 | ||
| Your browser is not supported. | ||
|
Please browse our site using any of the following options:
| ||
Your Guide To Home Laundry Essentials
For most of us, laundry is an inescapable part of the weekly household chores, so you really owe it to yourself to make the most of what is unlikely to be a popular task. Just like your bathroom, making sure you have the correct utensils and equipment - as well as a well-organised, tidy and appealing laundry area - is the secret to transforming washing and drying into something you might even want to do.
But how do you get to laundry heaven? At Spotlight we've compiled a comprehensive list of laundry essentials, so you can take the hard work out of creating the ideal laundry set up that works for you and your family. We also have some fabulous tips and tricks for some laundry storage solutions that will help you achieve the seemingly impossible.
Quick Links:
- Laundry Baskets & Laundry Hampers
- Clothes Airers & Drying Racks
- Irons & Accessories
- Garment Care Accessories
- Household Cleaning Supplies
- Laundry Storage Tips & Tricks
Laundry Baskets & Laundry Hampers
The first step in making laundry time easy is having your home stocked with laundry hampers and baskets. Laundry hampers provide a convenient and compact storage space for all your dirty laundry - without being an eyesore. There's no reason why you can't inject a sense of personal style into your decor with a wicker, cane or bamboo laundry hamper!
Consider having multiple hampers throughout the home so that there are no excuses for dirty clothing being left on the floor. This means one in each bedroom and bathroom in your house, as well as in the laundry itself to store things like kitchen linens and table linens. The best way to achieve sanity in your laundry is to separate the washing in advance. Consider introducing a system of laundry hampers - or a divided laundry hamper - and train family members to put dirty items in the appropriate laundry basket. Label, if necessary (e.g. 'lights', 'delicates' and 'colours').
Laundry baskets are ideal for moving laundry from one room to another, or transporting clothes and bed linen to the laundromat as the need arises. Ensure the whole family is prepared with a selection of hampers and laundry baskets so you can keep on top of all your household washing requirements.
Clothes Airers & Drying Racks
Clothes airers and drying racks let you easily dry your clothes if you don't have sufficient outdoor space or if you don't want to (or can't) use your machine dryer - not to mention that using an airer is kinder on the environment. While your airer is designed to stow away neatly, you should consider where you'll do your airing each week and, therefore, the type of airer you need to purchase.
Traditional clothes airers sit on your floor but, when assembled, they can take up a bit of floorspace. Some are also extendable to accommodate larger loads of washing. A tripod-shaped airer looks similar to a hat stand, which might be a better choice if you're not drying lots of clothes or you need an airer with a smaller footprint to fit into a small laundry.
Just remember, for a clothes airer to work properly, it needs 'air' around it, so small laundries are often too stuffy to dry your clothes sufficiently. You might have to bite the bullet and bring your airer out into a living area when drying clothes but you can always put it away later.
Tip: You can ensure that clothing items like jumpers and cardigans maintain their shape by drying them flat. Simply place a clean towel over the airing rack and use this as a base for delicate items that are prone to sagging.
Irons, Steamers & Accessories
Once your clothes are clean and dry, the next step is to smooth out any wrinkles for a neat and tidy appearance. While not everyone loves ironing or pressing, it's an essential part of caring for clothes and textiles. It can also make a huge difference to important occasions - just think of the professional image a perfectly pressed business shirt projects, or the stately style statement a crisp pressed linen tablecloth can add to a dinner party!
Irons, Steam Stations & Garment Steamers
Irons, steam stations and garment steamers are essential laundry tools for putting the perfect finishing touches to your favourite outfits. While irons are the classic option for smoothing out your clothes, steam stations & garment steamers can minimise your pressing time with powerful steam shots and continuous steam options. Garment steamers are also a great option if you have minimal ironing to do, with upright cordless models also allowing you to steam soft furnishings like cushions, sofas and curtains around the home.
Ironing Boards & Covers
No ironing set up is complete without ironing boards and ironing board covers. A quality ironing board features a sturdy frame and adequate padding, helping you cut down on the time needed to get perfectly pressed garments and linens.
If your ironing board has seen better days, upgrading your ironing board cover can be a cost effective solution. Featuring scorch resistant materials and soft padded linings, a brand new ironing board cover can give you an upgraded ironing experience at a fraction of the cost.
For those who want to give their favourite clothes a little TLC, ironing sprays are designed to maximise your ironing efforts while adding a gentle fragrance. They behave a little like ironing starch to help your clothes resist wrinkling and give a crisp finish. Some ironing sprays also feature stain shields to help protect your clothes, making them a worthwhile addition to your laundry set up.
What To Consider When Choosing Irons, Steamers & Ironing Boards
Storage space is a major consideration when accommodating appliances and accessories into your home. You want to make sure your appliances also meet the needs of your household and are easy to maintain. Here are a few key points to keep in mind when choosing irons, steamers and ironing boards:
- Functions & Features: What benefits does the appliance have, and will they meet your needs? If you do minimal ironing then perhaps a garment steamer will do the trick for occasional use.
- Water Tank Capacity: For steam stations and irons, a generous water tank capacity is a must have if you do lots of ironing. Systems that are designed to reduce the build up of limescale are also a great bonus feature!
- Storage Space: This is the big one. If you have limited storage space, look for compact designs that can easily be tucked away when not in use. Most ironing boards fold up completely flat, but if you can't accommodate a full size board, look for a table top design. You can even find heat resistant ironing mats which allow you to use any clear surface space in your home for ironing.
Garment Care Accessories
No laundry is complete without the right garment care accessories. From lint rollers, wash bags and stain removers, these little essentials can make a world of difference when it comes to caring for clothing and soft furnishings.
Lint & Stain Removers - For Life's Little Accidents!
Kids and pets. Need we say more? Aside from occasional pilling, lint removal accessories are invaluable for any household that also includes a furry friend. Whether you favour a strictly lint roller or a battery operated lint remover, these accessories are ideal for lifting pet hair and other dust and debris from clothes, sofa cushions and more.
Spills, messes and stains are a part of life - but there is an easy solution. Stain removal products include colour run remover, stain remover pens and fabric whitening products for light coloured textiles. You can find speciality formulations made for grease stains, textas and pens, grass, make-up and more. No matter what the stain - or who and what caused it - having the right stain remover in your laundry will ensure everyone's favourite clothes live to see another day.
Wash Bags & Garment Bags
Some clothing items require a little more care and attention than others - think delicate camisoles and undergarments, wool cardigans and formalwear items. When used in conjunction with the recommended washing instructions for your garments, wash bags can help further reduce the risk of damage in the laundering process. Wash bags (aka laundry bags) can minimise pilling, tangling, twisting, shrinkage and lint build up. They're also a great way to separate your garments before laundering and keep them separate from other household members' clothing items.
It's also a great idea to keep a stash of garment bags handy in your laundry or wardrobes. They're the ideal way to keep special clothing items protected from dust, mildew and pests - think suits, formal dresses and other occasional wear items.
Household Cleaning Supplies
Laundries are one of the best places to store all your household cleaning essentials like stick vacuums, spray mops, dustpans, cloths and assorted cleaning products. They're the ideal location for tall or bulky items like brooms and mops - and let's face it, it just makes sense to keep all your cleaning essentials in one location!
When setting up your home, ensure your laundry has a range of cleaning products for every job. Stick vacuums and spray mops can be a great space saver, while robot vacuum cleaners are ideal for keeping on top of daily dust and debris with minimal effort. Make sure you invest in a broom and dustpan for intermittent tidying, as well as a selection of cleaning cloths for every spill and stain. Finally, make sure any chemicals like floor cleaner or detergents are stored well out of reach of pets and children.
Shop Household Cleaning Supplies
Laundry Storage & Decor: Tips & Tricks
It's tempting to throw things in the laundry willy-nilly but, if you do a stocktake of items beforehand and think carefully about where everything should go (as well as using suitable attractive, even quirky, containers), you'll find it will make a world of difference. Check out our handy video guide on maximising your laundry storage options below:
A Place For Everything, And Everything In The Right Place
Prioritise your items according to how often you use them, just like your bathroom. Group similar items together in storage boxes & tubs or storage baskets so you can find what you need quickly and easily. Stackable storage boxes are particularly great if you don't have much cupboard space. Make use of all the space available by hanging things on the walls or over the back of a door.
Vertical Storage: The Only Way Is Up
Today's modern houses often have small or European-style laundries tucked away in a nook behind some doors. These laundries can be harder to organise and require some smarts to really make them work to your advantage.
Given the smaller footprint of European style laundries, the walls and even the reverse side of doors can offer a multitude of opportunities when it comes to storage. Hooks are very useful in this situation, as well as storage shelves & rails that are secured to the walls and reach up to the ceiling.
Add A Personal Touch
While the laundry is a utility space, that doesn't mean it should look ugly. Most of us assume a laundry room or nook is going to be drab but, with just a few adjustments, your laundry can be as good-looking as the rest of your home. There are many ways you can spruce up your laundry - here are a few of our favourite ideas:
- Make curtains in a fabric you love that can be pulled across the front of the washing machine and dryer when you're not using them.
- Look for a blend of open and closed storage options. For example, you could have a decorative cabinet to hold unsightly items, flanked by open shelves with colour-coded supplies in baskets and other containers.
- A stylish mix of new and vintage containers makes it easy to find essential kits for each step of the laundry process.
- Label your containers in a uniform way to create symmetry to your laundry's look. Rub-on transfer letters can spell out anything you want them to, and will turn a sliver of unused wall space into something chic.
- Put your soaps on show in decorative trays & bowls to lightly fragrance your laundry and keep everything smelling fresh.
- Decorate your space with a natural accent using artificial flowers and artificial plants. Complete the look with stylish planters & plant pots or an elegant selection of vases.
- Combine style with practicality using decorative door mats. Not only will they keep things tidy in spaces like mud rooms, they're a great way to add a sense of comfort and personality to your laundry area.
Find The Right Laundry Supplies At Spotlight (And Make Laundry Day A Breeze!)
From clothes airers to laundry hampers, clothes pegs, irons and stain removal products, Spotlight has you covered for all your laundry and household cleaning essentials. Whether you're setting up your home laundry from scratch or optimising your existing space, you can find everything you need for cleaning, sorting, storing and keeping your favourite garments and linens in tip-top condition. Shop the complete laundry range online at Spotlight and enjoy the convenience of home delivery for your order. You can also explore the range in person at your local Spotlight store, and discover a huge variety of home decor items and home storage solutions for your laundry space.
