FO suitable for laundry?

[KimW]

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

 

[violets2217]

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]

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]

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]

@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]

Clean Linen? Smells like clean laundry

 

[KimW]

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.
https://truemoneysaver.com/diy/laundry-scent-boosters/
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]

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]

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.

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]

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]

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]

Yeah we just call it coarse salt.

 

[Tara_H]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

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

 

[KiwiMoose]

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

It's tomorrow and I'm still here.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

It's tomorrow and I'm still here.