When we put out a request for parents to road-test our new Binnys, colourful wall-mounted multi-functional waste and storage organizers to help keep your home tidy and clutter free, Cate from Me Add Three, a full-time mum who blogs about family life, was keen to take part. Here’s how she got on:
“When we were expecting our son we said our lives wouldn’t change. That our house wouldn’t be full of kid’s clutter. And our son wouldn’t be spoiled with loads of stuff.
Fast forward five years and there are signs of our kids everywhere in our house. And our son’s room in particular is full of clutter and toys, especially cars and Lego. I guess he’s spoiled – just a bit! I hate the house being messy, but struggle to keep on top of it sometimes.
So when Brabantia got in touch with me with an opportunity to review its product the Binny, I jumped at it. We have loads of Brabantia products around our house and I’ve found everything great quality and withstands family life (e.g. have a hard time!) really well.
So would the Binny measure up?
The Binny is a ‘waste and storage organiser’ (to use Brabantia’s term) and is designed to be fixed to a wall or cupboard by its bracket. The plastic bucket attaches to the bracket, and can easily be removed. The lid is fixed to the bracket, and has a really quiet open and close mechanism.
They come in four colours: lipstick red, grey, apple green and lavender. The bracket and lids slightly contrast with the bucket colour. The colours are really vibrant and I think they look great.
They come with full instructions for fitting on a wall, and with all the fittings you need too (hooray, no need to search for a screw). Each Binny measures around 27cm width, 23cm deep and 34cm high. It holds 10 litres of stuff. Here’s exactly what you get (the bracket is at the back of the bucket, just out of shot):
When I first got the Binnys, I thought it’s time to tidy up. Our son had other ideas as he immediately filled them with cars and used the box as a ramp. Hmm I thought, these might encourage him to tidy up too!
So while he had a play, I thought about where each Binny could live permanently. We have loads of places where little piles of ‘stuff’ seem to gather! I thought about the following:
Office/study – great as a recycling bin, or for storing magazines, stationery or my crafty bits and bobs
Kitchen – fab as a bin (we have a black one too), or on a wall or in a cupboard to store small baking items, carrier bags, cleaning products
Living room – perfect for scooping up our toys, magazines, and if you have lots, remote/gaming controls
Hallway – ideal for stashing kid’s wellies, storing scarves and hats, small umbrellas etc
Nursery – perfect as a cloth or disposable nappy bin, storage for baby change supplies, toys, teddies, feeding supplies
In the end, I settled on two in our son’s room, one in baby girl’s room, and one in our utility room.
Utility room - don’t we all have bags storing stuff in corners? Here’s our son’s outdoor games bag, with a small football and rugby ball and blast off game. We always stuff it in this corner by our back door and end up tripping over it when it spills out. Now his stuff is neatly in our discrete grey Binny, with room for trainers underneath too.
Son’s bedroom - the coloured Binnys come into their own in kids’ bedrooms. Our son’s room gets so messy, and I always have to clear clutter before bedtime.
Again, we found a couple of corners where the Binny could sneak into space that would otherwise be unusable. In one corner we have a binny that holds all the bits and bobs that make it into kid’s bedrooms (pom poms (!), sticker packs, cars, a couple of books etc).
Baby girl’s room - our final Binny, the lavender colour one, looks great as a nappy bin in our baby girl’s room, attached to the wall underneath her changing table. We have some ‘C’ sized Brabantia bags from our kitchen bin that are the perfect fit. I’ll spare you the picture!As with all Brabantia products, the Binny comes with a 10 year guarantee. I have no idea why you would ever need it with these though; they are solid, well made and feel so robust.
As the bucket comes completely away they are easy to clean too. I really recommend the Binny as a sorting and storing the everyday clutter that comes with family life tool. They’re sturdy, vibrant and will last for years and years… What more could you want? Binnys are available for around £25 each.
If you buy one, I bet you get more as you’ll soon realise how many places in your home need one. I wouldn’t be without ours now, and I’d love to hear where you use yours!
Oh, and yes, the new Binnys have so far encouraged our son to help tidy his room up… a bit!”
Thanks to Cate for that lovely review and we are so pleased our Binnys have become an important part of family life and organisation too! If you’re interested in buying any Brabantia products online we have the full assortment here. Don’t forget to ‘Like’ us on Facebook and we can answer any questions on Twitter too @Brabantialife.
The post Multi-functional waste and storage organizer product review (Binny): “If you buy one, I bet you get more as you’ll soon realise how many places in your home need one” appeared first on Brabantia Life | Official Brabantia blog | Brabantia Customer Help and Tips.