I Swear By These 3 Laundry Essentials (Everyone Should Have Them!)

I love the smell of fresh, clean laundry, which is affected by far more than just the detergent you choose. The way you take care of your clothes outside of the washing machine is just as important as what you put inside to treat it (think: taking care of any pilling or properly getting out wrinkles). To get your clothes in the best shape ever, we found the very best tools to use for laundry beyond the washing and drying cycle.

Here are the winners of Apartment Therapy’s 2025 Cleaning Awards — specifically the best laundry cleaning tools. This category includes the best fabric shaver, clothes steamer iron (a combo item!), and lint roller. 

When your home gets messy, it’s time to get cleaning. Each year, Apartment Therapy spotlights the very best cleaning tools to help you get the job done with our Cleaning Awards. We vacuumed, scrubbed, and tackled messes big and small until we discovered which cleaning tools truly shine — and sweep the competition. We selected 30 cleaning essentials across five categories that have all been tested and vetted by our editors. 

Want to see more winners? See here for the full list of winners for the 2025 Cleaning Awards.

All prices were accurate at the time of publishing, but may have changed since then.