Refreshing Old Favorites with ‘The Laundry Guy’

Time heals all wounds, and ages some of our favorite items until they’re worn beyond recognition.

HGTV’s “The Laundry Guy” premiered Wednesday at 10pm and is currently available on discovery+. It’s prepared to offer all the tips needed to restore beloved fabrics and blankets to their former glory. The series centers on Patric Richardson, an entrepreneur who gained national recognition for his “laundry camps” where he taught his approach to cleaning garments. Richardson was pitched to Discovery more than two years ago, and a recent development brainstorm meeting is what finally convinced the company to give the series a shot.

“There were so many reasons not to do a show like this. It’s never been done, it’s laundry for Pete’s sake, it’s unproven, laundry is a chore. But if you concentrate on the people and their beautiful personal stories that live behind the stains and spots and wear and tear on our most loved and most meaningful items, you have a peek into people’s emotional backstories,” HGTV pres Jane Latman said.

While laundry may not typically fit in the definition of home improvement programming, the launch of discovery+ has allowed for a stretching of the lifestyle genre. The concept alone should be enough to pique folks’ interest, but it will be Richardson’s charm that keeps folks around. He can showcase how to make the perfect mint julep and how to use vodka to remove a stain on a wedding dress all in one 20-minute episode.

“He’s such an unexpected superhero, and the best thing is he embodies generosity, whimsy and, yes, love,” Latman said. “His passion, which stems from his own beautiful relationship with his grandmother, is to help people reconnect with their best memories through his expertise in restoring items to their former glory.”

Richardson’s number one tip: create an aluminum foil ball for your dryer to get rid of all static cling. You can use the same one for 65 cycles. If power tools are more your speed, you can use an orbital buffer to remove the residue on the vinyl sleeves of something like a letterman jacket.