Tilt Out 3-Bin Laundry Hamper
We still had an old, cheap plastic tube frame laundry bag holder. It had broken in several places and was held together with tape and glue. It held 3 bags which worked great for us. One bag for dark colored clothes, one for light clothes, and one for sheets and towels. When a bag was full, just remove the plastic snap pieces (also broken!), and bring the bag to the washer. Too bad it looked like we were still in college and would match a bean bag, although I don't know many college students that sort their laundry so diligently...
We needed a fully functional, robust, and better looking laundry bin. This project was to make a 3 bin laundry hamper cabinet. This woodworking project uses minimal power tools. The design could also be used to conceal garbage/recycling bins. We wanted a white bin to match the trim in our house. We also wanted to stick with laundry bags to put the clothes in and bring to the washer.
The design consists of an outer cabinet and 3 tilting bag frames. The outer cabinet is 3/4" plywood with 1 x 2 pine for the fame frame and 1/4" plywood covering part of the back. I left most of the back open to keep plenty of air circulating. The bag frames have a 1/4" plywood base with the same 1 x 2 pine for the frame itself. Then a cabinet door front is attached to each frame. Construction used pocket holes, basic wood screws, glue, and a few nails. I routed edges of the door panels and cabinet to have a decorative edge. Routing the edge of plywood isn't ideal, but worked well enough. If I did a clear finish, I'd use solid wood on the edges of the plywood, then route it. The bag frames attach to the cabinet using continuous hinges cut to length. Then I added a wood shim with a rubber/felt pad at the back of the base to lift the frame up enough to keep the door front perfectly vertical.
The tilt out laundry hamper has been working great! The bags fit around the frames and stay put while clothes are tossed in. When it's full, we tilt the bin forward and remove the bag. If we want to clean it out, the bin flexes enough to clear the stop blocks and bring it all the way forward. Then you can get in with a vacuum and clean out the bottom of the cabinet. It was a fun project to build and a helpful addition to the house, keeping things organized, but still hiding the dirty laundry!
