Okay, okay, you use Essential Oils to clean your bathroom, kitchen, and even your own body… so why not use them to clean your clothes? Who doesn’t love the smell of fresh laundry right out of the dryer? But can you create that without the use of toxic ingredients? Yes you can! Let’s talk about how to use Essential Oils for laundry.

As you may have guessed, most commercial laundry products contain many ingredients that not only should not touch your skin, but also are not the best for Mother Earth. The good news is that you have many options to remove those chemicals from your laundry and clean your clothes without a worry. From detergent to fabric softener to dryer, there are many ways to use Essential Oils to boost your natural cleaning power.

Washing

Now making your own laundry soap can be a fun and satisfying project. Using your Essential Oils and a few items easily found at the local grocery store, you can create your own cleaner. As an added bonus, the Essential Oils can help to cut grease, kill bacteria, and provide a beautiful scent.

Basic DIY Detergent

Empty Container with Airtight Lid

2 C Borax
2 C Washing Soda
1 C Soap Flakes
Opt: ⅔ C Baking Soda

Using gloves for safety of skin irritants, mix all of the ingredients thoroughly and pulse in a food processor until finely ground. Place into the container and keep the lid tightly closed. 

To use: add 1 T to wash for HE washers or 2-3 T for top load washers. 

During the rinse cycle, pour in 1/2 C white distilled vinegar and 5-8 drops of the Essential Oil Blend of choice.

DIY Scent Booster

Empty Airtight Container with Lid
2 C Epsom Salts
½ C Baking Soda
50 drops Essential Oil Blend of Choice (see below for some of our faves!)

In a glass bowl, mix together all of the ingredients well. Place in the container and keep sealed until use. This recipe is for when you are using an unscented laundry detergent and are not adding oils to the rinse cycle. 

To use: Sprinkle ¼ C of booster over clothing before starting the load.

Drying

When it comes to drying your laundry, you do not need to use chemical laden dryer sheets. A safe, natural, and economical idea is using REVIVE Dryer Balls! Made of organic natural wool, these incredible dryer balls save energy by reducing drying time while also softening clothes. A great feature of this is that you can add your Essential Oils directly to the ball. For a subtle freshening scent, drop about 3-5 drops onto the ball before you begin your drying cycle. For a stronger scent, apply 5 drops of your desired Essential Oil or blend to the balls during the last 10 minutes of drying time.

Best Essential Oils for Laundry

Let’s face it, most Essential Oils smell good, it’s just the nature of the plant extraction. So how do you choose which oils to use for laundry? Technically, you could pretty much use any Essential Oil or blend that you like the smell of, but if you are looking for added germ killing or therapeutic benefits, here are some suggestions:

Citrus Oils: Oils like Lemon, Orange, Lime, and Grapefruit provide cleansing properties and a bright scent while uplifting your mood.

Herbal Oils: Tea Tree, Rosemary, Sage, and Eucalyptus can bring fungus fighting features while creating a fresh scent.

Conifer Oils: Oils such as Spruce, Fir, Cypress, or Pine can help to purify clothes while providing a sense of grounding and a forest-like smell.

Lavender and other Florals: Provide a balanced emotional feeling while smelling beautiful.

Tumble & Tidy: This REVIVE signature blend is perfect for cleaning. Containing several of the oils listed above, the scent is fresh, bright and a little floral.

REVIVE Fantastic: Who doesn’t want their laundry to smell fantastic? This citrus floral blend is a favorite of REVIVE customers for so many uses, including laundry!

Now, if you are ready to get started, here are some of our favorite DIY laundry Essential Oil blends that you can make. These are listed as “parts” so you can adjust them to your recipes. For example, if you are just adding the drops to your dryer balls, 1 part would be 1 drop. But if you are creating the scent booster above, 1 part would be 10 drops.

Ah! Spa

1 part Tea Tree Essential Oil
2 parts Eucalyptus Essential Oil
2 parts Lavender Essential Oil

Citrus Surprise

2 parts Grapefruit Essential Oil
2 parts Orange Essential Oil
1 part Siberian Fir (or any Fir) Essential Oil

Lemon Fresh

3 parts Lemon Essential Oil
1 part REVIVE Pura
1 part Pine Essential Oil