The Lifewit 65 L slim hamper suits most small bathrooms: 8.7 inches wide, with a lid and an inner bag that goes in the washing machine. For a narrower gap, the Odonata is 7.5 inches and the efluky 7.9 on wheels, and for a closet floor, the Seville WEB703 cart rolls heavy loads in 16 inches. Measure the gap first, as below, then find its pick.
| Odonata Slim Laundry Hamper with Handles, Collapsible, 45 L | efluky Slim Laundry Hamper with Wheels, 60 L | Lifewit Slim Laundry Hamper with Lid and Removable Bag, 65 L | SpaceAid Slim Laundry Hamper with Wheels and Lid, 62 L | Sterilite Ultra Wheeled Hamper | Seville Classics Heavy-Duty Rolling Laundry Hamper, 16 in | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Width | 7.5 in | 7.9 in | 8.7 in | 8.75 in | 21 in | 16 in |
| Depth | 15.5 in | 15.8 in | 16.1 in | 16 in | 13.75 in | 22 in |
| Height | 24.6 in | 25.2 in | 28.4 in | 28 in | 28.4 in | 27 in |
| Capacity | 45 L | 60 L (16 gal) | 65 L (17 gal) | 62 L (16 gal) | 2 bushels | 3.4 cu ft (2.75 bushels) |
| Sections | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Lid | None | Drawstring mesh cover | Yes | Yes, opens one-handed | Flip-top | None |
| Wheels | None | Four multi-directional, with brakes | None | Four, two with brakes | Wheels and a retractable pull handle (count not published) | Four 2 in rubber swivel casters, two locking |
| Material | 600D Oxford, PVC-coated inside; metal top frame, 4 rods, PE board base; folds to 1 in | 600D Oxford fabric | Waterproof Oxford cloth, rigid top frame, four fibreglass rods | Fabric over a bamboo frame, four detachable rods, density-board base | Plastic, ventilated | Steel wire frame, polyester canvas bag |
| Liner | None; wipe clean | None; one-piece fabric body | Removable, machine washable | Not stated | None; one-piece plastic body | Not stated by Seville; listings disagree |
| Buy |
On this page
- How to measure for a clothes hamper for small spaces
- What size laundry basket for small spaces
- Narrowest laundry hamper for small spaces
- Laundry basket for small spaces beside the washer
- Best laundry hamper for small spaces
- Clothes hampers for small spaces, with a lid and wheels
- Carry-down laundry basket for small spaces and stairs
- Rolling laundry hamper for small space and heavy loads
- Laundry hamper ideas for small spaces
- Before you buy
How to measure for a clothes hamper for small spaces
- Measure the width at three heights: at the floor, at knee height and at the top of whatever’s beside it. Baseboards, pipes and washer lids all eat into a gap, so use the smallest number.
- Take off half an inch. A hamper that touches both sides scrapes the paint every time you pull it out.
- Measure the depth, from the wall to where the hamper’s front can sit without blocking a door, a drawer or your shins.
- Check the height. A counter, a shelf or a lid that has to open above the hamper sets the limit.
Then check your numbers against the table.
| 10 inch gap10 in wide | 12 inch gap12 in wide | 16 inch gap16 in wide | Bathroom corner18 in square | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Odonata Slim Laundry Hamper with Handles, Collapsible, 45 L | fits | fits | fits | fits |
| efluky Slim Laundry Hamper with Wheels, 60 L | fits | fits | fits | fits |
| Lifewit Slim Laundry Hamper with Lid and Removable Bag, 65 L | fits | fits | fits | fits |
| SpaceAid Slim Laundry Hamper with Wheels and Lid, 62 L | fits | fits | fits | fits |
| Sterilite Ultra Wheeled Hamper | too big | too big | fits | too big21 inches long |
| Seville Classics Heavy-Duty Rolling Laundry Hamper, 16 in | too big | too big | tightNo spare at all | too big |
What size laundry basket for small spaces
The gap beside a washer, toilet or vanity: 8 to 10 inches. Only a slim hamper goes here. The ones below are fabric boxes about 8 inches wide and 16 deep. They hold 45 to 65 litres, and efluky pitches its 60 as one person’s laundry. Get brake wheels if you’ll pull it out often, or a lid if it’s in a bathroom.
A closet floor or the end of a bathroom: 14 to 17 inches. Here a tall laundry hamper holds nearly twice as much on not much more floor, around 100 to 110 litres. A narrow steel cart like the WEB703 also fits, if you want to roll heavy loads.
A corner, about 18 inches square. A tall hamper turned square-on fills it, as long as its long side is at least half an inch under the corner.
A dorm room or studio with no spare floor. Use height instead. A tall, narrow hamper fits the one free corner, and over-the-door hampers and hanging bags take no floor at all.
Narrowest laundry hamper for small spaces
Odonata Slim Laundry Hamper with Handles, Collapsible, 45 L
Narrowest
- Width
- 7.5 in
- Depth
- 15.5 in
- Height
- 24.6 in
- Capacity
- 45 L
Specs: amazon.comchecked
- Pick it if
- 7.5 inches wide, the narrowest hamper we found, 15.5 deep and 24.6 tall, with a metal top frame and a board in the base. It folds to an inch.
- Skip it if
- You want a lid or wheels; it has neither.
The Odonata is the hamper for a gap under 8.5 inches, between a washer and dryer or a toilet and a vanity. At 7.5 inches, it’s the narrowest we found on Amazon. Its fabric is coated with PVC inside, so damp clothes don’t soak through and it wipes clean.
What you give up is a lid and wheels, and at 45 litres it holds the least here. When you don’t need it, it folds to an inch.
Laundry basket for small spaces beside the washer
efluky Slim Laundry Hamper with Wheels, 60 L
Narrowest on wheels
- Width
- 7.9 in
- Depth
- 15.8 in
- Height
- 25.2 in
- Capacity
- 60 L (16 gal)
Specs: amazon.comchecked
- Pick it if
- At 7.9 inches it fits a gap of 8.5 inches, and it rolls on four braking wheels, so you can pull it out by a handle.
- Skip it if
- You want a lid; it closes with a mesh drawstring.
If the gap is beside the washer and you’ll pull the hamper out to load the machine, get the efluky. It’s the narrowest here on wheels, and with handles on all four sides you can pull it out from either end.
A mesh drawstring closes the top instead of a lid. That keeps socks from spilling and lets damp things breathe, but it hides nothing, so in a bathroom you might want the Lifewit. Owners say the small wheels are its weak point; two had one break or come off within weeks.
What owners say
- Positive: Owners say it fits the gap beside a washer or under a sink and rolls on carpet and hard floors.
- Negative: Wheels are the complaint: two owners say one broke or fell off within weeks, and some call it flimsy.
Best laundry hamper for small spaces
Lifewit Slim Laundry Hamper with Lid and Removable Bag, 65 L
Best overall
- Width
- 8.7 in
- Depth
- 16.1 in
- Height
- 28.4 in
- Capacity
- 65 L (17 gal)
Specs: amazon.comchecked
- Pick it if
- 8.7 inches wide and 28.4 tall, with a lid, a rigid top frame and an inner bag that comes out to go in the washing machine. It fits every gap on this page but the narrowest.
- Skip it if
- It has to roll out of a gap every day; it has no wheels.
If I could put one hamper in every small bathroom, it would be this, though it’s not the narrowest. It fits a 10 inch gap with room to spare and sits just under a sink at 28.4 inches tall.
Three details lift it above most slim hampers. The lid closes, which matters in a bathroom, and the rigid top frame keeps it square when it’s empty instead of folding in. Best of all, the inner bag lifts out by its handles and goes in the washing machine, so you carry the bag to the laundry and the frame stays put.
It doesn’t roll. In a gap you’ll pull it out of every day, that’s a nuisance; beside a bed, at the end of a counter or in a closet, it isn’t.
Clothes hampers for small spaces, with a lid and wheels
SpaceAid Slim Laundry Hamper with Wheels and Lid, 62 L
Slim with lid and wheels
- Width
- 8.75 in
- Depth
- 16 in
- Height
- 28 in
- Capacity
- 62 L (16 gal)
Specs: amazon.comchecked
- Pick it if
- A lid you open with one hand and two braking wheels, in a body 8.75 inches wide and 16 deep.
- Skip it if
- Your gap is under 9.25 inches.
The SpaceAid is the slim hamper with everything: a lid, wheels and brakes. Its lid lifts with one hand, and the bamboo handle sits high enough to pull it along without bending.
A bamboo frame, four rods and a board in the base keep it upright. SpaceAid doesn’t say whether the cloth comes off to wash, though, so if that matters, the Lifewit is the surer choice.
Carry-down laundry basket for small spaces and stairs
Sterilite Ultra Wheeled Hamper
Best for stairs
- Width
- 21 in
- Depth
- 13.75 in
- Height
- 28.4 in
- Capacity
- 2 bushels
Specs: sterilite.comchecked
- Pick it if
- Light ventilated plastic with a flip-top lid, a pull-up handle for rolling and side handles for carrying up a flight.
- Skip it if
- You'll roll heavy loads every day; owners report wheels breaking.
For a walk-up apartment, or a house where the laundry is a floor away, the Sterilite is the one to carry. Its side handles let you take it up and down stairs, and on the flat a handle pulls up so you can roll it. Being plastic, it wipes clean.
The wheels are its weak point, as owners keep saying. Treat it as a hamper you sometimes roll, not a cart for heavy loads, and lift it over steps.
What owners say
- Positive: Owners like how slim and light it is, and that the vents keep it from smelling musty.
- Negative: Several report a wheel breaking off or a crack near the handle, some within months.
Rolling laundry hamper for small space and heavy loads
Seville Classics Heavy-Duty Rolling Laundry Hamper, 16 in
Best for heavy loads
- Width
- 16 in
- Depth
- 22 in
- Height
- 27 in
- Capacity
- 3.4 cu ft (2.75 bushels)
Specs: sevilleclassics.comchecked
- Pick it if
- A steel cart 16 inches wide on rubber casters, rated for 80 lb, that slides long side first into a closet and rolls out full.
- Skip it if
- You have less than 22 inches of depth.
Most small-space hampers are light fabric. The WEB703 is a steel cart on rubber casters instead. That makes it the pick for a family’s laundry in a small apartment, where the hamper lives in a bedroom closet and the machine is down the hall.
It slides long side first into a 16.5 inch slot and rolls out to the washer full. At about 96 litres and rated for 80 lb, it holds far more than the slim hampers. Check you have 22 inches of depth before you order.
What owners say
- Positive: More than half the written reviews praise how it rolls, and owners find it quick to put together.
- Mixed: Owners disagree about the bag; one says it snaps in and out, another that it came loose from the frame.
Laundry hamper ideas for small spaces
- Go up. A tall laundry hamper holds about twice a slim one on not much more floor.
- Use the door. An over-the-door hamper takes no floor at all.
- Fold it away. The Odonata folds to an inch, and the SpaceAid’s rods come out, so either can live flat behind the washer between wash days.
- Carry the bag, not the hamper. The Lifewit’s inner bag lifts out, so the frame never leaves its gap.
