DIY Laundry Fragrance & Softener by Merry Messy Life

Natural Laundry Fragrance and Softener

 by Sara @ My Merry Messy Life 

A natural and green method to replace dryer sheets, fabric softener AND add some heavenly fragrance to your freshly washed clothes. And it’s so terribly easy!

Once I made the switch from commercial laundry detergent to making my own green, natural detergent for a fraction of the cost, I have really missed the lovely fragrance that came with commercial detergents. There is something truly comforting when taking scented clothes out of the dryer – I think it makes us think they are more clean. Even though I add lavender essential oil to my laundry detergent, the clothes currently come out devoid of scent, smelling more like a hot dryer drum. Not unpleasant, but I’d rather have a pleasant smell since I’m facing a huge load of clothes to fold and put away.
So, how do you add fragrance without the chemicals to keep it natural and green? I now employ an extremely easy and very effective way to add some fragrance – it’s 100% natural, non-toxic and oh so heavenly!

Fabric Softener

• Wool Dryer Balls (Buy them on Amazon (from Woolzies) or make them yourself with my tutorial)
• AND/OR add white vinegar to the fabric softener compartment of your washing machine (don’t worry, your clothes won’t smell like vinegar once dry!)
• I usually use both and find the combo is pretty effective.

Natural Laundry Fragrance

• You need wool dryer balls or 2 rags or wash cloths
• Lavender Essential Oil, or another oil of your choice. Another one of my favorites is Sweet Orange Oil,
• Optional – spray bottle and water

Sprinkle the Oil Directly Out of the Bottle

I’ve done this two different ways. One, is to take the wool dryer balls or wash cloths and sprinkle the oil directly out of the bottle, like in the picture. The pros are that it’s really easy and leaves the strongest scent. Only con is that it uses more of the oil at a time, thus, more money.

Dilute the Oil and Spray It On

Another method, which makes the essential oil last longer but the scent isn’t as strong, is to dilute the oil in water and spray it on the dryer balls or wash cloths using a spray bottle. It’s also easy to do. I fill up the bottle with water about 3/4 full, then add the oil until it smells strong enough for me. I think this might be different for everyone, so I didn’t want to write a “recipe” for it.