Inside the Cleanest Store in Soho

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Sure, you learned how to do laundry by the time you went away to college (we hope), but there's a good chance that your education didn't go far beyond separating lights and darks and avoiding that really high heat setting on the dryer when it comes to your favorite sweaters. So if you'd like to get your clothing care sophistication and your wardrobe sophistication a little more evenly matched, you might want to stop into the first-ever US flagship store of The Laundress.

Founded in 2004 by Lindsey J. Boyd and Gwen Whiting (great last name for a laundry goddess, right?) with the purpose of taking the headache out of maintaining a clean grown-up wardrobe — exorbitant dry-cleaning fees included — The Laundress offers a range of non-toxic laundry products from an upgrade to your typical all-purpose detergent to separate solutions for wool and cashmere, denim, and dry clean-only items. Then you have your extras (sprays, stain solutions, brushes, storage bags, clips) plus a selection of home cleaning products, including glass cleaner spray and brooms.

You can currently find these products in places like Bloomingdale's, Barneys, and J. Crew, plus online at Net-a-Porter and the brand's own site, but the flagship is the only place in North America where you can get the full Laundress experience (Tokyo's the only other city with a standalone store). That includes not only the full range of products, including collaborations with Le Labo and Fog Linen, but also the chance to ask experts your toughest washing questions and partake in demos and workshops centered around the store's main counter, behind which a mock laundry room is set up complete with a washer and dryer.

Unsurprisingly, that's exactly the vibe that the owners were going for in this 400-square foot store: A dream laundry palace. Clean white fixtures, black-and-white tiled floors, and makeshift utility closets house impeccably organized detergent bottles and tools, and the main counter is filled with drawers of little accessories, plus handwritten note cards from Whiting and Boyd about why them love them or how they're best used. If you're in need of some stocking stuffers that are both cute and useful, look no further.