I may be disclosing too much about my latest interests when I tell you that my FYP is dominated by home organisation videos.
One scroll down my feed and you'll see how content creators pack their hand luggage, stash their pantries and curate their open shelving units. You'll see the Amazon hacks you didn't know you needed, from compartmentalised cable decluttering to neatly store pesky chargers, to meal prep containers handy enough to tempt even the most cooking-averse to add to their basket.
But one item has been dominating my socials for a few months now and I knew I had to see if it was worth the hype.
Joseph Joseph is no stranger to home hacks. The London-born label is a pioneer in functional design, encouraging its legions of fans to get smarter, tidier and more efficient.
The Tota basket is the ultimate case in point. For laundry day, it makes storing and transporting your clothing from A to B a breeze. We take a deep dive into the home accessory below.
Specs
- Capacity: 90-litre (2x 45-litre compartments)
- Dimensions: H71 x W56 x D39.5cm
- Colourways: Black, Grey and Ecru
- Material: Cotton and polyester
Set-up
It may surprise you to learn that this laundry basket requires assembling on arrival. The flat-packed design has a 12-step construction process without tools and entails screwing the four corners of the poles, affixing the exterior material and velcroing the interior bags. This took me, someone who reads every single instruction before commencing and is not hugely skilled at DIY, around 15 minutes in total and this was largely due to the difficulty in tucking the fiddly fabric around the base and lid. Consider this the absolute maximum time it will take.
Functionality
Now this is where the Tota shines. The Laundry Separation Basket has either two or three compartments depending on the model that you select to easily sort your whites from mixed coloured washing. This means that it is easy to gauge which load is the priority, requires no time to sort through and the carry handles ensure you only need to lift and go straight to the washing machine – ideal if it happens to be on different floors.
I have used the Brabantia two-compartment rubbish bin in the past and found that internally it could not house that much but this is not the case with the Tota where you can stash at least a week’s worth of garments inside – plus you can throw in the inner bags for easy cleaning. These removable tote bags maintain their structural integrity and stay in place with the self-locating rims.
The stylish design comes in three muted hues and feels hard-wearing and premium.
Verdict
The slick Tota laundry basket is one you’ll be proud to display – and that’s a relief as the exterior is sizeable. But this is a small price to pay for hugely functional dirty clothing storage that simplifies the laundry process with compartments, handles and an easy-clean fabric. It’s not cheap, quite the contrary, but will bring a little joy to a tiresome chore.
We never thought we’d say this about a laundry basket but this is a TikTok viral product that lives up to the hype.
Next up, let’s see if the brand’s folding iron board can convince me to live a crease-free life.
