Natural Laundry Hacks
Laundry was one of those things that was really quite tough for me to switch over... I used to love the laundry smell but when I learned about the fragrance industry and labeling loopholes for anything “scented”, I started to back off and find more natural alternatives.
You know what’s funny? Now that I’ve switched, I don’t even miss the laundry smell. In fact, I cannot STAND it. My nostrils burn and I get an instant headache… I can smell laundry down the street, and not in a good way.
Why is that?
Ten years ago, a University of Washington study of top-selling laundry products and air fresheners found that these products emitted dozens of different chemicals. All six products tested gave off at least one chemical regulated as toxic or hazardous under federal laws, but NONE of those chemicals were listed on the product labels.
The kicker?
They’re not even breaking any rules! Manufacturers are not required to list the ingredients in laundry products… nor in air fresheners.
And although the FDA requires cosmetics manufacturers to list ingredients, no law requires products of any kind to list chemicals used in “fragrances”. Fragrance is an ingredient on a label that might be hiding any combination of thousands of mystery chemicals. When you think about the fact that so much of what we use every day has fragrance added ON TOP of the other ingredients, it’s no surprise that trying to read labels and make good choices is VERY confusing and VERY frustrating. I know it has been for me.
So, it turns out that the daily off-gassing of toxic fragrance and laundry chemicals can impact our health?
Yes. Many of these chemicals are neurotoxins (no wonder I feel funny in the laundry aisle of the grocery store!), skin irritants, respiratory irritants and endocrine disruptors. Whether we are seeing the impacts on ourselves right now, daily chemical exposure is something worth paying attention to… these toxins are everywhere from the seemingly-benign pink baby detergent to the trend of “scent boosters” that emanate fragrance from the linen closet and down the street. Remember where laundry ends up…. on our skin, on our sheets and pillowcases, it’s on us all the time!
Ready to make changes? Here are some tips to make your laundry room, and the clothes you wear everyday, truly CLEAN and free from harsh chemicals.
Use Thieves® Laundry Soap: This little bottle of miracle soap will change your laundry life! It gets your clothes so clean, smells light and fresh, and lasts a LONG time. You can find different recipes to dilute this formula and make it last even longer, my version is at the bottom here!
Skip the Fabric Softener: Did you know that fabric softeners are one of THE most toxic things in your home? They coat your clothing in fragrance on purpose…. meanwhile, a half-cup of vinegar added during the rinse cycle will produce the same results, without any toxic chemicals — and there is another recipe to try for more “softening” just below.
Make a Natural Scent Boost: This is one of the simplest recipes and so cost-effective; it’s a game-changer. Add equal parts baking soda and epsom salt to a large glass container, mix and add in 20-40 drops of essential oils of your choice. I love RC for this! Mix it all up and let it dry out overnight so it doesn’t clump. Then, put your lid on and keep by the washer, adding 1 Tbsp of laundry boost to the load as you add your detergent. Note: this is not going to create a super-strong synthetic smell that will last for weeks and weeks… and that’s ok! This is going to smell truly clean and deodorized, while being good for us and the environment.
Ditch the Dryer Sheets: Wool dryer balls are a great alternative. You can add a safety pin on there for static cling. Add a few drops of your favorite Young Living™ essential oil to the balls for a boost of added scent, or you can make a dryer ball spray with your favorite oils to spritz on the wool dryer balls before use. Patchouli and Lemongrass are very strong and lasting aromas for this.
Natural Stain Remover I’ve used lots of weird goopy stain removers over the years, but now I keep it simple by pre-treating stains with some Thieves Household Cleaner, Thieves Bar Soap, Thieves Laundry Soap, Lemon oil (great for grease), or even Thieves Dish Soap! Any of these work great for different needs, and before washing, I’ll give them a nice warm soak and a good scrub as well.
Try A Laundry Detox Soak: Sometimes we need something with a little more OOMPH. Synthetic fabrics can hold onto FUNK — and instead of covering it up with fragrance, you can actually soak your clothing (or sheets, towels, anything) to help powerfully detox and deodorize, and/or to help purge the build-up from your previous laundry routine. If your towels feel brittle, your workout clothes just don’t smell clean, or you’re moving away from things like fabric softener, you might want to give this a go. Basically fill up your tub or sink with hot water, add in 1-2 Tbsp of Thieves Laundry Soap, 1 Tbsp Thieves Fruit & Veggie Soak, 1 Tbsp Thieves Household Cleaner, 5 drops of DiGize essential oil blend, and mix it all around, then add your laundry and LET SOAK. You will probably see the water turn some weird color… move things around and soak for 30 minutes to several hours or even overnight. Then drain, rinse and wash as normal. I am always amazed at how well this works!
Clean Your Washer: This helps get rid of soap scum, bacteria, and other icky things that collect in your machine over time. Simply add some white vinegar into a hot water cycle and run. You could add in Thieves Household Cleaner and/or lemon or geranium oil. A clean washer will help keep your clothes smelling fresh and will also “detox” your machine from all the past chemicals!
Two Easy Recipes
Natural Fabric Softener
I have not tried this one but I did find this recipe for those of you who find yourself missing your fabric softener or want to me a healthy swap.
1 cup distilled water (hot to mix)
½ cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons YL hair conditioner (Lavender or Copaiba Vanilla)
20 drops of your favorite essential oil (Lavender, Gentle Baby)
Mix well and pour ⅛-¼ cup into fabric softener dispenser. Some people use a blender to really mix it up!
Diluted Thieves Laundry Soap
I recommend trying the laundry soap as directed, as full-strength first and then dilute a bit at a time to make sure you prefer it that way. This is my recipe but I’ve seen lots of others using washing soda and other things to stretch it even farther.
Pour your laundry soap into 1/3 of 16-32oz pump bottle and slowly add warm water. Add a splash of Thieves Fruit & Veggie Soak, 1-2 capfuls of Thieves All-purpose Household Cleaner and 20-50 drops of purification or oil of choice (DiGize is actually incredible) to each container. Gently shake and invert until evenly distributed. Use 8-12 pumps per large load.
To Review.. Your Cheat Sheet for Better Laundry
Stains/Pre-Treating
Thieves Cleaner
Thieves Dish Soap
Use one or both or all three, followed by a warm soak and scrub
Thieves Laundry Detergent
Works great on its own!
Dilute/enhance if it works better for you
Laundry Boost
Mix Epsom salt, Baking soda, RC or Purification blend, Lemongrass, Lavender (or any oils you like!)
Fabric Softeners
White vinegar or DIY recipe with conditioner
Drop oils on the balls and let soak in for a minute before popping them into the dryer, or make a spray with any oils you like!