One Small Step: Essential Oil Instead of Fragranced Dryer Sheets
April 9, 2008 by Peggy
I don’t usually like any kind of scent on my clothes, but I discovered today that I had left a load of towels in the dryer while still damp. Oops, they didn’t quite get dry. I didn’t want to rewash them, so I put about three drops of lemongrass essential oil on a cloth to give them some zing and turned the lazy dryer back on.
It worked. The towels smelled fresh and lemongrassy, but not overwhelming at all. The fun thing about this little tip I’ve read about in many places is that you can pick your own fragrance. You don’t have to go with Lavendar Artificial Breeze or After-Rain Too-Perfumey Surprise. After all, dryer sheets can be toxic.
If you dry your clothes in the dryer and want a little fragrance, add a few drops of essential oil on a cloth instead of using a dryer sheet. It’s cheaper, healthier and much less wasteful.
Of course, drying your clothes on a clothesline with Mother Earth to give them a nice Natural Breeze fragrance is best. I can’t really do that in my apartment, but I have been considering an indoor clothesline. That would surely drive kitty Choco, with his severe love of string, a bit crazy.
Photo via MorgueFile.
I’ve put drops of tea tree oil in the laundry before. It wasn’t for the smell but for the antibiotic properties is has. The smell is strong. Lemongrass would smell fresh and clean I think.
I use oils this way too, but more in the wash. I do hang almost all my clothes, we just hang them on hangers in the shower. It’s not like we care how the bathroom looks, it saves energy, saves clothing, and they dry fast inside. Plus it cuts out a laundry step. We just go washer-hanger to dry- closet.
rjlight, that’s interesting. So, the tree oil doesn’t stain the clothes or do you apply it to a cloth first?
Jennifer, do you use any kind of eco-friendly fabric softener in the wash? One thing about hanging clothes indoors is that they can get stiff. I don’t remember that being a problem with hanging clothes outdoors though. I do actually hang my rugs and a few things on my shower rod too.
I use a combo of tangerine (cheerfulness) and rose otto (balances the emotions) as a signature scent for my home. I use the mix (5/3) in all my cleaning supplies that I make as well as in the dryer.
It must work..I tend to be pretty happy and stress free.
The reason the clothes outside are softer is the wind moving them as they dry keeps them soft.
Marye, that’s nice — a signature scent. Too many different smells just isn’t good.
I’ve used lavender to scent my clothes in the dryer. I absolutely cannot stand the scent of dryer sheets. I’m with you on Mother Earth’s scent being the very best. I love sleeping on sheets that have been hung out to dry. MMMmmmmm. Another thing I always look forward to spring for.
nice idea! stay away from tea tree oil and lavender, though, as some studies have shown them to be endocrine disruptors:
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/news/releases/2007/01312007oils.cfm
@Peggy I have used eco-friendly fabric softener, but I don’t always.
@Mamabird I’d take a study like that with a grain of salt – three case studies and some lab work does not make a very compelling study. I’ve never actually seen a study done with three subjects only. Also boys of a common age tend to have much in common. Other like wise factors were not discussed. Also, the oils were in products not pure, and there was no discussion of how synthetic those products were or whether the oils were even organic, often times oils found in commercial grade products are perfume grade oils, not true to form oils. Longer term studies have shown both tea tree and lavender oil to be useful for any number of things, including positive health aspects. Like any oil, med, or herb, one oil can have issues for some people, but recommending that people avoid all tea tree and lavender is a bit much based on that one minor finding.
I don’t have a dryer and line dry everything, and like you said Jennfer I hang clothes on the hanger before I put it on the line (one less step right?) so I’m wonderng if this would work in the washer with the fabric softener maybe?
Kisha, I believe Jennifer mentioned above that she uses oil in the washer since she doesn’t use the dryer. I’d be nervous about pouring the oil directly on clothes though. Use it in a mix with the fabric softener dispenser, I would think.
Linette, I can so see you line-drying sheets : )
Mamabird, thanks for visiting. I’ll have to check out your study. I admit that all the studies out there about chemicals, etc. make me dizzy sometimes. It’s easy to not want to buy anything if I spend too much time reading them. : )
If you like to dry stuff you can save on fabric sheets. Something you can do is keep a reusable fabric softener sheet – i.e a washcloth. Each time you dry clothing or what have you (I dry blankets) pour a dab of fabric softener and a dash of essential oils onto the washcloth and toss it in the dryer. You can omit the fabric softener and just use oils though.
For the washer, add the essential oils to the fabric softener compartment deal – if you don’t use fabric softener, use water in the dispenser with the oil. Essential oils can break down some plastics so you don’t want to add it to the compartment alone. You can also do what I do with the dryer and sprinkle the essential oil on a washcloth, which keeps it from pooling on an article of clothing.
By now, I can see that I should have wrote a new post about this. Oh well.
Dear Jennifer,
Not everyone reads comments. Go ahead and write your post : )
Hear you on studies perhaps being flawed or incomplete…I am no scientist so I tend to err on the avoidance principle (like many of us are using while the jury is out on BPA for instance), what with EWG Skin Deep-type uncertainties floating out there. But lots of people use essential oils. I’ve just been going fragrance free since reading reports of the aforementioned study and reading No Impact Man one time saying that overuse of essential oils was affecting marine life. Of course you’re right, one study doesn’t make something dangerous. But for me, just because something is natural (and/or widely used) doesn’t automatically mean it’s safe.
Love your followup post (Homemade BP’s Safety 101) – helpful info and links. Very much appreciated! Comments not working on it for me so I thought I’d thank you here.
The comments aren’t working? Thanks MamaBird, I’ll check it out.
Thanks again MamaBird – I never would have known, but I think I got it fixed
I sell PURE cleaning and Pet products to national retailers. It works, it’s safe and it’s biodegradable.
Here is my consumer question. Will someone buy a product that has enough dryer sheets for 60 days that are reusable and are sold with three popular fragrances included in the kit to choose from???