Do you want to have fresh smelling, sanitized clothes? Then these 15 essential oils to use in the laundry are for you!
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15 Essential Oils To Use In The Laundry!
Essential Oils are a great way to make your clothes naturally fresh!
They are not only great to add to your washing machine and dryer during times of illness, but their scents are also a great way to promote certain emotions!
Add essential oils to the laundry to help encourage a better nights sleep, relax, inspire, energize etc.
Essential Oils For Laundry
How to use essential oils in the washing machine and dryer.
There are two different ways that you can use your essential oils in the washing machine.
The first is to add 4-6 drops to your washer during the wash cycle.
The second is to add it, along with a little bit of water, to the fabric softener compartment in your washing machine before starting a cycle.
To use your essential oils in the dryer, simply add about four or five drops of oil to a small rag, or a wool dryer ball, and throw it in your dryer before turning it on.
How simple is that?!
Great smelling, cleaner laundry in just a few seconds!
Which essential oils are the best to use in the washing machine?
The following essential oils are the ones that I recommend using in your washing machine:
Lemon is an excellent oil to clean with! It is one of the oils that I recommend in 11 Essential Oils To Naturally Clean Your Home!
It is a wonderful essential oil to add to the washing machine for its energizing and disinfecting qualities!
Lemon is a very invigorating scent. It is very uplifting, helps dispel sluggishness and promotes clear thinking!
And your laundry, as well as your laundry room, will smell so fresh and cheerful!
Red Mandarin has a sweet, fruity, uplifting scent.
Which, like lemon, is a great smelling oil to add to your washing machine!
Red Mandarin essential oil is great for relieving stress, anxiety, moodiness and fatigue.
Eucalyptus Radiata is a great oil to add to the wash during times of sickness!
Throw it in with sheets, pillow cases and towels as well as clothes! When someone has been sick this a great way to remove the germs from their bedding!
This is also an oil I love to diffuse during cold and flu season!
Tea Tree is a very popular oil!
It is also a great oil to use in times of sickness, or to assist in fighting mold in your home!
So, add it to the washing machine when washing not only clothes and sheets, but the rags and old towels that you use for cleaning!
What a great way to make sure that your cleaning cloths are fresh and clean before using them in your home!
The citrus oils are all such uplifting oils! Orange is very balancing, cheerful, and positive!
Use orange oil and you’ll be saying, “Bring it life, I’m ready!”
Get ready to enjoy life’s moments!
What a wonderful happy scent to add to the washing machine!
How nice will it be to put on your clothes and inhale the wonderful scent of oranges?!
Rosemary is also a great oil to clean with!
And, it pairs wonderfully with lemon essential oil!
The two oils together make a great smelling germ fighting team!
Add it by itself to disinfect, or mix the two oils together for an extra uplifting scent!
Thyme has been used to clean throughout history!
During WWII thyme was used to disinfect hospitals!
So I think that it will definitely do the trick around my house and in my washing machine:)
Oregano essential oil is well know for its historical uses. Historically oregano has been used to disinfect, support the immune system etc.
It is a wonderful oil to add to your washing machine when someone in your home is sick, or when trying to prevent sickness!
What a great oil to use when washing your kid’s clothes that they wear to school!
Geranium has a wonderful floral scent!
Geranium is an excellent oil to use for emotional support!
It is very calming, balancing and uplifting. Whenever I smell geranium I feel very relaxed and emotionally ready to face anything!
Geranium is also said to aid with circulation and to support the adrenals.
You can read more about geranium essential oil in my post 7 Essential Oils That You NEED To Have In Your First Aid Kit!
This is an oil that you are probably familiar with!
When someone mentions essential oils, this is usually what comes to mind.
Lavender is well known for its calming, relaxing properties. It has also been historically used to prevent the spread of illness and to support the immune system.
Another great oil to add to the laundry. Especially when washing sheets!
Imagine climbing into bed and breathing in the relaxing scent of lavender! What a great way to end the day!
The following essential oils are great to use in the dryer:
*Edited to add: There have been reports of fire due to adding essential oils to the dryer. While I have personally never experienced this, it is important to note that it can happen. If you are concerned about the risk of fire then please do not add essential oils to the dryer.
I love peppermint for it’s invigorating qualities! Peppermint is cool, minty and helps to stimulate the mind. It helps me to think clearly and gets my blood flowing!
With my peppermint in hand I’m ready to take on the day!
This is a great oil to add to your wool dryer ball to give your clothes an energizing scent!
This is a blend of four different oils that are meant to inspire romance!
Add it to your dryer ball when drying your sheets, pjs etc. to inspire love and romance!
This blend contains: Rose, Red Mandarin, Geranium and Cinnamon Leaf.
You can find the amount of drops to add to your dryer in my post Be My Valentine Essential Oil Diffuser Blend. The awesome thing about this blend is that you can diffuse it as well!
Eucalyptus Radiata is not only great for the washing machine but great for the dryer as well!
The very popular tea tree oil is also good for the dryer!
Throw in clothes (even if they are already dry) to infuse them with tea tree before heading out for the day!
What a great way to send your kids to school! Add tea tree to the dryer for a few minutes, throw in the clothes they will be wearing that day, and give them some extra immune support before sending them to school!
5. Roman Chamomile Essential Oil
What a great oil to add to the dryer when drying your sheets!
Better yet, throw your pillow in the dryer for a minute with roman chamomile before bed! Chamomile is a great oil to help you get a good nights sleep!
Roman Chamomile is an excellent oil to help enjoy life! It is my go to oil for helping to calm feelings of anger, worry and nervousness.
You can learn more about the amazing benefits of Roman Chamomile here!
Lemongrass is a very soothing oil with a wonderful lemon like scent!
A wonderful oil to add to your dryer for a fresh comforting scent!
Lavender is good to add to the dryer as well as the washing machine too!
Calming, relaxing and comforting! Add your pjs, sheets and pillow to the dryer with lavender just before bed for a cozy, warm relaxing nights sleep!
Essential Oils In Laundry
Those are the best 15 essential oils to use in the laundry!
Do you use essential oils in your washing machine or dryer? Do you like to clean your clothes naturally?
Which oils are your favorites to use in the laundry?
Please leave a comment below and let me know!
If you would like to read additional essential oil cleaning tips and recipes, then check out the following posts:
11 Essential Oils To Naturally Clean Your Home!
5 Essential Oils To Purify The Air In Your Home!
Clean Home Deodorizing Essential Oil Diffuser Blend!
How To Clean Your Dishwasher And Dishes With Essential Oils!
Disclaimer: The information provided on this site is for educational purposes only. I do not prescribe, diagnose or treat any medical conditions. Please consult your health care provider before implementing any of the information provided on this site.
The information provided on this site is completely my own opinion and does not reflect the opinions or beliefs of any other entity.
Any statements or claims regarding health benefits of foods, supplements or essential oils listed on this site have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Thank you so much! I know am going to start putting lavender oil in my washer right now!! I am going to be using your website quite often. Thank you for your Vast Knowledge of Essential Oils.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the post Charlotte! Essential oils are definitely one of my passions that I love to share with others:)
I am so glad that I found this helpful post. I have never heard about these capabilities of essential oils! Thanks for sharing!
I’m going to try it , thank you !!!!!
Thanks For sharing This type of informative content. keep it up.
I love using lemon, eucalyptus, and lavender in laundry! It’s a nice fresh, crisp smell that I especially love when the weather starts cooling! Melaleuca ( Tea Tree) is great for the immune system and Sanitizing also. My absolute favorite for sanitizing is one by doTERRA called Purity that has Lemon, Siberian Fir, Citronella, Lime, Tea Tree, and Cilantro which they call their Cleansing Blend that is so fresh, crisp and just downright Pure smelling!
This isn’t a comment, its a question. I share a laundry machine with someone else, if I add essential oil to the detergent will it leave the smell remaining in the washer? I don’t want it too effect others. If someone could please let me know I would greatly appreciate it!! Thank you all and Merry Christmas
I just read information that cautioned against using essential oils in the dryer/on dryer balls as the oils are flammable. I will try oils in the wash however!
Hello, I’d like to use essential oils to sanitise my washing mashing and stop it getting that horrid musty odour. Which are the best to use, and how?
thank you
Any of the oils in this post would be helpful. You can add them to your laundry detergent when washing.
Use white vinegar about a cup or so with hot water and run threw the cleaning cycle or a normal wash. And always leave the lid open
Where can iget the address and telephone to purchase.i make my own detergent need to add different oils is this the oil to purchase .or where can i get to add in the mixing of deyergent to get different flavours.
You can find a link to purchase the oils on this page:https://theorganicgoatlady.com/essential-oils/
I’ve been doing research on this topic. There are a few important things to note. In washer, hot water can wash away the fragrance. In dryer essential oil can catch fire on high heat. Citrus oils are most flammable. And remember,eucalyptus, peppermint and a few other oils are not recommended for kids under 6. I think I’m going to try oil on my dryer balls in low heat, anyway! But I understand there could be a slight risk.
Your article about ‘Essential Oils To Use In The Laundry’ looks very useful and helpful for me. Thank you for sharing it.
Thanks for the info! I love this 🙂 I am looking to add some different scents to my laundry that don’t smell so much like chemicals and I am going to try some of the different essential oils out. How do you think Almond essential oil would do in the wash?
Almond oil is a carrier not an essential oil, so I would not add that to the wash. It can leave oil stains on your clothes and you have to be worried about the flammable aspect of carriers as well.
Thanks for this! Do you think I can use papaya essential oil?
I’m actually not familiar with papaya essential oil. Just be sure that it is an actual essential oil and not a carrier oil, as that is definitely not the same as an essential oil and will make the clothes oily.
Can I dump a hold bottle lavander oil in laundry soap
It really just depends on the size of your laundry soap. I personally would do it per load so that you can control the amount going into each load.
Do you have a printable version of your list? I’d like to post it in my laundry room as sort of a “How to Guide”
How much essential oil should I put in the washing machine to combat urine odor?