28/07/2025
HOME MADE FABRIC SOFTENER AND THE BEST ESSENTIAL OILS FOR THE LAUNDRY
I use Thieves Laundry Soap to wash my clothes. It’s made up of plant-based ingredients and leaves no chemical or synthetic residue. Natural enzymes and powerful essential oils leave your clothes fresh and clean with a light citrus scent, something that the whole family will love. Not only does it clean well, but a little also goes a long way! Thieves Laundry Soap works in all types of washers, and a 947ml bottle can be used for up to 64 loads of laundry.
But Due to their excellent deodorizing, antimicrobial, antifungal, antibacterial and cleaning properties, many essential oils (Eos) work great for use in the laundry. Here are some you may like to add to your natural laundry recipes.
Citrus EOs like lemon, orange, mandarin, bergamot and grapefruit are great at cleaning dirt and grime, deodorising and adding a fresh, clean, uplifting scent.
Tea Tree EO is great for immune support as well as fighting mould and mildew. Great to use when cleaning clothes, sheets & towels whenever someone has been sick. Due to its antifungal nature, its also great to use when you’ve accidentally left a load in the washer for too long it’s developed that awful mouldy, mildew scent.
Eucalyptus EO has a refreshing clean, fresh scent that’s also very calming and relaxing. Combine it with lavender or spearmint and not only will your clothes be clean, but they’ll also smell like you’ve just been to a luxury spa.
Lavender EO is very calming and relaxing. Add lavender to the wash/dryer when cleaning sheets and blankets for a great night’s sleep.
Chamomile EO – like lavender, chamomile is also very calming. It’s great on its own or combine it with bergamot or another citrus oil for an uplifting scent.
Peppermint Or Spearmint EOs are energizing with a fresh, crisp aroma. They blend well with most other essential oils listed here, giving the mixture a clean, cool aroma. They also pack a powerful punch in the laundry due to their antimicrobial, antibacterial, and antiviral properties.
Lemongrass EO has a soothing, comforting spa-like scent.
Rosemary EO oil helps disinfect and boost immunity due to its antimicrobial, antifungal, and antibacterial properties.
Basil EO has a fresh, crisp scent that pairs well with lemon.
Why you’ll love this homemade fabric softener:
It’s natural and non-toxic, which means it doesn’t have any of the nasty chemicals you find in most commercial fabric softeners. And not only does it help soften laundry, it also helps get clothes even more clean than detergent alone. It strips away any residue left on clothes by soaps and detergents.
Unlike commercial softeners, this DIY version doesn’t add a surface coating to fabrics. That makes it great for towels. Towels get soft and fluffy, but unlike with commercial softeners, because there’s no added layer or coating caused by this homemade softener, towels stay thick, thirsty and absorbent. It helps prevent static cling and it smells great!
How To Make Natural Fabric Softener
Step 1: fill a large glass or stainless steel or PET bottle/container with 2 cups of vinegar. You can pick up a giant bottle of white vinegar at Costco. It’s very cheap, natural and effective.
Step 2: add 10-15 drops of essential oil. Increase the number of essential oil drops to 20 if the vinegar smell is too strong. I like stronger natural aromas so I use 20 drops of essential oils in mine. If you like a stronger perfume then just add more of the essential oil you love you want to linger on your clothes.
Use an essential oil that you like the scent of. Lavender, lemon, bergamot, lemongrass, lemon myrtle, pine, peppermint and eucalyptus are some of my favorites. But have a look at the previous list.
You can also combine several essential oils together to create a unique scent. Here are a few I love:
10 drops lemon + 5 drops lavender
6 lavender + 6 drops lime + 2 drops spearmint (or peppermint)
5 drops cypress + 2 drops lime + 6 drops bergamot
10 drops lemon + 2 drops basil + 3 drops peppermint (or spearmint)
7 drops eucalyptus + 7 drops spearmint (or peppermint)
5 drops orange + 5 drops bergamot + 5 drops lemon or lemon myrtle
Sarah’s Tip: I’m a massage therapist so my towels always need to be fragrant and very soft. I found by adding a large squeeze of Young Living Hair Conditioner and some water to my mix made the towels extra soft. But you have to shake and make sure the conditioner is dissolved, or it will become separated and lumpy (clothes still soft but you may have to clean your dispenser. I know this sounds strange but this really works for me but is optional.
Enjoy Sarah
