Name: How To Make DIY Fabric Softener & Scent Booster
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 64
Ingredients: 3 cups epsom salt or coarse sea salt; 1 cup aluminum free baking soda; 40 drops essential oils (I prefer Lavender)

Learn how to make DIY Fabric Softener & Scent Booster. The perfect addition to your laundry routine for fresh and soft laundry free of toxins. All you need is epsom salt, baking soda, and essential oils to make this DIY recipe.

white wood backdrop with two crochet and cloth dish towels with a jar of homemade laundry scent booster and fabric softener and white wool dryer balls

I switched over to using completely non-toxic products on my body and in my home over a decade ago now. I first read a book that triggered me to think more about the beauty and personal care products I was using, and that acted as a catalyst to change all the other products I was using. It is a huge passion of mine to advocate for using natural products in the home, and educate others on how toxins impact our health.

Why Should You Clean Up Your Laundry Products

One of the first switches I made was to homemade laundry detergent. The reason I chose my laundry products to be some of the first that I swapped out, was largely to do with not wanting toxic chemicals to be sitting on my skin all day. Did you know that our skin is our largest organ? When we use toxic detergents on our clothing, there’s a good chance that some of that is going to get absorbed. Many conventional cleaning products on the market include ingredients that are known carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, and irritants including fragrance, SLS, formaldehyde, benzene, and more. These are not things that have a place in my home.

Prior to cleaning up the products in my home, I loved anything scented! Now I know better that synthetic fragrances are not necessary to make your laundry (and your home) smell great. This DIY fabric softener requires only 2 ingredients you likely already have in your home. While it isn’t necessary, I always load it up with my favorite essential oils to give my laundry that boost. When making your own home cleaning products, just make sure that you are using high quality essential oils to ensure that you aren’t getting any of the synthetic fragrance you are likely looking to avoid. I like to make a large batch of my DIY fabric softener & scent booster at once so I am stocked up for awhile.

How Does DIY Fabric Softener & Scent Booster Work?

My recipe for DIY Fabric Softener and Scent Booster is beyond simple. All you need to make this is epsom salts, baking soda, and essential oils. Not only are the ingredients effective, but they are also super inexpensive.

I use epsom salt and baking soda in this recipe because they help soften laundry. Baking soda is powerful in removing odors in many applications, including from laundry. Lastly, I add essential to help scent my laundry. As a bonus, both epsom salt and baking soda work to leave laundry looking brighter. High quality essential oils are very potent, and you can really customize based on your preference. I typically use lavender in my DIY Fabric Softener & Scent Booster because of it’s soothing aroma, however I also find the scent of Lavender really lingers.

I Washed My Clothes with DIY Fabric Softener & Scent Booster And They Don’t Smell Like Anything

There are a couple of reasons why this could be. First, I would look at the brand of essential oils that you are using. I am very particular with the oils that I use. Most essential oils on the market are filled with synthetic fragrance or diluted with carrier oils as the industry is not regulated. Not only will this effect their performance, but even more importantly their safety. This could be contributing to why you aren’t finding the scent linger on your clothes out of the wash.

I would keep in mind that natural fragrance from pure essential oils will never be as strong as synthetic fragrance. Every store bought laundry scent booster I have seen are filled with synthetic fragrance among other toxins. If you’re expecting that same result with natural, pure essential oils it’s time to rethink that. I also find that some oils linger better than others. I find that when I use citrus oils, they typically don’t last as long on my clothes. Lavender is my go to, and it lasts through the wash, dryer, and in my closet. Something to consider is that you are putting the oils through the wash where your clothes will be rinsed after. Some people have better luck adding oils to dryer balls before transferring clothes into the dryer. I often do this as well, though I don’t find it necessary.

Yield: 64 loads