bino1965 where is the table runner from? gorgeous!

Justine Hand It's an antique Boro cloth from Japan. You can buy similar here http://www.kimonoboy.com/catalog.html?category=katazome.

Justine Hand Thank you for saying it for me, Beatrice. Although I certainly understand that few people (including myself!) can afford all the things on this list, my intent was not to provide a definitive list of laundry “must haves.” Rather it was to inspire us to think beyond the chore towards a more natural approach to cleaning by adding one or two special tools to our cleaning regime. Of course, where to spend one’s money is a personal choice. For me, I’d rather use a more expensive laundry basket and save money on the electric bill by line drying my clothes.

One, suggestion for those who don't want to "over spend," is vintage items. I use a vintage laundry basket very similar to the one above, which I bought for $20, as well as my grandmother's dust brush, that, since it was well made, is still going strong. Which is another point: it's often better to invest in a good tool, than to keep replacing cheap ones. And as for the matches, here's what I do: I will buy expensive matches in nice box once, and then when they are gone, I replace the matches with any old thing and still use the box. ☺

jad2design I'd like a glass of wine too :) Just wanted to say that I went ahead and ordered the $50 tri-colored broom mentioned in this article. It arrived at lightning speed - thus I can speak to the question of the "worth" of at least one item on the list. I love the broom. My large dog is a champion shedder and this is the best tool so far for corraling the copious amounts of fluff that he adds to the environment. It sweeps up debris in corners nicely, is easy to shake out and does a great job in general of picking up everything in its path. I already use it more than the rubber broom that was the default tool following an annoying venture into the world of Swifters.

Rich or poor (and I'm not the former) most of us have houses that are filled with necessary but poorly designed or ugly things that were easy to grab off the big box store shelf or from the grocery isle. We mostly lack the energy and time to look for better implements that would be a pleasure to use, or would last longer. So, I thank you for the list. One person's useless frivolity is another's bliss - or at least as close to it as sweeping is going to get.

halleycomet @JAD2DESIGN---Thanks for letting us know that the product WORKS!!!!! I don't think anyone would feel that something that works for someone is a waste of money---if you can afford it. I know I felt this way about that spendy DYSON VAC. Then I saw it in action in a house with 4 dogs--two of them puppies and prone to shredding things--and a flooring re-hab going on--and it WORKED. So now I am just jealous.

IF I had the money----

I do say I am going to get me a small SHOP-VAC to deal with our dog hair and kid leftovers that find their way to the rugs and floor and high chair and couch and----!!!!