Upgraded Utilitarian: It’s Time to Get Excited About Laundry & Cleaning

Last week, we debuted our new Upgraded Utilitarian mini-series (we’re calling it a mini-series because it’ll likely just be three to four posts, unless you guys are REALLY into it and request some more categories…let us know in the comments). Gotta be honest, we were a little nervous about this one because we were afraid of a bunch of eyerolls directed at us geeking out about (not exactly necessary) beautiful hammers and whatnot. We thought the comments were going to be full of “this is frivolous and there are so many more important things to spend your money on in this dark, painful world” mentions.

BUT GOOD NEWS. You guys liked it and seem super pumped about rad tape measures and gardening tools, which basically gave us the green light to keep chugging along finding gorgeous, simple household tools and necessities. Don’t mind if we do. A few of you specifically asked for us to find some good-looking brooms in the last post’s comments, so today, we’re back with just that and so much more.

Welcome to everyone’s favorite topics: cleaning, organization and laundry! For anyone who closely identifies with Monica Geller and gets their jollies by hanging out in dry cleaners to find out about their stain-removal secrets, this post is for you. You knew about the life-changing magic of tidying up well before Marie Kondo? We’ve got you. And for those that get through life giving side eye to piles of dirty clothes and dust bunnies and messy closets, this is also for you. Because you know what makes organizing and cleaning and laundry bearable-slash-better? PRETTY THINGS TO ORGANIZE (and launder and clean) WITH!

Sweeping with a ratty old broom = boring and uninspired. Sweeping with a gorgeous Danish-designed broom that you hang up when you’re done on its own wooden peg = a daily treat! Who knew all it took to make cleaning and the monotony of home care fun was beautiful tools??

Again, like we mentioned in the first post (which was on tools for home and garden), none of this is required to live a happy life at home, of course, but if you have the choice between a janky ironing board and one you get excited about using when it comes time to press your blouse in the morning, then why not, right?

So, let’s get into it. First off, we have all things laundry, split up into two boards: cleaning (i.e. all your cleaning supplies for your home and clothing, like brooms, dusters, spritzers, detergent, etc) and clothing utility and storage, such as ironing boards, drying racks, hampers and more.

Laundry Room: Cleaning & Maintenance

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1. Amber Glass Spray Bottles (Pack of 2) | 2. Maple and Leather Dust Pan | 3. White Ostrich Feather Duster | 4. Wool Dryer Balls | 5. Baffi Broom | 6. Clothes Cleaner | 7. Classic Signature Detergent | 8. German Broom + Dust Pan | 9. Rattan Blanket Beater | 10. Dust Brush | 11. Little Box Bench | 12. Linen Mist | 13. Clothes Brush | 14. Japanese Harimi Dustpan | 15. Flooring Mop Case | 16. Cleaning Hints and Tips by Cindy Harris | 17. Trigger Spray Bottle | 18. Broom Holder | 19. Full Circle Clean Sweep Broom | 20. Goat Hair Broom Duster | 21. Handled Tool Holders | 22. Sweater Comb | 23. Iris Hantverk Broom and Long-Handle Dust Pan Set | 24. Sweeper & Funnel Dust Pan | 25. Modkat Litter Box | 26. Cuban Wood Mop Stick + O-Cedar Floor Cloth | 27. Deodorant Remover | 28. Dry Cleaning Pad | 29. Red Cedar Wood Rings | 30. Pet & Lint Brush

If you ever thought “man, I wish I had a broom so beautiful that I’d be inspired to pull it out every day to sweep, but also to admire in a school-girl crush way,” than boy do we have a treat for you. To start, the black broom and wooden peg at #5 is 100% an investment piece, but when was the last time you said “WHOA THAT’S A BEAUTIFUL BROOM”? Oh also, if you’ve been meaning to ditch the dryer sheets finally, check out the wool dryer balls (#4) from Food52. Did you know that dryer balls are 1. much better for the environment (no one-time use sheets = less waste), but they also 2. can reduce drying time? Plus, you can add whatever essential oils you want to customize your scent or leave them scentless if you suffer from sensitive skin. OH, and guess what the blue egg-like thing from #27 is?? A deodorant stain remover! File that under things you always needed but had no idea existed. And finally, um, for anyone who struggles with ugly litter boxes, it doesn’t really get much better looking than the sleek Modkat (which is also supposed to limit the amount of litter your kitty tracks out of the box) or more useful and inconspicuous than the bench-turned-litter-box at #11.

Laundry: Storage

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1. Cotton Canvas Laundry Basket | 2. European Ironing Board | 3. Ava Clothes Hanger | 4. Hanging Drying Rack | 5. Round Wooden Clothespins | 6. Natural Wicker Oval Laundry Basket | 7. White Large Fine Mesh Wash Bag | 8. Round Metal Utility Cart | 9. Tower Leaning Ladder Rack | 10. Rose Gold Hangers | 11. Bamboo Rim Laundry Tote | 12. Travel Happens Striped Wet Bag | 13. Brass Wire Hamper | 14. Ironing Board With Tray White Metal | 15. Bigso Flax Fabric Storage Bin | 16. Bamboo Basket | 17. Clothes Pin Bag | 18. Aluminum Hanger | 19. Georg Wardrobe Rack + Georg Hangers w/ Leather | 20. Steele Canvas Carry Basket | 21. Laundry Drying Rack | 22. Metal Laundry Hamper | 23. Ironing Table | 24. Quinn Hamper | 25. Folding Butterfly Bamboo Hamper | 26. Folding Clothes Airer | 27. Tower Laundry Wire Basket 

Laundry…what a thorn in your weekly side. It’s even more annoying when you have a small apartment or don’t have a proper laundry room because so much of that stuff—drying racks, ironing boards—end up where you have the space to use them, such as your living room or bedroom (did you guys see that Insta Story from Orlando where he was talking about how he has to dry all his clothes in a corner of his bedroom on a big drying rack? He can’t be the only one doing this). SO, if you end up hanging up your jeans and slacks on the back of chairs all over your house and wish you had an attractive rack instead, the pick at #26 is great because it’s an attractive blonde wood, folds flat when you’re not using it and fits up to 20 linear feet of clothes (we have no idea how much clothes that actually is, but it sounds like a decent amount). We also have a handful of hanging racks (#4, #9, #19, #26), stylish hampers (#11, #22, #24, and #25), and other laundry-specific sundries (like a simple clothespin bag, hangers, and a bag to specifically hold your wet clothes after the beach, pool or water park with the kiddos).

Closet & Storage

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1. Yamazaki Home Frame Slim Shoe Rack | 2. Brass Hook – Set of 2 | 3. Alfa Folding Garment Rack | 4. 10pk Non Slip Velvet Hanger | 5. Neuvonfrisch Hank Clothing Hanger | 6. Deep Metal Sweater Bin | 7. Hanging Fabric Storage Organizer | 8. Linen Drop-Front Sweater Box | 9. Shaker Cast Iron Hook | 10. Fladis | 11. 5-Tier 15 Pair Shoe Rack | 12. Spanst | 13. Corbin Hook Rack | 14. 2pk Wood Pants Hanger | 15. Yamazaki Home Extended Shoe Rack | 16. Peg Hook | 17. Tiered Accessory Trays | 18. Loop Stand Hall Coatrack | 19. Golden Ratio Jewelry Box | 20. Over The Door 26 Shelf Mesh Shoe Organizer | 21. Pudda | 22. Tanzanian Handwoven Basket | 23. Accessory Stand | 24. 8 Bin Shoe Organizer | 25. Wooden Wall Hook | 26. Slim Plastic Shoe Bin | 27. Black 2 Arm Hook | 28. Fabric Accessory Bin | 29. Stackable Bamboo Shoe Rack | 30. White Marble Hook

We did a big ol’ closet organization post last month using Target’s Made by Design line (which is great, btw, and many of us at EHD headquarters have purchased from for our own homes), so definitely check that post out if you’re in the “must fix my closets” mood, but we’ve got a few more things for you today. Because shoe storage is basically a universal pain point (and there are SO MANY UGLY options out there), we included a handful of good-looking, simply picks at a variety of prices: we’ve got cubby storage (#24), tiered shoe racks for different sized spaces (#1, #11, #15 and #29), and over-the-door storage (which both Arlyn and I have and love). And for storing purses, accessories jewelry and beyond, there are plenty of hooks (how great are those brass knobs at #2 and the marble one at #30) and purpose-specific holders (like this jewelry stand at #23).

So there you have it. Another round of beautiful, simple, upgraded utility items for your home. We have a few more in the works, but again, we want to hear from you guys about what you’d love us to source for you. Let us know in the comments!