Vintage laundry baskets are a fun way to add retro style to your everyday household chores. They’re also an essential prop for any set designer in need of true authenticity in their period-specific sets. We have collected, rescued, cleaned and sold vintage laundry baskets for years. Here are a few fine examples, starting with the most well-known and prolific manufacturer, Rubbermaid.
Our first example is one from the very early-1970s, possibly older.
It has a textured surface designed to look like natural basket weaving cane, and the plastic is actually slightly more rigid than later Rubbermaid products.
Here’s one in lovely harvest gold from the late-1970s or early-1980s. This rectangular type and style is probably most recognized as classic Rubbermaid. They measure 22″ x 16″ x 10.75″.
Here’s a tan / sand color model from 1991, design unchanged since the ’70s.
Another circa-1991 vintage Rubbermaid laundry basket, this one is slightly larger than their standard version, measuring 26.5″ x 19.5″ x 12″. It has a retro mint blue-green color Rubbermaid called “Sage”.
Here’s a vintage laundry basket with an example of Rubbermaid’s beloved “tulip” cutout design.
Rubbermaid also crafted a number of laundry hampers with lids:
Here’s a vintage laundry basket from Fesco Plastics Corp, (note the cool chain-link weave):
Another Fesco basket, this one with a wicker rattan pattern.
Finally, here’s a classic avocado green basket from Festival. This vintage laundry basket has a cool angled design.
