Why Drew Barrymore Finds Laundromats “Meditative”

“I moved out on my own when I was 14, I was scared shitless, and I think what saved my life was laundry,” Drew Barrymore tells AD from her bedroom, over Zoom. “It was so meditative. I would go with my book to the laundromat and eat Chinese food out of the carton. I loved my laundry basket, and it got me into, in a sense, how we have to take care of ourselves. And I got really good at it. Cleaning, to me, is very synonymous with peace, and joy, and comfort.”

A multihyphenate if there ever was one, the actor, producer, talk show host, and businesswoman has spent decades in the public eye, but what really makes a difference in her day to day is the pleasures of life at home. Barrymore is currently preparing to ring in her first anniversary as a global sustainability advocate for the earth-friendly cleaning company, Grove Collaborative. 

Her journey with Grove Co. began years ago, when she was “overhauling her entire life” to put her eco-friendly principles into action. Flash-forward to 2023 and she’s ready to drop a collection of products for other people who are looking to think more creatively when it comes to cleaning sustainably. The collection includes a variety of brightly colored cleaning products, from a sunshine-yellow-rimmed reusable spray bottle to turquoise shape-printed reusable dish clothes. 

Below, AD gets the scoop on what Barrymore’s life at home looks like when she’s in between laundry cycles.  

AD: What city do you live in?

Drew Barrymore: New York.

Could you describe the style of your home?

No hard edges.

What’s one kitchen item that you use every single day?

My Beautiful by Drew air fryer.

This might be the same answer. What’s your favorite gadget or appliance?

Actually, right now, it’s the skillet that we make at Beautiful by Drew. I really want to start a college program with it because between the air fryer and the skillet, you don’t need a kitchen. You can cook everything. I’ve made soup with our immersion blender, cooked it, puréed it, everything. I’ve made linguini and clams. I’ve made Ahi sesame-crusted tuna. There’s nothing you cannot do between those two appliances. So, if you have a space that doesn’t have a kitchen, you’re covered. And that is not the way I grew up. If you don’t have the stove with a range in an oven, you couldn’t cook. And that’s just not the case anymore.

Reusable Dish & Cleaning Cloth

$9.99 at Grove Co.

Beautiful by Drew Barrymore Air Fryer

$89 $69 at Walmart

Totally. What is your bedtime ritual?

Thick glasses and a big wonderful book. And arranging my pillows just so, and then all the animals get on the bed and it’s the best. I always have my stacks of books right there. And then I set my old Sony clock radio alarm, so that I can wake up to a surprise song every morning that some DJ picked.

Which room in your house is your favorite and why?

That’s hard. I think my bedroom. It’s so soft, and the furniture’s placed in a way that I had never thought to do before, but it totally works. And it reminds me of my godmother Anna Strasburg’s place when I was growing up. Her places were always so cozy and romantic.

Could you describe an item in your home that you brought back from a trip?

Oh. This thing I just brought back from Italy broke, and I’m still so pissed off about it. We shipped this bowl all the way, set it on the wall. We just did a photo shoot where someone was like, “Oh, we got to move the bowl.” And it broke. And I was just like, I never get frustrated at things like that. I was like, “That bowl.” During that same trip I also bought a little towel rack that I found in a dusty bin of a very dingy, wonderful thrift store up in Ostuni, Italy, up in the hills.

That one survived?

That one survived. We’ll do the next photo shoot in the kitchen.

What would you change about your home, if you could choose one thing?

Oh, God. Well, I’m always changing it. I feel like if I could have a decorative magic wand, that’s kind of how I try to live my life. But then I realize there’s no magic and I just have to make it happen for myself. So, I work with a fun team of people who are just easy-breezy and will help me upgrade a room. Or down and dirty, no big companies or polished, just fun. Let’s spend this weekend repainting this room and cleaning it out. And so I’m always keeping an eye on when something gets dirty, and outdated, or the kids grow older and they need different things. Give me a room to overhaul, and 48 hours, and some prep time, and I will magic-wand that into a different vibe.