These open and close like the window sunscreens for your car. Closing is not quite so simple but once you've opened them you won't probably want to close them again. I have one upstairs and one downstairs for laundry. They are very lightweight, sturdy, big, and extremely useful! I've struggled with plastic laundry baskets that end up breaking. You hold these by the two handles to carry them up or down the stairs. No having to balance a plastic basket anymore! I can drop these over the staircase railing if I want to and they won't sound like the world is falling apart when they land on the hardwood floor! But I don't really need to do that anymore with these. Really easy to carry up and down the stairs with the fabric handles. I have no idea how I existed before them!UPDATE: I HAVE NOW PURCHASED A TOTAL OF 10 OF THESE AT LEAST. They have saved me walking up and down the stairs, which, as an older person, becomes problematic over time. They make great laundry hampers upstairs in my bedroom. I keep them folded both in the laundry area downstairs and in my bedroom upstairs until needed. I tend to procrastinate on laundry and then do a lot of loads over a short period of time to catch up. These really help! I highly recommend them!