Buckets are a type of watertight container which have many uses. Traditionally buckets would have a circular footprint and a rim that is wider than the base to give the bucket a shape that is a cross between a cylinder and a cone.
Buckets are believed to have originally been invented for holding and transporting water, which is a function they still fulfill today, among others. This list covers some of the most popular and well-known types of buckets and their uses.
Mop Bucket
A mop bucket is designed for use around the home as a piece of equipment to help clean hard floor surfaces. Mop buckets are predominantly made from plastic with a metal handle, and they are used to carry soapy water around the house, which the mop can be dipped in and out of.
Some types of mop buckets have a wringer attached to the top so that the user can squeeze excess water out of the mop before using it, and also remove dirty water from the mop so that dirt doesn’t get spread around on the floor.
Ideally, a mop bucket will also have a spout so that it is easy to tip the water out once you have finished with it. Mop buckets are often sold as a pair alongside a mop, but they can also be purchased individually.
For many people, a mop bucket will double up as a place to store bottles of cleaning products in the laundry room while they aren’t in use.
Ice Bucket
Ice buckets are usually made of metal, and they may have double walls for insulation, which will help to slow down the process of ice melting. Ice buckets are used to store ice cubes and are usually used around the home when entertaining guests so that people can help themselves to ice when making a drink.
A home bar will also probably have an ice bucket so that you don’t have to keep going to the freezer every time you want to make a drink. If you have a bottle of wine at the table that you want to keep cold, you can also use an ice bucket to put the bottle in to prevent it from getting warm; this is especially useful if you are drinking outside on a warm day.
Ice buckets can also be used to store bottles of beer and cans of soda or any other type of drink you want to keep cool without the use of a refrigerator. Many hotels are equipped with ice buckets for the guests to use, allowing them to fill the buckets with ice at an ice machine to take back to their rooms.
This is great for keeping drinks in if the room doesn’t have a refrigerator or minibar so that guests can add ice to their own drinks. Ice buckets will usually have a metal handle attached to each side for easy transport or in some cases, a handle that goes over the top. They should also have a lid that will prevent the cool air from escaping and help to prevent the ice from melting as quickly.
Ash Bucket
Ash buckets are popular in homes that have an open fireplace or a wood burner. These buckets are kept next to the fireplace and are the ideal place to store hot ashes when cleaning out the stove. Ash buckets are made from metal, usually galvanized steel, making them a safe place for hot ashes and embers to be moved to when you need to empty out the fire.
You can leave the ashes in the bucket to cool down and then dispose of them safely. Even if the ashes in the fire are no longer hot, an ash bucket makes for a convenient place to transfer ashes to when cleaning out the fire.
You can then carry the bucket straight outside to dispose of the ashes, or if the bucket isn’t full, you can leave it by the fireside and wait to empty it after a few more cleaning-out sessions.
Ash buckets will usually have a carry handle which is made from metal. Some types of ash buckets have lids, but this is not always the case.
If you have children or pets who may accidentally knock over the ash bucket, then having a lid is a good way to prevent any messy accidents or potential burns from spilled hot ashes. Ash buckets come in a range of designs and colors and can add a rustic country touch to home decor.
Harvest Bucket
A harvest bucket is what is used by crop pickers when harvesting fruit or vegetables. This type of bucket will be made from plastic or another lightweight material and will have a cross-body strap, usually made from canvas or a different type of strong and comfortable fabric.
A harvest bucket makes picking crops an easier task as it won’t require having to continually bend down to load crops into a bucket on the floor. It also means that the crop picker won’t need to keep moving a bucket along the ground as they work their way around because the bucket will be attached to them.
As the bucket is hanging across the body of the user, it means they will have both hands free to complete tasks with more ease. The buckets can get heavy when full of fruit or vegetables, but they can be routinely emptied and refilled throughout the day.
Children’s Bucket
A day spent playing at the beach wouldn’t be complete without building a few sandcastles. Children’s buckets usually come as part of a set with a spade and other sand-digging tools. They are made from plastic and can be a classic bucket shape but also come in other shapes, such as a castle with turrets or a cube shape.
Sand buckets come in a variety of bright colors to appeal to children and will have a plastic strap handle so that they can also carry water or other items in them, such as pebbles or seashells. These types of buckets are lightweight and inexpensive, but the plastic they are made from tends to be quite thin and easily breakable.
To make your children’s buckets last longer, be sure to store them indoors because when left outside, they can become brittle and prone to breakage, which will result in sharp and dangerous edges.
Farm Bucket
Buckets are a piece of equipment found on farms that have multiple uses. They can be used to transport the food for livestock to their troughs, carry milk that has been milked from a cow, or move other agricultural products around the farm. Farm buckets will be made from strong metal, usually galvanized steel, to ensure they are sturdy and long-lasting.
They will have a handle so they can be carried with one hand to make them more convenient. Some animals will be fed directly from the buckets, and for this purpose, you’ll need to ensure the bucket has an opening that is significantly larger than the animal’s head to avoid the chance of it becoming stuck on them.
Paint Bucket/Can
When you buy paint in a large quantities, such as for painting interior walls or garden projects, the paint will come in a paint bucket or can. These might be made from plastic or metal tin and come in various sizes, such as 2 gallons and 5 gallons.
They need to be strong so that they do not sustain any cracks or breakages if they get knocked because any product spillage would cause a serious mess. Paint buckets can also contain other types of liquids used in home renovation, such as varnishes, stains, and waxes.
They will have a lid that cannot be easily removed; this is to ensure that the lid does not come loose and allow product spillage, and also to prevent children from accessing the product inside, as well as keep air out of the product, so it doesn’t go bad.
Car Wash Bucket
A car wash bucket is a small to medium-sized bucket which is usually plastic. It will be used as a container to hold water for washing your car or other vehicles. The bucket will have a handle for easy portability and should be lightweight so that it isn’t too heavy to carry once full of water.
Some people will use any old bucket they have laying around as a car wash bucket, but if you want the benefit of a grit guard, then you’ll need a bucket designed specifically for washing cars. A grit guard will prevent any loose bits of grit from winding up on your sponge and scratching the paintwork on your car.
Miniature Bucket
Miniature buckets have become popular for multiple uses in recent years. They are generally made from metal and are small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. They are often styled to look rustic, like galvanized steel buckets, though sometimes they are painted in colors that give them a fresher look, similar to enamel.
In some pubs and restaurants, miniature buckets are used to add flair to the presentation of dishes, and you might find them holding shrimp, fries, vegetables, or side dishes such as onion rings. In some establishments, you may have noticed that miniature buckets are used to hold condiments like sachets of ketchup and salt.
Miniature buckets can also be used around the home as decorative plant pots or to hold candles. They are also commonly used for wedding favors as they can be bought in bulk fairly inexpensively and can be decorated with ribbon to add a cute look to wedding reception tables.
They could be used to hold any number of wedding favors, including chocolate coins, tealights, fancy tea bags, packets of seeds, or soap bars.
Storage Bucket
Storage buckets are handy items to have around the home as they are a quick and easy way to tidy up a large number of items and store them away where they won’t be seen. These types of buckets are usually made from a material that is soft or flexible such as canvas, leather, or woven rattan.
They can range in size from small to extra large and will typically have two fabric handles on either side so that they can be easily picked up and moved around the house. Lots of parents choose to have storage buckets in children’s rooms or playrooms because, at the end of the day, the toys can all be bundled into the bucket and kept out of the way until the next time the child wants to play with them.
You can choose a storage bucket that matches your decor to help keep your home looking good and stop the clutter from driving you crazy. These types of storage buckets also make great laundry baskets.
Water Bucket
Water buckets were common in the time before running water was widely accessible, and they were used to store drinking water in homes. Today water buckets are used for feeding livestock or pets, most notably horses.
A water bucket for a horse will be a size that is appropriate for the specific animal; this could be anywhere from a bucket that holds 4 liters to 25 liters and will depend on how big your horse is and how many you are caring for. Water buckets are filled with water to allow the horse to have a drink at any time.
Larger buckets are great because they don’t require topping up as often, but they can get grimy if the water isn’t changed frequently enough. Water buckets are most commonly made from plastic, such as polyurethane which is slightly flexible.
Garden Bucket
Garden buckets are a versatile item that will come in handy in a variety of situations in the backyard, so it’s useful to have several garden buckets stored in the garage. Buckets can be used as an alternative to wheelbarrows when you need to transport a small amount of material, such as compost or pebbles.
Buckets are also great for weeding, as you can move the bucket around the garden with you and fill it with weeds as you go, then empty it once you’re finished. Buckets can be filled with granular fertilizer if you want to sprinkle it onto your lawn or plants by hand.
When your garden buckets are not in use, they can be utilized as additional storage in your garage, where they can hold garden hand tools such as trowels.
Planter Bucket
Traditionally the earliest types of buckets would have been made from wood or leather. Wood is no longer considered to be the best type of material for a bucket, especially for buckets that are used to hold water. AS wet wood will eventually rot, it is not as water-resistant as many other materials.
Wooden buckets are also heavy and, therefore, not particularly portable. Wooden buckets are still manufactured, though, but for alternative purposes, than they were originally designed for. One of those alternative purposes is as a garden planter.
Wooden buckets make of attractive-looking planters and can be made in a wide range of sizes to suit any backyard. The fact that wooden buckets are heavy works well when they are used as planters, as they are unlikely to tip over if a plant becomes too top-heavy or gets knocked over by passers-by or in a storm.
They add a rustic feel to a garden and will last a long time if the wood has been treated. Wooden buckets can be painted or stained a different color, so you can always update them if you get bored with how they look.
Tamper-Evident Bucket
This is a type of bucket that is used to transport chemicals or food. It will be fitted with a special lid that cannot be removed without showing clear signs of tampering, so the recipient of the bucket will immediately know if the contents of their bucket have been compromised and can act accordingly.
Tamper-evident buckets are a good way to discourage anyone from interfering with the contents of the bucket, as they can be held accountable if the bucket was known to be in their possession when it was tampered with.
Builders Bucket
A builders bucket is a multi-purpose bucket that will be useful in a number of instances on a worksite. These types of buckets are made from flexible plastic and, as such, are sometimes referred to as ‘flexitubs.’ They have two handles, one at either side, so that they can be picked up and transported. They are strong and sturdy, so they are still portable even when holding a heavy material such as sand.
Builders buckets can be used for mixing up small to medium quantities of cement or for transporting goods around a construction site. They can also store tools in the back of a truck or be used to collect heavy waste.
