Stylish Storage: Use an Antique Crock to Hold Kitchen Laundry HGTV

I love these old antique crocks, which can be had for a song at flea markets, antique shops, and even thrift stores. And here's a smart way to put one of these substantial crocks to use: Stash your kitchen linens!

This tip comes from designer Sarah Richardson. She uses a heavy crock in her farmhouse kitchen to hold the dirty linens and towels until they can go in the wash.

But why limit it to dirty laundry? A crock like this would make cute, rustic storage for clean linens and napkins too.

• See more: Sarah Richardson Turns a Farmhouse Into a Retreat at HGTV

Related: Laundry in the Kitchen

(Image: Stacey Brandford/HGTV)

Comments (11)

I can think of a better - albeit less fashionable- use: sauerkraut or pickles.

Ooh, I like this idea. I throw my dirty dishtowels in a plastic bin, but my girlfriend complains about it so I have to store he bin under the sink. I wonder if she'd be ok with a more stylish container like this.

I've never seen old antique crocks "for a song." Every crock I've seen of any substantial size has been well over $50 and depending on age and condition $100 and upwards. I'd love a giant crock like that and would love to know which flea markets and thrift stores I should be hitting up to find these at a bargain!

@Slow Lorus, I agree! I've been going to the wrong thrift stores if you can find cute antique crocks for a song. They're usually $45 - $90 in my neck of the woods (Louisiana).

I see them here (central Ohio) for maybe $15 - $20 at the local vintage shops? If you luck out and find them at the thrift store, then maybe $7. But they're not always as cute as the one above! :)

Big terracotta pots can be used the same way. If you are likely to put damp or wet things in them, get the pots that have been waterproofed inside. They cost about $5-15 for crock-sized at Ikea or local garden stores. (I put a cork in the kind with drainage holes)

@Faith Durand -- $15 - $20?! Wow, that's a huge difference from Minneapolis/St. Paul prices. I guess I missed out when I was visiting Columbus earlier this year! I'll have to put antiquing on my list of things to do next time I'm in OH. That crock in the picture is really cute and I'd be all over something like that if I saw it for $20.

@Slow Lorus yeah - there's this awesome antique mall on the east side of town (away from yuppie/touristy places, such as they are!) and I see great prices on this kind of thing there. And if you're ever in CMH again shoot me a message! :)

These work well for holding wet umbrellas too.

I just bought a new 1 gallon crock here in Iowa for $15. The 4 gallon ones are about $50 new. Just a guess, but maybe they're cheaper in Ohio because Ohio Stoneware is a major producer of them and so there are more around? Any way around, I would never use an antique crock of unknown origin for fermenting or foodstuffs. Ace hardware sells new ones.

I too, keep my kitchen "laundry" in a mini bucket under the sink, when I get a few in there I add hot water and a splash of bleach and soak them a bit before laundering them. Of course my bar mop towels are all white. I like different textures and sizes from TJ Maxx.