***Thanks to Persil ProClean for sponsoring this reveal of our new laundry room! All opinions, as always, are my own.
If you’ve been watching on insta-story you’ll know that last week the Hendersons got our badge of adulthood with organized closets, pantry and laundry room. I thought having a pot filler in my kitchen meant I was grown up (and it does, despite the fact that we’ve used it once), but having proper shelving and cabinets in your utility rooms means that your life is no longer an insane snow show. I love our new house so much, but storage-wise it was more 1926 than 2017 (literally) and the laundry room was ready for its grand facelift. Around the same time that we were debating what to do in there, a detergent brand I hadn’t heard of reached out – Persil ProClean. My first reaction was ‘Why this? Why now? And what makes you, Persil, so special?’
Turns out it’s a European favorite, now being sold nationwide at Target, in the US-of-A and besides the really good font and branding it has a lot of other reasons to grab it over its competitors. We tried it in advance of saying yes to this post and here’s my official review: when it comes to getting blueberries off of toddler tshirts, chocolate off of tshirts and sweat pits out of manly v-necks, it does a darn great job all while keeping things smelling fresh and clean. Things are whiter, pieces aren’t fading, stains are lifting and there is way less graying. A win-win for a busy mom and loads of dirty laundry.
We’ve been using a myriad of hipster detergents for the last couple years and while we like some of them for different reasons, this detergent makes clothes REALLY CLEAN. There is a reason why it’s a European favorite and now it’s here in Targets nationwide for all of you to try. Plus, in addition to sponsoring this post they’re hosting a big giveaway! Find all the details below.
Meanwhile this was all a great excuse to make our laundry the best that the small space could be. We worked with California Closets and it’s a whole new world (and life) We’ll blog about the entire process and show more of the function tomorrow but here is our brand new laundry room for your viewing pleasure:
Shooting in here is so hard as it is still really tight, but now it’s so much more functional. In case you don’t remember or you weren’t around, here is the laundry room before:
It wasn’t really a room, more of a hallway. The whole space was reconfigured before we moved in, walls moved, etc. So after we renovated, it looked like this:
More details on the full process tomorrow, but needless to say we were in the market for it to feel as big as possible and provide as much storage as it could possibly hold. We organized and styled it to make our lives the easiest and keep everything the cleanest.
It may not seem like a big deal to those of you with huge laundry rooms but for us, this is life changing. It’s organized, intentional, clean, fresh, and totally put together.
A huge thank you to Persil for sponsoring this makeover and making my whites white again.
I’m a better mom and wife because of this, not because I’m doing more laundry but because I’m happier in this room than I was before, which means that I’m doing the laundry with a smile instead of frustrated with the mess.
Everything has a specific place in the cupboards now, but we keep these things on top for easy daily access – laundry detergent (that is the Persil sensitive skin version – which is great for the little ones), spot remover, dryer sheets, dryer balls, a tray for coins and a bowl for receipts/lipsticks/hair ties/almonds (why do I have so many almonds in my pockets) and keys. The only thing missing (I need to buy a new one) is a little trash for lint (and almonds).
If you are in the market to try a new detergent, give Persil a whirl (Here is a coupon to get $2 off your purchase). Our laundry room just went global (kinda). Welcome to America, Persil.
Meanwhile you can get the look of our laundry room here and we’ve partnered with Persil ProClean to give two lucky winners a $500 gift card (to help you get the look) PLUS a year’s supply of Persil ProClean. You’ll have a fresh new laundry room and some fresh new laundry. To enter, leave a comment below telling me how you’d give your laundry room a makeover, and then click through HERE to enter the sweepstakes between April 18 – 22, 2017. In the meantime I will be enjoying my brand new laundry space.
1. Shark Skin Paint Color | 2. Tile | 3. Woven Basket | 4. Tag Elite Coat Hook, Oil Rubbed Bronze (Courtesy of California Closets) | 5. Schaub & Co, Firenza Handle (Courtesy of California Closets) | 6. Flat Slab Linen Door (Courtesy of California Closets) | 7. Art Print | 8. Dryer Balls | 9. Persil Laundry Detergent | 10. Spray Bottle | 11. Lidded Glass Jar | 12. Bath Towel | 13. Hand Towel | 14. Deep Stackable Plastic Bin | 15. Clear Organizer | 16. Wood & Marble Inlay Tray | 17. Small Bowl | 18. Ceramic Vase | 19. Wooden Bowl | 20. Clear Storage Trays | 21. Tabletop Ironing Board | 22. Metal Lidded Jar | 23. Blue and White Stripe Tray | 24. Gold Measuring Cups
P.S. Stay tuned for the full reveal tomorrow with California Closets where you’ll see our custom litter box cabinet!!!
***Photography by Tessa Neustadt
My laundry room is in my dingy basement, I’d spruce it up with some lighting, flooring, and organization!
Our “laundry room” is in the back corner of the back yard and it’s a big block! It still houses the original mid 1920s “copper boiler” that was used to literally bring clothes to the boil back in the day. A fire was lit in a special little contraption at the base of the outer shell, which is enameled cast iron.
It’s a biggish room though, so we put some old cupboards in there with the washing machine…we choose to not have a dryer for environmental reasons and frankly, your clothes smell better and have far less wrinkles when you dry ’em on the clothes line! The weather here in Aussie-land is much the same as California, so not to dryers.
We painted the ceiling and walls a cute French blue and put a few naïve art flower posters ont he walls and it became a different and much more friendly space.
I live in Melbourne. I have a 10mo and a 3yo. I work full-time. I live in a flat. All of the above is NOT conducive to drying by clothesline, especially point 1. My condenser dryer changed my life. All that to say: Australia’s a big country, the weather isn’t all the same!
Fair enough. Yes, Melbourne weather is ‘four seasons in one day’, so I agree; it would be tricky to dry clothes outside AND, I actually didn’t think about living in a flat, having not lived in one myself. Sorry.
Shelving (with doors) would improve my laundry room (closet) so much!
Super cute! I am so intrigued by the last picture – the reflection is interesting….
Def need sime magic in our laundry room. More storage, dedicated space for drying racks and folding. Oh, and can it be a functioning mud room too?
our laundry room has ZERO storage right now…i would hang some cabinets or shelving on the walls and add a tall cabinet beside our washing machine/dryer to store cleaning tools such as brooms, mops, etc.
New everything, except for the washer and dryer. Otherwise, we could also use a complete overhaul!
Very nice!!! My laundry room is mostly there, but is always just a gigantic dumping ground and unorganized mess! I need a countertop on top of the washer/dryer, some cabinet pulls and some help with organizing and decorating. Thanks for the inspo!!! I love the tray and the cabinets and tile look amazing!
I would copy your cabinet set up exactly. Too much?
I need shelves in my laundry closet so badly!
New flooring and paint, and lots of shelves for storage! I’d love the chance to show that even a dark basement laundry room can be functional and attractive!
I would love to replace the Saltillo tile in our laundry room with something cleaner.
Lovely! Our laundry area is off our kitchen and is really just a hallway between the garage, kitchen and half bath. I really want to put a pretty countertop over the front loading machines… maybe butcher block? Then I plan on a pretty lamp and a tray to brighten it up and make it pretty.
My laundry room could use some function – a rod for hanging clothes to dry, a better kitty litter box situation (aren’t all litter boxes in the laundry room?), and some cute accessories like curtains. While our washer and dryer still technically wash and dry, I’m so over front-loaders and would love to be able to go back to a top-load washer!
Such a fresh space! If I won some cash, I’d definitely put a new tile floor in my laundry room and reprint the walls. This post is also giving me some ideas about reworking the shelving and storage in there (it’s a very small space!). I love the idea of keeping a change dish in there. I also need to try that sensitive Persil formula for my husbands undershirts!
Besides a complete overhaul, I could really use a rod or rack for drying clothes.
I need custom shelves built for a nook with odd angles to make my small laundry room more functional.
Our little family could use a pedestal to raise the washer & create some much needed storage below! Urban living assist! Also a new door to elevate the room (largish closet). Maybe it would lead people to assume behind the door is the butlers closet??
My laundry area is in my basement too. I’d add some basement-friendly and barefoot-friendly flooring in the area, a hanging rack, and some storage too!
My laundry room is so awful, it needs just about everything! Gorgeous room you have there, I’d love my laundry room to look like that. The plaid floor especially. Great job!
It looks great, and I’m especially digging the tile! In the past six months I’ve moved into our first house and had our first child and I have NEVER spent more time doing laundry! Our laundry space is more of a closet, but I’d love to brighten it up a bit, paint the cabinets, wallpaper or paint the wall, and add a closet rod or a shelf.
All I learned from this is that laundry is the responsibility of “a busy mom” and if she does it happily she can be “a better wife and mom.” Well, your storage may be from 2017….
I’m sure Brian does laundry too, but since this is Emily’s blog… and she’s the one who got sponsored by Persil…
For the first number of years of our marriage, my husband did all the laundry, now – in a new stage of life and a different home – I do all the laundry. Meanwhile, he cleans the kitchen, does the grocery shopping, keeps us stocked on household needs, takes care of all the morning work – bed making, breakfast making, getting kids dressed – and puts the kids to bed half the time, You just can’t assume that because a woman does the laundry and feels happy in a beautiful and organized space that that means she’s living in the 1950s, you know?
Sorry — I wasn’t clear in my comment. It’s not because she does the laundry, it’s because that chore is presented in a wife/mother way. She doesn’t say it’s one of the tasks they divvied up and came to her, or that she does laundry as a partner/parent. It’s just presented in a very traditional in a way that really doesn’t need to be, or at the very least could be questioned. I think we all internalize a lot of stereotypical roles, and it’s useful to think about how we reinforce them, or repeat them to each other and the world at large. I’m sure their family life is quite modern.
I glanced through the post again to see where you were going:
“I’m a better mom and wife because of this, not because I’m doing more laundry but because I’m happier in this room than I was before, which means that I’m doing the laundry with a smile instead of frustrated with the mess.”
Okay. The implication I get is happy mom and wife =good mom and wife. And thus, unhappy mom equals not-so-good mom. Yeah, IO, I feel ya. It’s kind of like moms are not allowed to be unhappy, or at least to appear so. Yes….
IO: Hm. With all due respect, I feel like this is a stretch, at best. The implication you seem to be making is that a woman who is striving to be a happy wife and mother in whatever way that translates for her and her family should have to explain the details and specifics, lest she seem like a 1950’s housewife. I am sure there are several men…straight married men, straight single men, gay married men and gay single men…not to mention several single women and gay married women…who read this blog too and both DO laundry, and potentially feel frustrated with the hot mess they have to hang out in while doing so. You are the one assuming she is both speaking AS a “married woman”, and speaking TO “married women.” You are the one implying laundry is a woman’s work, not her…whether you realize it or not. And yes…don’t we all WANT to be happier while doing these necessary but tedious life-tasks??? This is a design/lifestyle blog which is, by nature a.) somewhat aspirational and b.) highly personalized. Should Emily also be called out for taking exotic vacations or for enjoying eating out because many can’t afford to… Read more »
Well said Chenell!
That’s right, Emily. You tell ’em!
Yeah, gotta say I’m with Io on this one. I don’t think this post accurately reflects the balance between Emily and her husband – but that’s actually the most frustrating part of it. To sell a product there’s this really traditional image and narrative that may not reflect Emily’s life, but reinforces that dynamic for people who read it :/
Fair enough. I see what you mean about potential implications, esp given the history of these narratives and the promo involved
I do not have a laundry room, but rather a laundry closet. That space needs a light like whoa. We’re lucky to have cabinets but do need things like a tiny ironing board, etc. to really up the usability of the space.
The laundry room in our 1950’s ranch was a DIY add on by one of the previous owners. There’s cement block, exposed wires, unsupported (and grime-y) wire shelving. It’s terrible. Laundry is never an enjoyable experience, because I detest using this dysfunctional closet. (Yes, it’s actually a laundry closet.) $500 would go a long way in making it more aesthetically pleasing and functional. Drywall, cabinets/proper shelving and paint would be the priorities. Anything else would just be icing on top! Thank you for sponsoring this giveaway Emily!
Yeah, I could be happy doing laundry in that room too. So pretty! I think a tile backsplash and some shelves would definitely improve my laundry room.
I would love to have room to actually hang our clothes up in the laundry room! I’d love to install some fold away hanging rods. Oh and a new light – fluorescent lights definitely leave a lot to be desired.
My laundry room is in my basement. We renovated the basement last year, but my husband deemed the laundry room a low priority (for him), so it was only half done. Literally half. It got new flooring and wallpaper on two walls, but the other half has old cement walls, old pipes, and a utility sink that was original to the 1957 house and looks it. I could really use two WALLS, a new sink and faucet, and some cute decor to bring it up to 100%. Or at least 90%! Thanks for allowing me to dream…!
Just an FYI for anyone who doesn’t live close to a Target, Persil is also at Wal-Mart, it’s been there for over a year now. It’s also great for getting out cloth diaper stains!
Your floors are super fun! I would love to have a bench with baskets underneath and hooks to hang purses, jackets, etc in my laundry room. My laundry room floors are boring and could use some personality.
We are moving into a new house and need a laundry room from scratch. The laundry “room” is in a finished basement so there’s plenty of space but I have no idea what to do with it. We need a new washer and dryer, some storage, and a surface for folding clothes at least!
My laundry room could really use a countertop for on top of the laundry machines – right now it’s just some old boards/shelves!
SHELVES! they would be so wonderful! and of course, some good baskets to go on the shelves 🙂
pretty room!!
Oh the dream of a proper laundry room! Storage and lighting would go a long way to making my dingy laundry room as bright as my clothes washed with Persil!
Our laundry room is in desperate need for some love. I would add storage, storage, and some more storage. New doors and flooring are also in order. With baby boy on the way, a year of detergent would be well used in our household!
Looks great! I would love to add some fun framed prints to our laundry room to make it more cheerful!
My laundry room is pretty much outside (in a closet in a screened porch). The laundry closet has seen much better days- the interior walls consist of poorly slapped-together pieces of plywood. I’d love to get it refinished and insulate it better from the elements!
My laundry ‘room’ is just in the unfinished part of our basement right now…I would love to add some drywall to the stud ‘wall’ the washer and dryer are up against now and make it a place where I’m not afraid for my clothes to touch the ground! I’m loving the plaid tiles! I loved the plaid look you created with the carpet tiles in your office and this is such a nice way to add some color and pattern!
I would love to add more organized storage and a counter over the washer/dryer.
We just moved into a builder basic house in suburbia. So everything, including the laundry room, is really boring and surprisingly lacking storage. I kind of hate this house 🙁
I would honestly give my laundry room a makeover by getting a new washer. It’s 15 years old and every time it makes a noise I fear it’s gonna die.
My “laundry room” is a washer and dryer stacked in my kitchen. I’d love to extend the backside of our house to make the dining room bigger, move the washer and dryer into the corner of that room in a closed cabinet and gain back my kitchen space! But more feasibly I’d like to hang curtains or something so the first thing you see when you walk in my house isn’t the washer and dryer.
Our laundry is in our playroom/guest room/kids movie room (a vey multifunctional room on the first floor that we think used to be a kitchen at some point? Really old house). I would love to add some shelving (currently none above it), a folding space, and maybe some curtains so it wasn’t hanging out in what used to be a closet!
Love it!! The tile is just so precious.
We are lucky and have a HUGE laundry room, but believe it or not, the size is intimidating. I would love to get a pretty wallpaper in the room to make it feel cozier and sweeter. Throw in a window treatment and new hardware for the cabinets, and I think it would look and feel much better.
This space is gorgeous! Our washer & dryer are located under the stairs in the hallway from garage to living room. I’d love to move the “laundry room” into the garage and build proper cabinets for storage. I like the hanging rack you did above the w&d. Thanks to Persil for the giveaway.
We need better storage! We have a set of cabinets and a shelf, but somehow everything ends up stacked on top of the dryer, which I hate.
My laundry room is tiny, has no storage, and is currently sponge painted in (I kid you not) varying shades of dark green. It looks like G.I. Joe threw up in there! Some fresh paint and cabinetry would do wonders for my sanity and sense of aesthetic!
I love, love, love that floor. (Thought it was a rug!) I’d use $500 to pull up the 1994 hunter green linoleum and get me some CLE tile. (Esp bc I LIVE in CLE. ;))
Desperate need of laundry storage/organization here!
Your laundry room is so very pretty now. We are mid-renovation on our laundry closet. I have been debating colors. Seeing the beautiful blue you chose, I am now leaning towards painting the cabinets a soft blue!
Sweet! I am always having detergent struggles and I would be eager to give this one a whirl! (Ha! Get it!?!) My laundry room is pretty dingy so I would paint the ugly cabinets, and add plenty of storage with some art for fun 😉
I love your upper cabinetes with rod to hang clothes, that is the first thing I would add. New floor tiles would be amazing as well.
Love the laundry room! I would hang out there.
Our basement flooded a few years ago, so I ripped out the floor and painted the concrete but it doesn’t look great. So I would definitely go for some new flooring and baseboards and somewhere to sort clothes.