A simple diy recipe for homemade laundry scent booster to make your laundry smell good naturally.
Keep your clothes smelling fresh and clean with a natural fragrance from essential oils.
Homemade Natural Laundry Scent Booster
I have been working towards a more sustainable, non-toxic, low-waste natural laundry care routine.
From homemade laundry detergent, using bleach from natural products, and line drying our clothing, I have made a lot of progress towards my goal.
If there is one thing I am passionate about, it is my family’s health. I am careful to purchase products that are safe for our skin.
Many detergents, softeners, and scent boosters are filled with chemicals that leave a residue on the clothing.
Our skin can then absorb this residue. Many of the chemicals are harsh, causing harm to our bodies and being an irritation to the skin.
When it comes to ingredients in our laundry care, I want those that are free of dyes, natural, and safe for our family to use.
This often results in creating my own homemade laundry care products, like this homemade laundry scent booster.
DIY Laundry Scent Booster
A homemade laundry scent booster is what I love using to keep our laundry smelling fresh, soft, and clean.
It’s all-natural, non-toxic, and boosts our laundry’s scent. If you are looking for that fresh scent, this is the simple homemade recipe you will want to try.
Laundry Booster Essentials You May Need
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Ingredients for Laundry Scent Booster
Epsom Salt
The salt in this recipe is considered the “driver” to get the scent into the fabrics.
The essential oils soak into the salt, making the laundry smell fresh and natural. The salt also works as a natural fabric softener.
I have researched and read multiple reviews on whether using Epsom salt, kosher salt, or rock salt is safe for this recipe.
Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate, and salt is sodium chloride (NaCl). Therefore, the two are not interchangeable.
I have used Epsom salt with amazing results!
Baking Soda
Have you ever looked at the back of a baking soda box? It has multiple uses for laundry.
Just a few benefits include fighting laundry odors, acting as a natural fabric softener, and improving the performance of the detergent.
Essentials Oils
The scent booster is found in the essential oils you choose. Essential oils are very concentrated and fragrant, so use a single blend or a combination of blends that you enjoy.
For our laundry, I love the fresh scent of rosemary.
Essential Oil Blends for Laundry
I am a Young Living essential oil user. If you are interested in more information you can visit my page.
Fresh Citrus
Lemon + Grapefruit + Orange + Tangerine + Mandarin + Spearmint
Wild orange + Tangerine + Bergamont
Freshly Clean
Cedarwood + Lemongrass + Grapefruit
Rosemary + Orange
Peppermint + Orange
Rosemary + Peppermint
How to Make Homemade Laundry Scent Booster
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup salt – Epsom Salt
- 1/2 cup baking soda
- 20-30 Drops Essential Oils of choice
Instructions
Step 1: Mix
Mix together all the ingredients listed above. Then, whisk together until all ingredients are well combined.
Step 2: Store
Store in an air-tight container.
How to Use Laundry Scent Booster
Add one scoop, about 1/4 cup, of the natural laundry scent booster into the washer before adding any laundry. Add the laundry and the normal amount of laundry detergent.
Notes
- A laundry scent booster doesn’t need to be added to every load. It can be used for those extra stinky, dirty loads. I personally choose to use it for each load.
- Make a double or triple batch to keep to prevent having to make it real often.
- The shelf life is one year, but it never lasts that long in our home.
- To keep your laundry smelling great, add several drops of essential oils to a dryer ball and toss it in the dryer with the laundry. I use the same essential oil that I use in my scent booster.
I hope that this recipe inspires you to start thinking about low-waste, non-toxic ways of doing laundry.
Do you have tips or ideas for natural laundry care? I would love to hear your ideas.
Other Natural Laundry Care Posts
Homemade Laundry Scent Booster
A simple recipe for homemade laundry scent booster to make your laundry
smell good naturally. Keep your clothes smelling fresh and clean with a
natural fragrance from essential oils.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup salt – Epsom Salt
- 1/2 cup baking soda
- 20-30 Drops Essential Oils of choice
Instructions
- Mix together all the ingredients listed above. Then, whisk together until all ingredients are well combined.
- Store in an air tight container.
- Add one scoop, about 1/4 cup, of the scent booster into the washer before adding any laundry. Add laundry, and the normal amount of laundry detergent.
Notes
- Laundry scent booster doesn’t need to be added to every load. it can be used for those extra stinky, dirty loads. I personally choose to use it for each load.
- Make a double or triple batch to keep to prevent having to make it real often.
- The shelf life is one year, but it never last that long.
- To keep your laundry smelling great, add several drops of essential oils to a dryer ball and toss it in the dryer with the laundry. I use the same essential oil that I use in my scent booster.
Thanks can’t wait to try it, stay safe and healthy.
Wonderful! I hope you like it.
I have just heard so much about how it isn’t good to use oils in your washer or dryer because of fire. I have put it in my laundry soaps that I make. They make you paranoid with all their comments, so now I don’t know what to do.
I continue to use essential oils in my laundry care routine. I know some people say you shouldn’t, but I continue to use them. Everyone should make their own decision based on what they think is best.
I hope you love it!
Hi. In your recipe you had 20-30 essential oils. Because I am new to oils can you please explain do you mean drops? Thanks and looking forward to trying this.
Yes, I am so sorry that I did not clarify drops. I will go back and clarify.
I love this recipe and have made it numerous times. I have to triple the batch. But lately it had turned solid as a rock about a day or two after and we have to hack at it with a knife to get it loose when we want to use it. Has that happened to you?
I have never had that happen to me. It seems odd that it would all of a sudden do that. Sorry I am not more help.
I live in a very dry climate and would imagine I will have the same problem, because that happens to other things as well. I bet if you put them in a silicone ice cube tray, you could make little scent bombs! Maybe just let them air dry for a bit to form, and them pop them out and put into your jar. That’s what I’m gonna try anyway.
Put a saltine cracker, or one of those little silicone packets in the jar with your mix. It will keep the salt dry, especially if you’re using sea salt since it attracts water. Make sure to store it in a cool, dry area as well. Don’t store near your dryer because it may be getting too warm. Hope that helps!
Same thing has happened to me. Very humid here. I’m going to try the silicone molds and see if that does better! If not, I will try the saltine cracker placed inside. The recipe works great though.
Easy peasy. I’m trying this! Thank you
Wonderful! Thank you!
This sounds great Sarah, I can’t wait to give it a try myself! Hugs, Brenda
I hope you enjoy using it!
Hi
I am new to own made laundry products we have bad skin allergies to most laundry products and can only use one kind of non biological powder and fabric softener would like to try your method is there anything in your laundry booster or laundry powder that would cause skin allergies.
Many thanks
Hi
I am new to make your own laundry powder and booster just wondering how safe this is for people with skin allergies we can only use one type of non biological laundry poser and one clothes softener is there anything in this to cause skin allergies.
Many thanks
I know of nothing in this to cause a skin allergy. It gets an A rating on the EWG guide for non-toxicity. It would be worth a try.
Does the rock salt need to be ground to fine? All rock salts in finding are very coarse but your powder looks fine from the pictures! Thanks ❤️
Just made a batch to last about 2 weeks. We’ve been buying the bead scents from the grocery store and because I do laundry almost every second day this will help to cut back on the cost of adding scents to the laundry. Once I get more oils I’m going to make different batches such as adding lavender for the bedding as it helps to promote sleep. I only had peppermint so I used that but that will help with my headaches so I can sleep
Does this need to be stored in glass or is plastic ok? I was thinking of using the reusable storage bags.
Thx, Lori
Plastic would be fine.
Where did you get the super cute jar and scoop? And the bit about which type of salt to use was a little jumbled. Did you find one works best?
I can’t wait to try this!
Try hobby lobby or any craft store maybe Walmart or Target
Hello!
I think I’m late to the party but I have a question; for a HE front loader, would I still add the “good smelly mix” to the drum or put it in the dispenser? If in the dispenser, would I mix with my laundry soda or do a pre-wash with it or something?
Thank you!
I believe that with a front loader you place the scent booster into the washer at the beginning of the load, then add the clothes. You might check with the manufacturer and see if they have recommendations as well.
i have a front load washer and mine says to add any powdered boosters in the drum before adding clothes. i hope that helps.
Has there been any issues with oil residue on clothing?
where do you buy your rock salt?
I have found it on Amazon.
Is it safe to wash your clothes at any temperature with the homemade scent booster?
I have personally not had issues regarding whether the water temperature was cold or hot.
Does this hold the scent or does the scent disappear as soon as the clothes are dry? I’ve been trying and trying with this recipe and adjusting it to no avail, trying to replicate the scentsy washer whiffs. But their recipe doesnt state what their fragrance carrier is. I also read that bicarbonate of soda kills any scent you add and this is why I have tried with epsom salt and fragrance oils, to epsom salt with essential oils and now just rock salt with essential oils. The latter worked slightly but no great smell fro. The scent as you get with brand names. Any help would be greatly appreciated as I am wasting a small fortune testing this lol. Thank you, Andrea
It seems that mine holds the scent for a bit, but nothing like store bought scented things. They use chemicals and artificial in theirs and therefore it is going to be different.
Can I use fragrance oils or does it need to be essential oil?
I think that would be a personal preference. I personally use Essential Oils.
If you live in a hard water area I’d avoid Epsom salts as you’re essentially making your water harder which causes the detergent to be less effective. Kosher salt would be a much better option.
I can’t wait to try this!
I love Rosemary and have lots growing. I’m going to try putting fresh sprigs in an infuser type bag in the mixture, (but obviously not putting the Rosemary in the washer)
Thanks so much for this post. However, I want to ask if it does really work, and if the scent will last a long time. I’m looking for a scent hack that’ll be as potent as a regular scent booster.
It will not be as potent because it is not an artificial scent that clings to the laundry.
I like to use vinegar in my rinse cycle. Wil the vinegar eliminate the scent of the laundry booster?
Have you found any oil residue from using essential oil on the laundry ball’s that transfer to clothes?
No, I have not.
Is this recipe safe for HE machines?
I have used it in my HE washer and I have no issues, but I always recommend that others do their own research or follow the guidelines for your washer.
Hello, to my understanding Epsom salt is actually a water hardener because it’s Magnesium Sulfate (MgSO4). Not the same as salt which is Sodium Chloride (NaCl) which is indeed a water softener. More specifically Kosher Coarse ground salt is the purest without the additives that are in table salt.
Essential oils can make dryers set on fire. I nearly learnt this the hard way when my clothes came out smelling of ash. I think some are dangerous due to having different flash points so it is best to do research on that before using them in a dryer.
Thank you for sharing your experience. And yes, each person should do their own research.
Thanks for the helpful info! I made some laundry scent booster today and opted to use Borax instead of baking soda, along with drops of lemon and lavender oils. We’re on a well with hard water, so if anything can help laundry smell better that I can make at home with products I already have, I’m willing to try. I had good results today and plan to keep making it as needed, and maybe get some new oils just for the laundry.
Would using scented epsom salts be toxic? I’d assume but wanted to ask.
Laundry boosters make me nervous. It is good to have a safe alternative. I will have to try your recipe!
Is Zote soap bad?
I have heard other people use it, so, I think it is just a personal preference.
I have used this recipe and my clothes come out of the washer smelling amazing! BUT after drying in the dryer (without a dryer sheet or anything) the smell is completely gone. Any suggestions? TIA
Just to clarify – Rock salt would work as well? I too have well water and cannot use epsom.
I tried the recipe but the scent is just all gone after the wash, I even doubled the amount of essential oil, any suggestion? Thank you!