Peterboro Laundry Basket

I started this week discussing laundry, probably because there is always laundry to be done. When you use cloth diapers, even when you practice EC, and you garden and you have animals, there are always clothes to wash. I will admit I much prefer to do a load or two a day (except when it rains) than to spend one day a week getting caught up. Small amounts spread out is so much easier to manage. Whenever I let the laundry go and wait a week, I end up with a huge pile of clean clothes piled high on my couch that look extremely daunting. Then I think to myself, well I could just do that load of dishes and make a loaf of bread and... (fill in the blank with a task that only takes 15 minutes) instead. At the end of the day I feel like I have accomplished a lot because I got a lot of little things done. A huge pile of laundry washed, folded and put away though? That is only one thing. Okay maybe it isn't that bad but still a load here and there is much easier to handle.

We digress. This past winter I read a really fun review of the Peterboro company in NH, not that far from our house. Not only do I want to take the kids there soon but I loved the look of their products.

Since Mavis had scored her readers a deal I decided to get myself one. The price was a bit steep even with the discount but at $48 I know that I am supporting a "local" business where everything is made in this country and the reviews supported my belief that I was paying for quality. So I took a deep breath and hit the purchase button. That was on March 14th.

It never occurred to me, even after watching the video about how the baskets were made, that it wouldn't be mailed within a few days. About two weeks after I placed my order, I began to wonder when it would arrive. Since I was pregnant and trying to get a million things done, calling to ask about my order during normal business hours never happened. On April 6th, I got an email that it had shipped and it arrived the next day.

I opened the incredibly light box wondering how it could be so light. Here is what I found:

From the top

Check out the weave

From the side - see the metal pins.

Leather handles

The bottom with the only imperfection.

Talk about craftsmanship. I am amazed with this basket. I was a little nervous about using it because it looked so perfect. The basket smelled like finish. Not a bad chemical smell, just an interesting smell. So I let it air out on top of the dryer for a day or two while I got over my intimidation about using the basket. All I could think was, oh man, what if I break it? What if the kids break it? I cannot believe I spent that much money on a basket! What if I take it outside and get chicken poop on it?Yep, all those things kept running through my mind while I considered using it. (Go ahead and laugh. I know you are thinking: no use it? She's nuts! It's ok, I am still laughing at myself and it has been a couple of months.)

Needless to say I did use it and I love it. I love the way it looks. I love the sturdiness of it. I love the quality. I just love it. The handles are attached really well and I have no fear of it falling apart. It can hold a load of wet laundry, like towels, without any problem. I can fill it and stack it high with a couple of loads of dry laundry, carry it upstairs and not worry once that it will be too much. It would seem that as long as I can lift it, the basket can handle it. Now I am not sure how kid proof it is. I can easily see it getting "accidentally" tossed down the stairs and while it might not break the first few times, I am not quite ready to risk it. The boys already put their own laundry away but I am not ready to trust them with my new basket.

I can happily recommend this basket as another of my favorite laundry items. Do you have anything by Peterboro? What do you think?