If you’re the type of person who wants to add an amazing scent to your clothes, you may like to use essential oil. However, there are certain types of essential oils available in the market, one of them being lavender.
If you’re confused about whether you can put lavender oil in the washing machine, this post is for you. I’m going to describe everything that you should know before doing this.
Practically, Lavender oil is fine to put in the washing machine as long as you do it right. It is flammable, so use it when the drum is filled with water. However, it doesn’t matter which type of lavender oil you’re using, but it matters how you’re using it.
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What happens If you Use Lavender Oil in Laundry?
According to several pieces of research, there are more than 400 types of different lavender. Nowadays, we can buy any lavender oil for different purposes from online and online stores. Using lavender oil in laundry only serves the benefit of fragrance,
When you add a few drops of lavender oil to your laundry, it adds a scent to your garments. The fragrance depends on the type of essential oil. However, essential oil can damage the washing machine, if you mistakenly run the cycle without adding water to its washing drum.
If your clothes are dispersing odor, you can use an essential oil like lavender when washing them. However, this oil can’t help in cleaning the load effectively, but it can add amazing fragrance to your old garments.
Some individuals get worried when this lavender oil is an oil, and as we know oil creates stains on clothes, they think this oil would also do the same. Fortunately, lavender oil can’t build up stains on any of your garments, it isn’t visible on load when we wash it with essential oil.
However, you should first run a test to know whether it’s a good idea for you or not. Sometimes we just try out things when our friends or family recommend them, but as not everyone has the same taste preference, still you test the use of lavender oil in the washer.
Things to know before using Lavender Oil in a Washing machine?
There are some important points you must know before using lavender oil in your washing machine. Now, you know that you can use this oil in the laundry, it’s your turn to know the right way to use it.
First of all, before selecting any type of lavender oil to use in laundry, it is important to consider the quality. It means when you purchase lavender oil, look for high-quality, pure oil.
Some cheaper oils may be diluted with other substances or may not be as effective. If you use quality lavender oil, it gives a stronger scent with fewer drops.
Once you have bought the oil, Use the right amount of drops. Too much lavender oil can overpower the scent of your laundry. Use no more than 10-15 drops of lavender oil per a load of laundry. If less oil is available, fewer loads.
This is also important to know when to add lavender oil to the washing machine. Don’t put it in the wash cycle. Only add it to the rinse cycle.
Adding it to the wash cycle can cause the oil to be absorbed by the detergent and may not distribute evenly. Doing this will not waste the oil and keep the fragrance strong at the level it should be.
How Many Drops of Essential Oil in Washing Machines?
There is no fixed number to add any essential oil in the washing machine, on average, you should pour 4 to 20 drops. If you want to add more scent strongness to your washing clothes, add up more drops.
Each type of essential oil has unique fragrance strength, so you must know how much quantity should be enough for desired scent strength.
It is best to test how many drops of essential oil are enough for your clothes to gain fragrance. Sometimes, some individuals pour too much lavender oil into the washing tub, which results in an unwanted scent.
If you have several types of essential oil, you will notice different effects from them on your load with the same quantity.
For example, if 5 drops of lavender oil give your desired scent strength to your clothes, it is not necessary that tree tea oil can also provide the same scent strength with the same number of drops.
You should also use detergent when washing clothes. Alone any essential oil is not enough for washing clothes as it serves different benefits aside from removing dirt from the fabric. Only use high-quality and pure lavender oil for better results.
How to Use Lavender Oil in the Washing Machine?
Lavender oil can be used in washing machines in a few different ways to add a natural fragrance to your laundry. But, you must consider not using any essential oil without filling water into the washer.
Here are some options to use lavender oil in the washing machine:
- Add a few drops of oil to the detergent: This is advisable not to use only any essential oil for just washing clothes. Consider adding a few drops of lavender oil to your regular laundry detergent before starting the wash cycle. This will help to give the scent to your clothes during washing them.
- Use a lavender oil fabric softener: You can also make your fabric softener by mixing 1 cup of distilled white vinegar with 20-30 drops of lavender oil in a bottle. Shake well and use 1/4 to 1/2 cup per a load of laundry during the rinse cycle. But, note that you should not use this solution for a washer if the manufacturer doesn’t recommend it. For example, you should not use natural cleaner samsung washers as they don’t recommend it.
- Put it directly in the washing basket: First, add water to the washing drum, then add clothes to it. Pour a few drops directly on the clothes during the rinse cycle. Run the cycle and this will add scent to your garments.
Conclusion
Yes, using lavender oil can provide you the benefit of adding scent to your clothes when you put them in the washing machine during the rinse cycle. Only put it when the drum is filled with some water, otherwise, it can also damage the machine if used without adding oil.
To get better results, use the right amount and pure quality lavender extract.