall, so the bottom of the pile breathes too
  • A wide base and tall hamper sides keep it upright when you set a full load down

Good to know

Two grips rather than four, and no hip curve, so a full basket rides in front of you on stairs

Specifications

  • 2 bushel capacity; 21.6 x 17.6 x 18.9 in
  • Diamond-pattern perforations for airflow throughout
  • Dual comfort-grip handles with silver accents
  • Polypropylene; wide base, tall sides, open top

Who it is for

Most first apartments. It does the job the Rubbermaid does for a third of the money.

#3 · A bathroom with no floor left

Mind Reader Slim Ventilated Hamper, 40L

9.3/ 10

A narrow tapered plastic hamper with a cut-out vent pattern and a lid — the only lidded option here that does not trap moisture, because the vents are moulded into the body rather than relying on an open top.

Fits a small bathroom
9.7
Value
8.9
Durability
9.2
Renter-safe
9.5

What we like

  • The vent cut-outs mean a lid does not equal a mildew box
  • Tapered and narrow enough for the gap beside a toilet or inside a closet
  • Plastic, so a dripping swimsuit on top of the pile is not a problem

Good to know

40 L is about one load, not a week of laundry for two people

Specifications

  • 40 L capacity; narrow tapered body
  • Ventilated cut-out pattern through the plastic
  • Lid included
  • Plastic, wipe-clean

Who it is for

A small rental bathroom where the hamper has to be slim and has to look closed.

#4 · Moving, travel and the cheapest option

Handy Laundry Pop-Up Mesh Hamper, 71L

9.3/ 10

Mesh, so air moves through the entire pile rather than only across the top — the best airflow here — and it folds flat to nothing when the move is over. It is also under ten dollars.

Fits a small bathroom
9.7
Value
9.7
Durability
8.7
Renter-safe
9.4

What we like

  • Full mesh gives better airflow than any ventilated plastic basket
  • Folds flat, which is the right answer for a dorm or a short lease
  • Cheapest thing on this page by a wide margin

Good to know

Fabric, so a genuinely dripping towel will wick into the mesh and needs washing itself

Specifications

  • 71 L capacity
  • Breathable mesh sides; wide opening
  • Collapses flat; reinforced handles
  • Side pocket

Who it is for

A dorm room, a sublet, or anyone who will move again inside a year.

Our recommendation

If you read nothing else on this page, this is the short version.

Buy this one

Rubbermaid XL Hip-Hugger Laundry Basket

A shared apartment or a house, and anyone carrying laundry to a basement or a laundromat.

Or this one, if Rubbermaid XL Hip-Hugger is not the fit

CNEIESD 2-Bushel Ventilated Laundry Hamper

Most first apartments. It does the job the Rubbermaid does for a third of the money.

Common questions

What kind of laundry basket is best for wet towels?

Ventilated moulded plastic, or open mesh. Both let air move through the pile rather than only across the top, and neither absorbs the water the towels release. Avoid canvas, lined fabric and wicker: they soak up the moisture and then hold the whole load at high humidity, which is what causes the smell.

Can you put wet towels in a laundry hamper?

You can, but not for long, and not in a cloth one. A damp towel in a closed fabric hamper will start to smell within a day or two in a warm bathroom. Hang the towel on a hook or a rail until it is dry, then put it in the hamper — and use a ventilated plastic or mesh basket so the times you forget are survivable.

How big should a laundry basket be?

About 2 bushels, or 70 litres, holds roughly one person’s week and matches a standard washing machine load. Anything under 40 litres is one load rather than a week, which is fine for a dorm room or as a dedicated towel basket beside the shower. Measure the floor space first — a 2-bushel basket is roughly 24 inches across.

How do you stop a laundry basket from smelling?

Buy one you can wipe out, and wipe it out. A smooth plastic interior takes ten seconds with a disinfectant cloth once a fortnight, and that is the whole maintenance routine. Dry towels before they go in, never leave a damp load more than a day, and leave the basket somewhere air moves rather than in a closed cupboard.

Is a mesh pop-up hamper any good?

For airflow, it is the best option here — air passes through the entire pile. The trade-offs are that it is still fabric, so a genuinely dripping towel will wick into the mesh, and there is no rigid base, so a heavy load sags and the basket walks across the floor. For a dorm or a short lease, the fact it folds flat usually outweighs both.

Sources