The Item Jeremiah Brent Says You Should Be Cleaning Twice a Year But Aren’t
It’s easier to maintain than you think.
Updated Oct 11, 2018 8:57 PM
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“I’ve always followed the school of thought that nothing is too precious,” says Jeremiah Brent. In the home he shares with his husband, fellow designer Nate Berkus, and their two young children, daughter Poppy and son Oskar, the designer lets little things like wineglass rings and glitter on the marble kitchen counter fly. “There are stories and layers to that. It brings me joy,” he says. For larger messes—grimy dishes, muddy floors—Brent relies on the couple’s thoughtfully-stocked cleaning supply pantry, which is full of sustainable products, including pieces from his just-launched collaboration with Grove Collaborative.
Brent’s new line features 13 items, spanning soap, sanitizer, and cleaning concentrates with reusable bottles—many infused with his custom coriander and black pepper scent, inspired by his trips to Mexico. There’s also cooking essentials in the mix like an apron, kitchen towel, and oven mitt made of 100 percent organic cotton. “The collection is rooted in shapes and colors that are beautiful, but it’s also about doing what’s good for the planet,” says Brent (even the packaging is plastic- and carbon-neutral). “It’s an important lesson for our kids.”
We tapped Brent for his top tidying tips, and while it turns out he doesn’t fret over 5-year-old Poppy doing craft projects on the couple’s Calacatta stone island, he does care a lot about good-looking fabric. “I don’t think a lot of people know how easy it is to maintain drapery panels,” says the designer. “Once or twice a year, take them down and drop them off at the dry cleaner to be steam-pressed.” You’ll be getting rid of all the hair and debris that accumulate over time that’s difficult to see, plus your space will look crisp and put-together.
If that sounds like too much trouble, Brent notes most curtains you buy from big-box retailers can go in the washing machine (as long as they don’t have stitched-in pleats or swags and aren’t made from premium material like wool or cashmere). “We’re firm believers in deep cleaning consistently,” he continues. “There’s not a lot of dust in our house. We run a pretty tight ship.”
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