DIY Laundry Scent Boosters With Essential Oils

Essential oils offer a natural alternative to store-bought laundry scent boosters that contain vague “fragrance” ingredients and dyes. They also have antibacterial properties, such as eucalyptus oil, which helps disinfect germ-ridden laundry while imparting a fresh fragrance.

Using this DIY laundry scent booster is easy and safe. Just be sure to follow dilution guidelines and conduct a patch test prior to applying essential oils to your fabrics.

Citrus Oils

Citrus oils are bright, cheery, and energizing scents that pack a punch in natural cleaning formulas. These versatile oils, derived from the peels and rinds of citrus trees, provide fragrance as well as natural degreasing, antimicrobial, and disinfectant properties for use in surface cleaners, natural room sprays, soaps, and laundry helpers. They’re also a natural fabric freshener, adding a pleasant aroma while cleaning and extending the life of your clothes.

The best part about these uplifting and energizing oils is that they blend beautifully with most other essential oil types, making them easy to incorporate into homemade laundry helpers and natural fabric softeners. For instance, sweet orange essential oil works wonderfully with lavender, peppermint, and lemon essential oils in a simple DIY laundry scent booster recipe.

To make this scented salt, thoroughly combine your dry base ingredient — either coarse sea or kosher salt — with the liquid scent options of your choice. Stir gently with a large spoon until evenly combined and clump-free. Funnel mixture into a clean pint (2 cup) glass jar or other sealable container.

Close the jar and shake to redistribute oil droplets. It’s fine if the oils occasionally re-pool or pool a little at the top — this helps to ensure even distribution of the natural fragrance and makes for an even more fragrant finished product. Store in a cool, dark place until ready for use.

Some specialty online stores offer curated essential oil combos specifically designed for laundry infusion. These premade fragrance combinations take the guesswork out of mixing your own and deliver a high-quality product that’s ready to use right out of the bottle. Mountain Rose Herbs Laundry Scent Blends are a great example, featuring pairings like “Clean & Bright” and “Fresh & Cozy.” You can also purchase individual single-note options, including lemon, eucalyptus, spearmint, and lavender, that’ll add delightful fragrances to your laundry while cleansing and softening.

Lavender Oil

Lavender essential oil (Lavandula angustifolia) is a gentle, versatile oil that’s often favored for its calming properties. Research shows that it can reduce anxiety and stress, promote sleep, and soothe irritated skin.

It has antiseptic, analgesic, antimicrobial and rejuvenating properties, as well as being a natural insect repellent. Adding lavender to your laundry is an easy way to make your clothes smell clean, fresh and soft. You can also add a few drops to a wet cloth and apply it directly to your face to help with insomnia, headaches or migraines. It’s even helpful in treating dermatitis and reducing itching.

This oil is also known as the universal essential oil, owing to its many uses and benefits, making it one of the most popular and commonly used oils worldwide. It’s a clear to orange liquid with a light floral and herbaceous fragrance. Lavender essential oil contains several constituents that have antiseptic and analgesic properties, including linalool, linalyl acetate, terpinene-4-ol and cineole-ocimene.

When purchasing lavender oil, choose a supplier that either distills its own lavender oil or deals directly with the farmers who do so. Look for high-quality oil that’s free from any additives or contaminants. Avoid buying synthetic lavender oil, as it’s not as effective and can cause adverse reactions.

To create your own DIY scent booster, start by thoroughly mixing dry base ingredients — Epsom salt and optional baking soda — until clump-free. Slowly add your chosen essential oil blend, stirring constantly to ensure even distribution. Once everything is mixed together, funnel into a clean pint (2 cup) glass jar or other sealable container. Store in a cool, dark place and use as needed to elevate your washing experience!

Add 1-2 tablespoon to each wash cycle for a mild, freshening boost. For heavy or soiled loads, increase the amount slightly to 3-4 tablespoon for a stronger scent. You can also sprinkle a little on top of wool dryer balls before placing them in the dryer to add an extra dose of softness and fragrance. Or try adding a few drops to your ironing board for a fragrant and delicately scented ironing session.

Eucalyptus Oil

Eucalyptus oil is a highly concentrated hydrocarbon extract from the leaves of the genus Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae family). It has a wide variety of uses, including as a fragrance, flavoring, antiseptic, and insect repellent.

Eucalptus oils contain a number of active chemical compounds with potential therapeutic properties. These include anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, as well as the ability to stimulate the growth of new tissue and protect against infection. Inhalation of eucalyptus oil may also help clear airways, promote cough suppression, ease breathing in respiratory conditions, and alleviate symptoms of bronchitis and sinusitis.

Its anti-inflammatory effects make eucalyptus an effective natural pain reliever, with studies showing that it can help reduce muscle aches and joint pains. In addition, eucalyptus can help control bacteria that cause gingivitis and bad breath. Adding a drop of eucalyptus oil to mouthwash may decrease the amount of volatile sulfur compounds in your breath, thereby improving your oral health.

Another eucalyptus essential oil benefit is its ability to deter lice, and it has been shown to be as effective as traditional pyrethrins in clinical trials. Its high levels of 1,8-cineole can destroy lice and their eggs in just one treatment, while leaving skin unharmed.

This DIY laundry scent booster recipe uses simple ingredients that you’ll likely already have in your pantry. It requires only coarse salt and your favorite essential oil. To use it, simply sprinkle a tablespoon of the mixture onto a load before placing it in the washer, or place a few drops on your dryer balls when drying your clothes. Adjust the amount of oil used according to your preferences and your container’s capacity, but remember that it can take 24 hours for the oils to fully infuse the salt. Be sure to store the jar with a lid that will close tightly to prevent moisture loss and contamination. Ideally, you want to keep it out of sunlight, which will accelerate the spoiling process. If you find that the essential oils begin to pool up when stored, give it a shake to redistribute the drops and ensure even fragrance distribution.

Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil is a great choice for scenting laundry because it’s one of the few essential oils that actually softens fabric, as well as smells amazing. It’s also an excellent natural antibacterial and antifungal agent, so it’ll help keep your wash fresh and clean. It’s distilled from the leaves of the Australian tree, Melaleuca alternifolia. It has a fresh, camphoraceous (like pine or citrus) odour and a pale yellow to colorless liquid. It’s often used as a natural remedy for skin conditions, such as acne, toenail fungus, and dandruff, but it’s also found in many over-the-counter and homemade cleaning products.

To make this DIY recipe, you’ll need 4-5 cups of coarse salt (like sea salt, kosher, or Epsom) and 2-3 teaspoons of your favorite essential oil(s). If you prefer a light or mild scent, start with just 2 drops and add more to taste. The coarse salt in this DIY recipe helps to carry the essential oil and diffuse it throughout the entire load of laundry, while also providing a natural way to soften fabrics (especially helpful if you have hard water).

Mix all ingredients together until clump-free. Transfer into clean airtight jars for moisture protection and fragrance containment. Pretty containers can live in your laundry room for easy access, while plainer bulk batch jars can be stored in the cool basement or closet for maximum longevity (up to 12 months).

For use, sprinkle a few tablespoons of scented salt atop a full load of laundry before starting the wash. If using in a front loading washer, place it before adding clothes, to ensure it’s evenly dispersed and not layered on top of the delicates.

If you’re unsure of how much to use in your washer, try starting with 1 cup per load and adjust as needed. Be sure to avoid overusing this DIY laundry scent boosters as too much can cause the buildup of soap scum in your washing machine and can also reduce the effectiveness of your detergent. For HE machines, use 1/4 cup of the scented salt per load.