Whether you love washing clothes or hate it--indeed, especially if you hate it—a well-stocked and organized laundry room makes the entire process exponentially easier. Since laundry is a chore that has to get done one way or the other, we might as well be fully prepared ahead of time and knock it out quickly! So let's pop in our ear buds, turn on some great music, and make sure all of the essentials are covered.
Hampers and Baskets
When it comes to laundry hampers and baskets, you'll want something strong enough to handle a heavy load, yet light enough to lug around easily. And if you have the space, it's nice to have several to allow you to separate your laundry by type (lights, darks, linen and towels, etc.). Also, bonus points if it looks nice!
One of our favorites is the Water Hyacinth Rolling Laundry Cart. Beautifully constructed of natural water hyacinth fibers (an easily renewable resource), its metal frame and lockable casters provide sturdiness and easy mobility. Plus, its cotton liner is removable and easy to wash!
Laundry Detergent
When it's time to wash, you want to make sure your clothes and linens are taken care of by using quality detergents and conditioners. By maintaining your clothing with the right detergents, they'll be less likely to fade and last longer, saving you time and money in the long run.
At The Container Store we're huge fans of The Laundress's products, particularly the Signature Detergent and Bleach Alternative. (They also have a plethora of more specialized products, including Delicate Wash, Sport Detergent, Denim Wash, Whites Detergent, Darks Detergent, and Wool & Cashmere Shampoo.) Free of VOCs, phosphates, phthalates, and other scarily hard-to-pronounce chemicals, The Laundress's products are also non-toxic, biodegradable, and allergen-free, and they smell like whatever angels probably smell like. Seriously, amazing stuff!
Laundry Accessories
Accidents happen, so it's also imperative to keep the appropriate laundry accessories on-hand for emergencies. A few of the essentials include:
- Wardrobe tape strips: to help fix tricky necklines and blouse gaps.
- An emergency sewing kit: if you rip your favorite skirt right before a night out on the town.
- A pet hair remover or lint roller: in the event your Persian cat takes a luxurious six-hour nap on your sweater.
- Stain remover: in case you enjoy your leftover cacio e pepe a bit too much and accidentally drip buttery sauce all over the front of your slacks.
Clothing and Linen Storage
Once the laundry is washed and dried, it's time to fold it up and put it away. For storing items such as towels and cleaning supplies, our sturdy metal Tosca Baskets come to the rescue. And, if you want some variety, our Water Hyacinth Storage Bins and Cubes look great alongside them. They're constructed of hand-woven water hyacinth (an easily renewable resource) over a durable metal frame and can be easily labeled using our Bin Clip Label Holders.
A great time-saver is our FlipFOLD Laundry Folder, which can help cut your folding time in half. And if you have sweaters or other clothes that need to air dry, the 15-Dowel Wooden Clothes Drying Rack is a must-have. Not only does it give you up to 41 linear feet of drying space, but it also folds up easily for compact storage.
For more laundry room essentials, shop the laundry section of our website. Or, feel free to check them out in person at one of our store locations!
