Essential oils have many uses in a variety of activities, ranging from meditation to aromatherapy, but did you know that you can also use them for laundry? In recent years, medical practitioners have noted that there is a rise in allergies and sensitivities as exposure to synthetic substances and scents accumulates over time to the point where a person might be unable to use regular laundry detergents.
While scent-free and “natural” detergents are rising in popularity, many are also discovering the usefulness of natural essential oils either in place of certain detergents or as an addition to them. Keep reading to learn more!
Why Use Essential Oils in Your Laundry?
There are many benefits to using essential oils in your laundry when compared to chemicals and synthetic scents often found in conventional laundry products. All-natural scents and oils are far more eco-friendly and sustainable, and they offer many perks. Some of these include:
- Reduce odors: Many essential oils are natural anti-bacterials, especially effective against odor-causing bacteria from human sweat and skin cells.
- Stain removal: Certain essential oils, like lemon oil, have the natural ability to remove certain stains without the need for bleach.
- Mood enhancement: Aromatherapy uses essential oils for a variety of ailments, and many essential oils like lavender or lemongrass have stress-reducing effects, in addition to adding a fresh scent to your clothes.
- Fabric longevity: Over time, many synthetic chemicals break down the fibers in clothes, causing color fading and thinning of the material. Using essential oils, however, can make fabrics in clothes, towels, and linens last longer.
- Soften clothes: Rather than using fabric softener, 30 drips of lavender essential oil mixed with a quart of white vinegar act as a natural fabric softener.
- Disinfectant properties: When combined with baking soda and water and allowed to soak for up to an hour, tea tree essential oil not only gives fabrics a fresh scent but also functions as a natural disinfectant.
How to Use Essential Oils in the Washer
You can add essential oils for laundry directly into your wash cycle or mix them with some form of detergent using a variety of delivery methods. Consider the following methods:
- Depending on the load size of your laundry, add around ten to twenty drops of essential oil directly into your washing machine drum during the rinse cycle. Be aware, however, that some undiluted oils might stain certain fabrics.
- Dilute the essential oils in a solution of unscented laundry detergent, unscented fabric softener, white vinegar, or baking soda. You can add five to ten drops of your preferred oil to half a cup of unscented laundry soap and add it to your machine as you normally would. This method evenly disperses the scent, whereas adding the oil directly to the wash does not always evenly distribute the scent through the laundry.
- Some good essential oils for laundry soap include eucalyptus, lavender, tea tree oil, and lemon. These scents not only infuse laundry with a fresh scent, but they also act as natural disinfectants and antimicrobials. Avoid using highly concentrated oils such as cinnamon, clove, or cedar, as these are overpowering and might burn the fibers in some fabrics.
Using Essential Oils with Dryer Balls or Washcloths
Do you use dryer balls in your laundry? These handy tools are rising in popularity, though some may not have heard of them. These are plastic or wool balls that you place in the dryer with your laundry to prevent wrinkles and static, as well as to speed up the drying process.
You can make use of essential oils for laundry balls, many specifically designed for wool dryer balls. Whatever oil you choose, make sure it does not have a flash point of higher than 125-135 F, the temperature that most dryers rise to when working.
Make sure you do not overuse oils in your dryer, as this can become a fire hazard due to residue buildup over time. It’s best to dilute essential oils for laundry dryer use in a carrier, but if you do use the oil directly on wool balls, make sure to clean them regularly and use only one set of balls per scent.
Here’s how to use essential oils with dryer balls:
- Use wool balls in your dryer, and only put the essential oil on one or two of five balls per load.
- Use oils with high flash points, such as jasmine (185-200F), lemongrass (160F), or lavender (156-166F).
- Lavender, peppermint, eucalyptus, lemon oil, and tea tree oil have antifungal properties.
- Rose oil, chamomile, lavender and mint are known to encourage relaxation.
- Use only 2-3 drops per ball. You do not need to overdo it with pure essential oils. Oily residue on overloaded balls might ruin clothes.
- Apply the oil evenly over the balls before starting your laundry and give them a chance to soak into the wool.
- Run the dryer for a few minutes and then toss in the balls mid-way through the cycle. The purpose of this is to give the clothes a chance to dry somewhat before throwing in the laundry balls, which could then absorb the moisture from the clothes prematurely.
- To ensure your dryer balls last a long time, store them properly in airtight containers and give them a chance to thoroughly dry if they get wet.
Can Essential Oils Stain or Damage Clothes?
Yes, some essential oils do pose a risk to certain clothes, particularly those made of delicate fabrics. Darker oils like patchouli might stain clothes due to darker coloring. Undiluted oils might leave oily residue, and oils left sitting on clothes can cause a permanent stain.
Use oils with a flash point higher than your dryer’s temperature, lighter colored oils, and oils diluted in a carrier of some sort to prevent this. Some of the best agents with which to dilute oils include baking soda and vinegar, or some form of natural soap that allows you to add your own oils for scent.
Some of the best oils for laundry that pose less of a risk to fabrics include lavender and lemongrass. Some other good essential oils for laundry are jasmine and eucalyptus.
How Much Essential Oil Should You Use?
Be sure to use good essential oils for your laundry that will not stain or catch fire in the dyer, and be aware that some oils smell differently when heated up. Here are some suggested amounts of essential oils to use in your laundry:
Is Using Essential Oils Better Than Conventional Laundry Products?
There are many benefits to using essential oils for laundry over conventional products that use synthetic scents and chemicals. Many laundry products have a variety of chemicals, notably fabric softeners, that can build up in fabrics over time.
Furthermore, some people have sensitivities to these chemicals, especially due to constant exposure, and they might develop skin allergies or other allergic reactions. Essential oils tend to provoke less of a response in those with sensitive skin and do not develop as an allergen over time.
Compared to synthetic options, essential oils are more eco-friendly and biodegradable and do not leave behind large plastic tubs of chemical residue collecting in landfills. Many essential oils have antibacterial properties and leave behind a long-lasting, natural scent.
Tips and Tricks for Using Essential Oils in Laundry
When you use your own choice of essential oils, you have far more control over how your clothes smell. For example, if you like the blended scent of both lavender and lemon, you might be able to find one or the other in commercially made products, but likely not together.
However, when you blend your own oils into unscented laundry products, especially those made with natural substances, you can create your own unique blends and layers. You can experiment and find which scents and oils work best for you. Here are some tips to consider:
- Research and experiment with different oil blends on your clothes. Take into account the composition of your clothes (cotton, polyester, etc.) and use oils that best work with those fibers. Test out your blends on a similar piece of fabric first to see how it smells on that particular fiber.
- For antibacterial properties, use oils such as tea tree oil and cedarwood, diluted in a carrier so it does not leave an oily residue.
- Use essential oils with wool dryer balls for a boost of scent.
- Use the best essential oils for laundry scents recommended for your own health, such as allergies or sensitive skin. Consider the cost of oils as well, as some might be expensive.
Health and Sustainability Considerations
Are you better off using essential oils for your laundry over conventional products if you have health concerns? It depends on the specific health concerns you have. If you are prone to seasonal allergies and skin irritation, then using essential oils for laundry might be beneficial to your health, but they could just as easily make your allergen problems worse.
Conversely, if synthetic chemicals in laundry products trigger your allergens, using essential oils could potentially improve your health. If you have questions about this aspect of your health, first discuss it with your doctor. Then, try some small experiments using essential oils in your laundry, perhaps on only a few articles of clothing at first, and see how you react.
Consider the overall health of your environment when using essential oils instead of regular laundry products. Store-bought softeners and detergents come in large plastic jugs that are often not recycled, even when put in recycling containers. They have residue from the chemicals in them, and most people fail to wash them out properly before recycling. These often end up in landfills and take several thousands of years to break down.
Essential oils, however, do not take up nearly as much landfill space and break down naturally.
Additional Tips for Eco-Friendly Laundry Practices
If you want to use essential oils for laundry but also want to take into account eco-friendly practices, consider the following tips:
- Using vinegar and baking soda as a natural fabric softener.
- Mix a few drops of essential oils with rubbing alcohol for a quick fabric spray for dry clothes.
- Put a few drops of essential oil on cotton balls and store them in drawers with your clothes.
- Make use of Cold water washing and air drying for energy conservation.
- Pair essential oils with other eco-friendly methods for a fully sustainable laundry routine.
- Consider washing less, that is if your clothes were not dirty or sweaty after wearing, consider wearing them a few times before washing. This works especially well with pants instead of tops.
- Be sure to clean the dryer lint trap regularly to prevent it overworking.
- Use a sensor timer on your dryer that turns off when the clothes are dry instead of continuing to run unnecessarily. Consider using a sensor washer that evaluates the weight and distribution of your laundry and only puts in the correct amount of water for the load.
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