Reuse A Broken Stool By Turning It Into Your Dream Laundry Hamper

According to the principles of vastu shastra, you shouldn't keep broken objects in your house. However, that doesn't mean you can't repurpose a broken item into an entirely new and useful object in your home. One such easily breakable object is a basic plastic stool. These aren't the most sturdy items, and it's common for the legs to crack and break over time. Rather than adding it to the millions of tons of plastic waste generated by the United States every year, consider transforming your broken stool into an item that most households simply don't have enough of — a laundry hamper. The best part of this DIY (besides helping the planet) is that it's incredibly simple and requires only the stool, cardboard, some fabric, and if you're feeling crafty, a little rope.

While most examples of this hack feature using an old dress or some rope to build out the laundry basket, you can really use any type of fabric or material. It's possible to create a stylish laundry basket with an old sheet, towels, curtains, or a rug. The only part that's really important is that you line the hamper with a fabric you can easily take out and wash so you don't end up with a smelly laundry basket after a few uses. Additionally, the fabric you use should be at least twice as long as the stool itself so it can cover the entire exterior of the stool and be draped all the way down to line the inside as well.

The first step to creating your DIY laundry basket holder is to repair the broken stool. You can easily do this with a hot glue gun to reattach any parts that have broken. The stool no longer needs to be sturdy enough to sit on, but you do want to make sure that it can still serve as a good frame for the laundry basket. 

After repairing the stool, you can flip it upside down and set it off to the side to start preparing the cover. The simplest way to do this is to take a cylindrical piece of clothing, like a dress or a nightgown, and add a cinch tie to both ends of the fabric with a sewing machine. Then, you can slip the material over the basket and tie it shut on the bottom of the outside of the stool, and let it drape down into the bottom of the inside of the basket as well and cinch that shut.

Another slightly more involved way to transform your broken stool into your dream laundry basket uses rope, pieces of cardboard, and other decorative items for the basket. First, you'll want to cover up the holes in the sides of the stool with cardboard. Then, starting from the bottom of the basket, wrap rope all the way up the basket, gluing as you go. Once you've finished with the rope and added a fabric liner to the inside, you can add any decorative pieces to the top, like a linen accent or cute tassels, to complete your lovely bohemian laundry basket.