Mindful Momma

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Non-Toxic Laundry Fresheners & Scent Boosters to Make or Buy

Get the scoop on laundry fresheners and scent boosters that are made with natural ingredients instead of toxic artificial fragrances that are bad for your health.

Non-Toxic Laundry Fresheners & Scent Boosters

I once took part in a mock Febreze commercial. You know the one, where they show a teenager’s messy, stinky room and freshen it by spraying Febreze on everything?

First I was blindfolded, then brought into a room that reeked of extremely strong, artificial floral fragrances – as though they were trying to imitate a fresh spring garden, only failing badly.

Then they asked me – “Where do you think you are?” I said, “I have no idea but it reeks of extremely strong, artificial floral fragrances – like you are trying to imitate a fresh spring garden, only failing badly.”

That wasn’t what they expected me to say.

When the blindfold came off, I saw that the setting was a college dorm room with pizza and dirty clothes everywhere. I was supposed to be shocked and delighted.

Instead, I was the black sheep, saying (politely) that I didn’t like that fake flower smell and asking questions about the toxic chemicals in their laundry fresheners.

laundry in basket

3 Natural Ways to Freshen Laundry & Stinky Stuff

(I may receive commissions from purchases made through links in this article. Full Disclosure)

Here’s the problem – the stuff of life begins to stink after a while – and if we don’t want to cover it up with artificial scents – then we need to find safer, more natural solutions.

I’ve stopped buying conventional laundry products because I don’t want my family to be exposed to those chemicals. The laundry detergent I buy is either unscented or very lightly scented with natural ingredients like essential oils. In fact, I’ve got an entire blog post about my favorite eco-friendly laundry detergents. I don’t use wasteful dryer sheets either. 

That said, I still want my laundry to come out smelling clean and fresh (for real, not artificially) and sometimes I need a little boost above and beyond detergent.

Wanna be a black sheep too?

Much to the chagrin of the chemical scientists working for enormous companies, there are ways to remove odors and make fabrics smell good, without an overwhelming blast of artificial fragrances insulting your nose and harming your health.

Here are 3 easy and inexpensive ways to freshen clothing and home textiles without toxic chemicals:

1. Natural Laundry Scent Booster

One way to get a little more of that “fresh laundry smell” without nasty chemicals is to use a scent booster, along with your laundry detergent. 

Conventional scent boosters are just concentrated amounts of the toxic, artificial fragrances you are trying to avoid in the first place. In fact, Downy Unstopables, one of the most popular scent boosters, rates an F on the EWG’s Guide to Healthy Cleaning. Bottom line, most scent boosters are NOT a safe addition to your laundry routine. 

A natural scent booster uses salt as the hero ingredient. Salt acts to neutralize odors and also to soften fabrics at the same time (bonus!) To make your own non-toxic laundry scent booster, simply mix kosher salt with the essential oils of your choice. When added to laundry, it will add a light, fresh scent to your clothes that smells clean instead of artificial.

DIY laundry scent booster

DIY Scent Booster:

2 cups kosher salt*

30 drops (about 1/2 teaspoon) essential oil of your choice (lavender, eucalyptus, lemon, orange or geranium are all great choices – I recommend Rocky Mountain Oils!)

Thoroughly mix essential oils into salt. Store in a covered jar to allow the scent to infuse into salt.

Use between 2 tablespoons and 1/4 cup per load (a repurposed scoop from laundry soap is a perfect size). Add directly to the washer with garments (same for both top and front-loading washers).

*Some scent booster recipes call for Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate), but this actually hardens rather than softens water, so I opt for kosher salt (sodium chloride) in my recipe.

Other natural scent booster options:

If you are not up for a homemade scent booster, Mrs. Meyers makes a natural laundry scent booster product although I have not tried it myself. Dropps fabric softener pods are another way to add scent to your laundry, without a bunch of toxic chemicals. 

2. Scented Dryer Balls

Dryer balls are my laundry savior for so many reasons – they are THE BEST alternatives to chemical-infused dryer sheets because they help prevent static and reduce wrinkles as they bounce around in your dryer. Here’s one more way dryer balls can be of service: infusing your laundry with natural fragrance.

wool dryer balls

Make it:

Add 2-3 drops of essential oil on each dryer ball and toss them into the laundry. I usually use 3 – 5 dryer balls at a time and I scent them with either lavender or eucalyptus essential oil. The resulting scent will be subtle but will add a nice, fresh scent to your laundry.

Buy it:

My favorite resource for dryer balls is Etsy but you can find them on Amazon as well as Whole Foods or at many local stores.

Expensive essential oils are not needed for laundry use as they are primarily used for scent and not true aromatherapy purposes. As I mentioned before, I love Rocky Mountain Oils, but Aura Cacia and NOW are both good affordable brands, as is the 365 brand from Whole Foods.

3. Homemade Fabric Refresher Spray

For those times when you either don’t want to wash or don’t have time – a fabric refresher spray can be a lifesaver! Use fabric refresher to freshen laundry and other household items like these:

  • clothes that have been used but are not dirty enough to wash
  • seasonal items coming out of storage
  • pillows and bedding
  • couches
  • shoes
  • stinky kids rooms or musty basements

But please don’t use that awful Febreze I was telling you about – ewww! Instead, create your own natural Febreze alternative. Believe it or not, you can use vodka to make a non-toxic fabric refresher. Why vodka? It allows the spray to dry quickly and helps reduce odors. Add the essential oils of your choice, to leave a light scent behind.

DIY fabric refresher spray

Make it:

Mix these ingredients in a spray bottle:

1 cup water

1/4 cup vodka

20 drops essential oil (I prefer orange essential oil for this)

Spray liberally on smelly or musty items and allow to dry.

Buy it:

Not into DIY? My go-to fabric refresher is Ecos Breeze by Earth Friendly Products. All the ingredients, including the fragrances, are all naturally derived (the Lemongrass scent is my fav!)

My run-in with the Febreze people was a wake-up call. They listened to my feedback but I doubt they really cared – they have products to sell! Meanwhile, the stinky room commercials continue, and millions of people spray toxic fabric refreshers on their clothing and home goods every day.

Will you join me and stop using toxic laundry fresheners?

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P.S. Want even more info about non-toxic cleaning so you can be CONFIDENT that your cleaning routine is safe? Check out my Green Cleaning Kickstart mini-course! 

Sustainable Swaps Guide

About Mindful Momma

Micaela Preston is natural living educator and safe and sustainable product activist. She has spoken at conferences and events, has lobbied for safer chemical laws, and has consulted with many brands and businesses. Her book, Practically Green: Your Guide to Eco Friendly Decision Making was published in 2009.

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Comments

  1. Gabrielle Horner says

    GREAT POST! Thank you Micaela. I always discover new things that I wasn’t even thinking about til you raised the eco-alternative. LOVE your blog.

    Reply

  3. Malisa says

    These are great ideas! I too hate the smell of any artificially scented products, so have been making my own a lot, or buy the unscented, dye free version. I’m also in Marketing Communications, too 🙂

    Reply

  4. Kristin says

    Hahaha! I love that you disappointed them – what a neat thing to be a part of, though!

    We’ve been using dryer balls for a couple years now and LOVE them! My husband is a freak about laundry scent and doesn’t care a bit about all the chemicals, so I’ve been working slowly for years to change him and get closer and closer to completely natural. We’ve been making our own laundry soap for a while, but still adding a scent and I now have a good collection of essential oils so the next batch should be much better.

    Pinning these tips so I know how to make these great things! Thanks!

    Reply

    • Micaela says

      Ha – I’ve talked with so many people who say their husband doesn’t like the healthier options – whether it’s food or personal care or cleaning products. Good for you for being persistent! Hope these tips help!

      Reply

      • Mommy D says

        Im the opposite… my husband can’t stand the artificial smell. I came to look for options because I grew up in a house that smelled like fabuloso. I’m the one adjusting now.

        Reply

  6. Laura VZ says

    I love these ideas! I’ve moved away from chemicals as much as possible in the last 10 years, to the point where I can’t even walk down the cleaner/detergent aisle in Target because I’m too sensitive to the chemical smells. I usually use Seventh Generation drier sheets but I’ll have to look into the drier balls. Thanks!

    Reply

  7. Betsy says

    I have yet to dry adding EOs to my dryer balls. I should, b/c my daughter LOVES scented laundry. She loves getting hand-me-downs and second-hand clothes b/c they still reek of laundry detergent : P

    Reply

  9. Bre Paulson says

    That story is HILARIOUS! lol I’ve never been a big fan of Febreze myself. Although, I do use scent boosters for my laundry (I know, I know…) but I am totally going to try out your recipe!

    Reply

    • Micaela says

      Ha! It was a bit strange being in that situation – but they need to hear the other side of the story! Let me know how you like the salt-based laundry freshener. It will not be a strong as the stuff you buy at the store – but I actually prefer it that way!

      Reply

  10. Dora De Zubiria says

    Love the idea of the dryer balls with an essential oils scent. For Laundry I use the ENJO laundry soap it is made with all natural ingredients and has aloe in it so no need for fabric softener. It’s also great because 10ml is all I need for a full load of laundry so it lasts me for 100 washes.

    Reply

  12. Michelle Dugentas says

    Hi Micaela,

    Enjoyed reading your latest article regarding artificial fragrances in dryer sheets and fabric fresheners. I’m trying to go green wherever I can, reducing plastic use, using natural cleansers and personal care products, etc.. Thanks again for some good tips. I will try the dryer balls with essential oils.. Look forward to reading some of your upcoming articles.

    Reply

  14. Lauren Phetteplace says

    Mrs. Meyers products are “green washed”. AKA- they brand themselves as a clean company but if you look at the ingredients they are not safe. The Mrs. meters scent booster contains fragrance. Which is a mostly unregulated industry and “fragrance ” can contain lots of harmful chemicals. 😊

    Reply

    • Micaela says

      I’m with you – I don’t love Mrs. Meyers either because their fragrances are artificial and very strong. However, this brand can be a “bridge” for some people using products that are much worse. The Mrs. Meyer’s scent booster rates a B on the EWG Cleaning Products Database, while the Downey scent booster rates an F on the database. My preference is to make my own scent booster as discussed in this post. It’s safe and cheap to make and makes my clothes smell great!

      Reply

  16. Tahirah says

    The kosher salt recipe does not work. I tried by adding the 30 drops. And then I tried by adding 60 drops. After going in the dryer, the scent is gone. At least it was only $3 to pull off. The search continues for a non-toxic scent booster!

    Reply