Saturday, February 4, 2012

Doing the Laundry with Essential Oils



With essential oils, there is really no part of your life that the oils can not be useful in. We are an olfactory sensitive society. Almost all of our cleaning products are scented, not to mention the candles we burn, the room and car fresheners and the list could go on and on. I seem to encounter more and more people who say they are allergic to scents and have to buy everything unscented. However what most of them really mean is that they are allergic to the harsh chemical scents in most candles, room sprays, lotions and cleaning products. Unless you are allergic to the plant itself you will most likely not get the same reaction to essential oils that you have with chemical scents.

So, with that said, wouldn't it be wonderful to pull your laundry out of the dryer and inhale and smell refreshing peppermint, sunny lemon, or floral lavender. I incorporate essential oils into my laundry in two ways. The first is: I add essential oils to my laundry soap. When I have the supplies and time I will make my own powder laundry soap. I will post the recipe in a later post (so stay tuned!!). When making my own I heavily scent it with an odor or bacteria fighting oil such as peppermint, cinnamon, tea tree or a blend called Purify (sold by My Butterfly Oils). I personally buy Peppermint and Purify in bulk bottles, 2 or 4 oz because I use them often in cleaning. If you prefer store bought liquid soap, which I use in a pinch, I will purchase a healthy unscented variety such as Seventh Generation. Then when I pour the soap into the cap, I go ahead and add about 8-15 drops of essential oil, depending on how soiled the load. When I was potty training my son, I usually went on the high end, but for undergarments I usually go on the low end. Other than a very faint smell, the scent I use in the washer does not stick with the clothing through the drying cycle. Essential oils in the washer are mostly for their odor eliminating and bacteria fighting capabilities.

In the dryer I use dryer sheets, unscented and as chemical free as I can find them. I then add 1-4 drops of essential oil directly onto the dryer sheet. The scent you use here is wide open to what you and of course your family prefer. I choose oils that are on sale or that are more economical such as lavender, peppermint, vanilla, lemon...etc. There is nothing better than pulling out your towels and inhaling the fresh, clean, crisp scent of peppermint.



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2 comments:

  1. Started using peppermint oil when washing my reusable period pads. It keeps the smell down and of course its anti-bacterial. Can you add the oil to store bought laundry detergent?

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