How to Keep Your Laundry Basket Clean, Fresh and Mold-Free

Your laundry basket holds dirty clothes, damp towels and sweaty gym gear, day after day. It's no surprise that it can start to smell — or even develop mould if it's never cleaned. Most people don't think to clean the basket itself until the problem is already obvious.

This guide covers why it happens, how to prevent it, and how to clean every basket type properly.

Why Laundry Baskets Smell (or Go Mouldy)

The root cause is almost always moisture. Damp towels, sweaty activewear or wet swimwear left in a basket — especially in a warm bathroom or laundry room — create exactly the conditions mould, mildew and odour-causing bacteria need to grow.

Fully enclosed or lidded baskets can make this worse, since they trap moisture inside with no way to escape. Open designs and breathable materials (mesh, woven) allow more airflow and are generally less prone to smell build-up.

As The Spruce notes, "if you leave damp items in a hamper for more than a day, you're creating the perfect breeding ground for mildew." Prevention is always easier than cleaning up after the fact. (Source: The Spruce)

Prevention First: Simple Habits That Help

•      Don't put wet or damp items straight into the basket where you can avoid it. Even a brief dry, hanging a damp towel for 20–30 minutes before adding it, makes a difference.

•      Do laundry regularly. Items sitting in a basket for a week in warm, humid conditions are much more likely to cause odour or mould than a basket that's emptied every few days.

•      Keep particularly sweaty or heavily soiled items in a separate small basket so smells don't transfer to the rest of the laundry.

•      If odour keeps coming back no matter how often you clean, it's often a sign that the basket material itself isn't a good fit for how it's being used. Switching to a more breathable design, like our laundry baskets with mesh or open-weave construction, can make a real difference.

How to Clean: By Material

Plastic Baskets

Plastic is the easiest material to clean. Options:

•      Mild soap and warm water, scrubbed with a soft brush, then rinse and dry fully.

•      For odour: fill the basket with hot water and dissolve roughly a cup of baking soda, scrub and rinse. Baking soda neutralises acids that cause smell without damaging plastic.

•      For disinfecting (e.g., after illness, or if the basket has been used for heavily soiled items): a wipe-down with a diluted white vinegar solution or hydrogen peroxide works well. Allow to dry fully before reuse.

Drying thoroughly is just as important as cleaning. A basket that's put back into use while still damp will start the odour cycle again almost immediately.

Metal Baskets

Clean metal baskets the same way as plastic, warm water, and mild soap or baking soda solution, scrub and rinse. Avoid harsh or abrasive cleaners that might scratch the finish, and dry thoroughly to prevent any rust or corrosion at the edges or joins.

Fabric and Canvas Baskets with Removable Liners

If your basket has a removable liner (many fabric hampers do), this is easy:

•      Toss the liner through the washing machine with a regular load.

•      Adding a cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle helps freshen the fabric and reduce odour-causing bacteria, without leaving a vinegar smell once dry.

•      The outer frame can be wiped down with a damp cloth and mild soap while the liner is in the wash, then left to air dry.

For fabric baskets without a removable liner, spot-clean with a mild detergent and warm water, working in small sections. Air dry completely, ideally outdoors or in a well-ventilated area, before use.

Wicker, Bamboo, and Woven Baskets

Woven baskets need a gentler approach, since soaking or excessive water can damage the fibres and weaken the structure:

•      Start by vacuuming or brushing out any loose debris, dust and lint from the weave.

•      Wipe with a cloth or soft brush dampened in a mild soap or baking soda solution — don't soak the basket.

•      Avoid chlorine bleach, which can discolour or weaken natural fibres like rattan, seagrass, and bamboo.

•      Allow to dry fully before use, ideally outdoors in good airflow or near a window. Natural fibres that go back into use while still damp are very likely to develop mould.

Dealing with Mould or Mildew

If you can already see mould spots or smell mildew, baking soda and vinegar alone may not be enough to fully disinfect; they can help reduce smell, but they don't reliably kill mould spores.

For washable materials (plastic, metal, fabric liners):

•      Clean first to remove the visible mould, then follow with a disinfecting step: diluted white vinegar (full strength is fine for most surfaces), hydrogen peroxide spray, or a suitable household disinfectant used according to label directions.

•      Rinse and dry thoroughly.

For wicker or other porous materials with significant mould growth:

•      Take the basket outside first and brush off visible mould; this prevents spreading spores inside your home.

•      Spot-clean with a mild disinfecting solution and allow to dry completely in sunlight if possible.

•      If the mould is deeply embedded in the weave and keeps returning, replacement is often the more practical option. Persistent mould in a porous material is hard to fully eliminate.

How Often Should You Clean Your Laundry Basket?

A rough guide:

•      Plastic and metal: a quick wipe-down every week or two; a full clean every month or so, depending on how much moisture it sees.

•      Fabric liners: wash with the laundry every few weeks, or whenever you notice a smell.

•      Wicker and woven: a light wipe monthly; a deeper clean every few months or immediately if mould appears.

In humid climates (most of coastal Australia over summer), more frequent cleaning and better ventilation around the basket is worth the effort.

When It's Time to Replace

If a basket, particularly a wicker or fabric one, has persistent mould despite regular cleaning, a strong musty smell that doesn't go away after washing, or structural damage that makes it hard to clean effectively, it's usually easier and more hygienic to replace it.

Our guide to choosing the best laundry basket for your home covers what to look for in a replacement, including which materials are easiest to keep clean in the long run.

Quick Reference: Cleaning by Material

•      Plastic/metal: baking soda + warm water scrub, rinse, dry fully; disinfect if needed.

•      Fabric liner: machine wash with vinegar in rinse cycle; wipe outer frame.

•      Wicker/woven: vacuum first, wipe (don't soak), no bleach, dry in airflow.

•      All types: dry fully before reuse; address mould with a disinfecting step, not just baking soda.