# FO suitable for laundry?



## mamansavon (Jun 15, 2021)

Would there ne a fragrance oil suitable for homemade laundry detergents?
I know scent isn't necessary but I like it!
thanks


----------



## artemis (Jun 15, 2021)

Any fragrance that you like!


----------



## artemis (Jun 15, 2021)

I will add, though, that the scent doesn't stick to the laundry.


----------



## mamansavon (Jun 15, 2021)

artemis said:


> I will add, though, that the scent doesn't stick to the laundry.


ah, that's a shame 
thanks anyway


----------



## KimW (Jun 15, 2021)

I'd been wondering same.  I had a chance to test some soaps recently and I liked the smell of some of them so much I trimmed off about .5cm (smaller than .25 inches) slices and put them in a few loads of laundry (I wriggled them inside a scrubbie and threw the scrubbie in the wash).  I can attest that the smell did transfer to the laundry.  So much so that I had to take it down a notch and only put in one sliver at a time - I got a little overzealous and started with five slivers, but it made the closet smell real nice!  I didn't notice one FO being more intense than another, but then again I have a sensitive sniffer and I haven't used fragranced laundry soap for almost 30 yrs.  My step-Mother-in-law uses Tide (with no softeners) and I literally almost choke when I use her towels because the scent is so strong, so perhaps the scent the FO imparted to the laundry isn't what most folks would call "scented", but it was just right for me.


----------



## mamansavon (Jun 15, 2021)

Very interesting!
What's a scrubbie? I haven't heard of scrubbies before here in the UK.

I just read something about the possibility of mixing FO with vinegar and adding that to the conditioner drawer... apparently the clothes come out soft and scented.


----------



## KimW (Jun 15, 2021)

Oops - I apologize - i didn't notice you were in the UK.  I think you might call them "dish scourers" - folks in the US might call them that too now that I think about it!  Here's a picture:


----------



## Catscankim (Jun 16, 2021)

I wonder if you can add a little fo to the rinse cycle?


----------



## mamansavon (Jun 16, 2021)

KimW said:


> Oops - I apologize - i didn't notice you were in the UK.  I think you might call them "dish scourers" - folks in the US might call them that too now that I think about it!  Here's a picture:
> 
> View attachment 58566



Thank you.
So do you put these in with the clothes?


----------



## lsg (Jun 16, 2021)

I have used just a drop or two on a washcloth and ran that through the dryer cycle with the rest of the load.


----------



## Zany_in_CO (Jun 16, 2021)

I happen to be testing scents for the laundry now. Here's what I use:

_Water-Soluble Fragrance for Laundry (EO or FO)_

_16 oz. Distilled water
2 oz. Polysorbate 20 or 80
0.5 oz. Fragrance_

_Add 2 oz. to dry wash cloth. Wring to disburse. Toss in the dryer with the wet laundry._

TIP: To avoid oil stains on clothes be sure the fragrance oil is completely dissolved in the water. After mixing at room temp, let set for an hour to see if oil rises to the top. If so, add more polysorbate. You can also warm it in the microwave for one minute to dissolve more easily.  

You can also add 1/4 cup to the last wash rinse cycle along with 1/4 cup white vinegar for a Downey soft result. Be sure to rinse the load in cold water as many times as necessary to get all the soap residue out or eventually your clothes and bed linens will be stiff and somewhat dingy. 

I LUV folding laundry these days! So clean, soft and lightly scented.


----------



## Zany_in_CO (Jun 16, 2021)

KimW said:


> I can attest that the smell did transfer to the laundry. So much so that I had to take it down a notch


I had the same experience. My first attempt at adding to wash/rinse cycle came out too strong. I like the idea of adding a sliver of scented soap to the batch. Good thinking! 


mamansavon said:


> mixing FO with vinegar and adding that to the conditioner drawer... apparently the clothes come out soft and scented.


Yes.


lsg said:


> I have used just a drop or two on a washcloth and ran that through the dryer cycle with the rest of the load.


 Good idea, and the most simple solution, but I would be a bit concerned about the drop of oil being transferred to my favorite white blouse.


----------



## Janewoc17 (Jun 16, 2021)

I've had good luck adding a few drops of essential oil to my wool dryer balls after using plain vinegar in the rinse cycle. I tried adding EO to the vinegar in a separate labeled bottle, but the fragrance didn't seem to last. I have recently read that EO's are not soluble in vinegar or water--meaning that you might get no fragrance or all the fragrance. Also putting in my vote for sun-dried laundry for the best fragrance ever. But not everyone is lucky enough to live in the desert...the temperature hit 117'F in our backyard so take that last bit with a pinch of salt--or a 2 pound salt rock!  Looking enviously at you Oregonians and Washingtonians!


----------



## earlene (Jun 16, 2021)

Sun-dried tomato scent!   

Great idea with the dryer balls!



Janewoc17 said:


> I've had good luck adding a few drops of essential oil to my wool dryer balls after using plain vinegar in the rinse cycle. I tried adding EO to the vinegar in a separate labeled bottle, but the fragrance didn't seem to last. I have recently read that EO's are not soluble in vinegar or water--meaning that you might get no fragrance or all the fragrance. Also putting in my vote for sun-dried laundry for the best fragrance ever. But not everyone is lucky enough to live in the desert...the temperature hit 117'F in our backyard so take that last bit with a pinch of salt--or a 2 pound salt rock!  Looking enviously at you Oregonians and Washingtonians!



Yeah, here with the humidity as high as it gets in the summer months, towels don't actually get dry on the line.  I gave up on line drying with the help of my husband who didn't like bending over when on the riding lawn mower.  He pulled down one of the posts to which the lines were attached when he put up the raised garden beds cuz' he figured I'd never hang laundry over them and he was right about that.  I actually do still have one line I can use, but rarely do basically because I'm too lazy to trek out there in the non-humid months.


----------



## KimW (Jun 16, 2021)

mamansavon said:


> Thank you.
> So do you put these in with the clothes?


Yep, you got it - I just throw it on top of the clothes in the washer and then run the washer as normal.


----------



## Janewoc17 (Jun 16, 2021)

earlene said:


> Sun-dried tomato scent!
> 
> Great idea with the dryer balls!
> 
> ...


When I lived in high humidity places--Texas, Mississippi, Ohio, I think I just whimpered pathetically until things changed


----------



## Catscankim (Jun 16, 2021)

Never tried it, but i dont think anything would ever dry on the line here lol


----------



## Janewoc17 (Jun 16, 2021)

Agreed! Whatever did people do before electric/gas dryers? While I use my clothesline most of the time, I would be miserable (and wear grubber clothes) without my modern dryer!


----------



## KimW (Jun 16, 2021)

@mamansavon  - looked up my notes and the scent "Willow and Ivy" from Nurture Soap was my favorite for laundry.  Matter of fact, going to buy some today.


----------



## mamansavon (Jun 16, 2021)

KimW said:


> @mamansavon  - looked up my notes and the scent "Willow and Ivy" from Nurture Soap was my favorite for laundry.  Matter of fact, going to buy some today.


Thank you


----------



## KimW (Jun 16, 2021)

OOPS - I was reminded that "Willow & Ivy" FO is from Bramble Berry.  Sorry about that!


----------



## violets2217 (Jun 17, 2021)

I made a solid laundry bar, some liquid dish soap and a fabric/air freshener spay with a WSP's Agave Nectar Odor Neutralizing FO 426. It's a beautiful FO and pretty strong but not overpowering. The whole family loves it and I'm glad because the couch and the stinky boys rooms get sprayed often! I'm not really sure if it carries over in the wash because my middle child had me add the fragrance beads to my homemade power detergent this time and that is all I smell... but it could be a mixture of both I suppose. Also the amount of grated soap in my detergent is minimal compared the the other ingredients. Anyways, its a pretty cool FO!


----------



## Quanta (Jun 17, 2021)

I normally use lavender EO in my detergent, just enough to cover the surfactant smell (which dissipates on its own after a while anyway, but I like lavender). Actually, come to think of it, I don't think I have ever used any other fragrance. If I did, I might use Cotton Blossom from WSP. I haven't tried that one yet in laundry but it is a nice fresh scent. I need to make another batch soon so I think I'll use it this time. I don't use enough EO for the scent to stick after drying (even after line drying) but I am wondering if FO is better at sticking. I will have to experiment.

I would also caution those who use FO in the dryer cycle, on wool balls or other things.* I have heard of that practice causing fires.* It has not happened to me but I would still be very careful when doing this. If you put drops of undiluted FO on something and put that something into the dryer, the oil is concentrated in one spot and can get very hot. There is actually a warning label on all laundry appliances that tell you not to put anything with oil on it into the dryer because it can cause a fire.

I would use fragrance only in a product used in the washer because it will be more evenly dispersed on the fabric before being moved to the dryer. Not FO by itself or anything, but actually added to a product like soap or detergent, or pre-solubilized into a bottle of water with Polysorbate 80 like Zany suggested. If you add FO that is not pre-solubilized into something, you will get oil stains on the fabric you're trying to wash. Fragrance oil does not dissolve or mix into water or vinegar without a solubilizer.


----------



## dibbles (Jun 18, 2021)

Quanta said:


> I would also caution those who use FO in the dryer cycle, on wool balls or other things.* I have heard of that practice causing fires.* It has not happened to me but I would still be very careful when doing this. If you put drops of undiluted FO on something and put that something into the dryer, the oil is concentrated in one spot and can get very hot. There is actually a warning label on all laundry appliances that tell you not to put anything with oil on it into the dryer because it can cause a fire.


I've never heard that before - thank you for mentioning it. I use wool dryer balls but I didn't find that the EO scent stayed very long, so I quit using it.


----------



## Catscankim (Jun 18, 2021)

KimW said:


> @mamansavon  - looked up my notes and the scent "Willow and Ivy" from Nurture Soap was my favorite for laundry.  Matter of fact, going to buy some today.


I just got this fo for my candles. It has become my favorite overall scent. I love it!!!


----------



## KiwiMoose (Jun 18, 2021)

Clean Linen?  Smells like clean laundry


----------



## KimW (Jun 18, 2021)

So what happened was... I went clicking around and stumbled upon an old post in a different forum where someone mentioned making "laundry scent crystals/booster".  I had no idea this was a thing.  Who knew.  I made some using EOs and I'm very happy with the results, though I did end up using about 1/2 ounce, rather than just 20 drops of EO (I'd use the recommended few drops if using FO since it's stronger), to get my desired results.  I add 2 US Tablespoons to the pre-wash compartment of my HE front loader.








						How To Make Super Cheap Laundry Scent Boosters
					

With this all-natural Laundry Scent Boosters, you'll love the smell when you fold it AND when you get it out to use it. DIY this recipe today!




					truemoneysaver.com
				




FYI:  After I got my washer nice and clean, laundry started to smell like scorched soap when I changed my laundry soap recipe, and no amount of EOs added to the soap seemed to help.  Smelled great coming out of the wash, but then smelled like scorched soap after they were dried in the dryer or on the line.  The "laundry scent crystals" neutralized that scorched soap smell and now my laundry is back to smelling like...nothing.  Fantastic, beautiful nothing.  ahhhhh.

I'm sure if one used FO in homemade laundry scent crystals the smell would transfer and stick to the laundry, just as it did when I added FO scented soap to my laundry.  Just a thought.

*UPDATE: * Just buried my face in the basket of clean laundry and the smell of the EOs did make it through drying.  Very faint, but it's there.  Groovy.


----------



## KiwiMoose (Jun 18, 2021)

Thanks @KimW !  I'm gonna make these next time instead of forking out circa $NZ55 for a tub of Scentsy laundry freshener.
The only thing is - I though 'Kosher' was a jewish term for something that is suitable for their religious preferences.  Can I not just use regular salt crystals?  Sea salt or something?  I don't think we can get kosher salt here without going to a specialty store. Is it just regular salt with a prayer said?  Or is there something special about it?


----------



## Zany_in_CO (Jun 18, 2021)

Kosher salt is coarse. Regular table salt is fine. According to the link above:
_



			Coarse salt is the perfect ingredient as a laundry scent booster because it takes longer to dissolve, therefore the scent stays in the washer with the clothes longer making them have a stronger fresh smell long after the water has washed down the drain.
		
Click to expand...





_
Regular Salt         Kosher Salt
_


_
Kosher Salt on Top

ETA: Of course, you could try regular table salt. Just make sure to say a prayer over it that sticks.


----------



## KimW (Jun 19, 2021)

KiwiMoose said:


> Thanks @KimW !  I'm gonna make these next time instead of forking out circa $NZ55 for a tub of Scentsy laundry freshener.
> The only thing is - I though 'Kosher' was a jewish term for something that is suitable for their religious preferences.  Can I not just use regular salt crystals?  Sea salt or something?  I don't think we can get kosher salt here without going to a specialty store. Is it just regular salt with a prayer said?  Or is there something special about it?



I used Morton's Kosher Salt solely because it's the only coarse salt I can find up here.  Can you get pickling/canning salt there?  I did do enough research to figure out that the salt just needs to be:  1.  Coarse salt so that the EO has something to stick to, for lack of a better description and 2. As free of impurities, minerals and additives as possible.  No reason to add something to the laundry that will act as a water hardener.  Hope that helps and that you're able to make it!

Oh, and for once my memory served me right.  "Kosher" salt isn't necessarily "Kosher".  Traditionally, large/coarse grain salt was called "koshering" salt -  a salt that worked good to remove blood from meat as part of the process of making the meat kosher.  Eventually, as we Americans love to do, the name of the large grain salt most often used for koshering, was slashed to simply "Kosher" salt.  Where Kosher Salt Comes from & Why It’s Called Kosher


----------



## Tara_H (Jun 19, 2021)

KimW said:


> As free of impurities, minerals and additives as possible.


Oh, so I guess sea salt wouldn't be suitable then? If kosher salt is 'regular' salt with a coarser grain, I don't think that's something I've ever seen!  (Not that I'm looking to make this, just being nosy  )


----------



## KiwiMoose (Jun 19, 2021)

Yeah we just call it coarse salt.


----------



## Tara_H (Jun 19, 2021)

The only coarse salt sold here that I can find in a brief search is sea salt, not sure if that actually matters though


----------



## KiwiMoose (Jun 19, 2021)

Tara_H said:


> The only coarse salt sold here that I can find in a brief search is sea salt, not sure if that actually matters though


No it's fine Tara - the ingredients are 100% salt


----------



## KimW (Jun 19, 2021)

Tara_H said:


> The only coarse salt sold here that I can find in a brief search is sea salt, not sure if that actually matters though


Did a cursory search last night and it looks like, as @KiwiMoose has found, a lot of coarse sea salt in NZ and Ireland has been purified so that it's pretty close to 100% just salt, NaCl.


----------



## KiwiMoose (Jun 26, 2021)

SO this morning i licked - yes LICKED - my Scentsy washer whiffs.  On the ingredients list it says it contains "fragrance carrier, fragrance".  That's the vaguest list I've ever read.  Anyhoo, guess what?  It tasted like salt to me!
Guess what I'm gonna be making when the tub is empty?


----------



## KimW (Jun 26, 2021)

KiwiMoose said:


> SO this morning i licked - yes LICKED - my Scentsy washer whiffs.  On the ingredients list it says it contains "fragrance carrier, fragrance".  That's the vaguest list I've ever read.  Anyhoo, guess what?  It tasted like salt to me!
> Guess what I'm gonna be making when the tub is empty?


NICE!!


----------



## Zany_in_CO (Jun 27, 2021)

KiwiMoose said:


> Guess what I'm gonna be making when the tub is empty?


You mean IF you survive licking an unknown substance, yes?


----------



## KiwiMoose (Jun 27, 2021)

Zany_in_CO said:


> You mean IF you survive licking an unknown substance, yes?


It's tomorrow and I'm still here.


----------



## Zany_in_CO (Jun 28, 2021)

KiwiMoose said:


> It's tomorrow and I'm still here.


----------



## KiwiMoose (Aug 5, 2021)

Got my coarse salt, got my 'beach linen' FO....
Got a huge stash of coconut yoghurt glass jars that hubby keeps supplying me with.   
I'll make a batch for me to try it, and then it's Christmas presents all round.


----------



## Arimara (Aug 5, 2021)

@KimW I might have to try that but... I really like the Downy ones as they actually don't cause me and mine irritation. I need an FO dupe for the amber one to be 100% sold.


----------



## KiwiMoose (Aug 19, 2021)

So I've made me a trial batch.  Totally shooting in the dark here with regards to 'drops', so I made 3 cups coarse salt with 10gms FO.  Smells nice and strong - which it would have to be to come near the 'whiffability' of the Scentsy ones that I've been using. 
I'll use them in the next load of washing and report back..


----------



## Zany_in_CO (Aug 20, 2021)

KiwiMoose said:


> I made 3 cups coarse salt with 10gms FO.



I was curious to know what adding salt to the laundry water would do so I googled it. Turns out, it's a good thing!   

*USES FOR SALT DOING THE LAUNDRY*


----------



## soapmaker (Aug 21, 2021)

I don't have a front load washer. So if I make the salt laundry freshener and throw it right in the tub wouldn't I have leftover crystals after the cycle?


----------



## Zany_in_CO (Aug 21, 2021)

Yesterday, I made a batch of laundry crystals scented with an EO blend. I increased the amount of the blend to 20 drops per cup of salt and made 4 cups. The fragrance was there, but not overpowering. I liked it. I followed the directions in *this recipe*: It said to allow the batch to meld for 20 minutes. 

An hour later, I stripped my bed of all the bed linens, including pillows, comforter, duvet, sheets & pillow cases. I ran 3 loads. I added the recommended 2 tablespoons to the first load. When the pillows came out with no scent at all, I doubled the amount to 4 tablespoons for the 2nd and 3rd load.

Bottom line: No fragrance at all. Total bust. Boo Hoo.


----------



## soapmaker (Aug 21, 2021)

Aww, so sorry @ Zany_in_CO


----------



## KiwiMoose (Aug 21, 2021)

Aww @Zany_in_CO - such a shame.  My ones came out with a very slight fragrance, but I only used a tablespoon in the load.  However, if I'd used that much of my previous Scentsy stuff - it would have been highly fragrant.
I used FOs that have a fairly strong scent OOB, and I used 10g to 3 cups salt.  I have no idea how many 'drops' that works out to.


----------



## Zany_in_CO (Aug 21, 2021)

KiwiMoose said:


> I used 10g to 3 cups salt. I have no idea how many 'drops' that works out to.


*VOLUME CONVERSION TABLE*



KiwiMoose said:


> I used 10g to 3 cups salt.


So, a little over 3 grams per cup. Yes?

I used 20 drops per cup.
20 drops = 1 ml = 1 gram (approx) <<<NOT accurate but close enough in most scenarios.
20 drops X 3 grams = 60 drops

 Hmmm.


----------



## KiwiMoose (Aug 21, 2021)

Volume of oils seems more than weight (being fairly light) so I reckon 2 or 3 drops per gram.  So 10 grams would be about 20-30 drops overall for 3 cups salt.

The recipe calls for 10 drops per cup of salt, and I reckon I must have used only about 5-7, so I could probably increase that.

Are all drops created equal?  A dripper bottle from an EO is the same as a pipette droplet extracted from a bottle of FO?


----------



## Tara_H (Aug 22, 2021)

KiwiMoose said:


> Are all drops created equal? A dripper bottle from an EO is the same as a pipette droplet extracted from a bottle of FO?


In my experience (as far as I've been paying attention) it's more about the characteristics of the thing being dropped, i.e. viscosity will play a big part in how much can form into a droplet before breaking free...


----------



## earlene (Aug 22, 2021)

Not all droppers are created equal.  Just as all grip strength of any one person's hand are not equal.  (Just go to an OT for therapy after hand surgery (or for the fun of it, if available to you) and get your grip strength tested.)

So take one dropper and squeeze.  Take another dropper and squeeze.  Take a different liquid and squeeze. Try different liquids from different droppers.  Try it with different hands and even different pressure with different fingers of the same hand.  Weight theses drops.  You are bound to come out with different weights.

You can get an average and roughly estimate what your weight per number of drops will be IF you always use the same dropper AND always use the same liquid AND think you always use the same pressure when you squeeze the dropper.  But it's not an exact science.

I did it with ROE (very viscous) and came up with a 'good enough for me' weight per drop.  Then one day realized I did not have the same dropper with me when traveling and that whole thing went down the tubes.  I had to weight my ROE on my jeweler's scale all over again.


----------



## KiwiMoose (Aug 23, 2021)

earlene said:


> Not all droppers are created equal.  Just as all grip strength of any one person's hand are not equal.  (Just go to an OT for therapy after hand surgery (or for the fun of it, if available to you) and get your grip strength tested.)
> 
> So take one dropper and squeeze.  Take another dropper and squeeze.  Take a different liquid and squeeze. Try different liquids from different droppers.  Try it with different hands and even different pressure with different fingers of the same hand.  Weight theses drops.  You are bound to come out with different weights.
> 
> ...


What was your weight per drop of ROE Earlene?


----------



## Zany_in_CO (Aug 23, 2021)

KiwiMoose said:


> What was your weight per drop of ROE Earlene?


Not @earlene but, because ROE is so thick and viscuous, I dilute it for ease of use.  
Also, ROE Use Rate varies from supplier to supplier so the drops weight would change depending upon where you buy it.

*ROE DILUTION & USE RATE*


----------



## KiwiMoose (Aug 23, 2021)

KiwiMoose said:


> Volume of oils seems more than weight (being fairly light) so I reckon 2 or 3 drops per gram.  So 10 grams would be about 20-30 drops overall for 3 cups salt.
> 
> The recipe calls for 10 drops per cup of salt, and I reckon I must have used only about 5-7, so I could probably increase that.
> 
> Are all drops created equal?  A dripper bottle from an EO is the same as a pipette droplet extracted from a bottle of FO?


I was pondering this last night when I was trying to get to sleep.  I think I'm getting lock-down brain because those numbers don't add up to needing more FO, they add up to needing less. But then my washing would be even less smelly!  
I just did a wee experiment.  I weighed 10g of Olive Oil.  I then got a pipette and started using it to count out drops.  i stopped counting at 40 and there was still well over half the oil left.  So 10 g = more like 80 drops???


----------



## earlene (Aug 24, 2021)

KiwiMoose said:


> What was your weight per drop of ROE Earlene?


The ROE I weighed (not all ROE is equal, either) was 0.05 g per drop using the dropper I had in that bottle.  I have since realized that when I travel, I cannot use that weight as I don't use the same bottle, which has a squeeze tip rather than a medicine-type dropper.


----------



## Zany_in_CO (Aug 27, 2021)

Zany_in_CO said:


> I used 20 drops per cup.
> 20 drops = 1 ml = 1 gram (approx) <<<NOT accurate but close enough in most scenarios.
> 20 drops X 3 grams = 60 drops
> 
> Hmmm.


Today I added another 1 ml/1 gram/20 drops per cup of an FO compatible to my EO blend.
I'll try the same 2 tablespoons per load to see what happens... after allowing it to set for a few days.

PS: It is already smelling strong in the container.


----------

