Essential oils have so many potential uses in and around your home. They are great for topical applications and for diffusing into the air in your home.
However, they can also be incredibly useful when it comes to maintaining your household.
You may have seen and heard about adding essential oils to homemade cleaning solutions to help keep your home smelling fresh and beautiful.
However, have you ever wondered whether you could add essential oils to your laundry routine? If you have, read on to find out how you can use essential oils to boost your laundry.
Can You Put Essential Oils On Dryer Balls?
The most important question to ask is whether you can put essential oils on dryer balls to help keep your laundry smelling fresh and clean. The short answer to this question is, yes you can.
With that being said, it is important to note that there is a slight fire risk when using essential oils on dryer balls.
This risk is incredibly small and many people regularly use this trick to boost their laundry without any issues. We mention it to make sure that you are aware before you try this.
The risk comes from the temperature that dryers can reach. On the low end, a dryer will reach 125 degrees Fahrenheit. On the higher end, a dryer can reach 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
Every essential oil has a flashpoint. This is a point at which the oil evaporates into vapor. This vapor then has the potential to ignite when exposed to heat or other sources of ignition.
There are some common essential oils, such as orange oil, that have flashpoints of between 105 – 130 degrees Fahrenheit. This would put this oil at risk of igniting.
It is important to note that regular dryer sheets also carry a fire risk similar to using essential oils with dryer balls.
Benefits Of Using Essential Oils On Dryer Balls
With the small potential for fire risk with essential oils and dryer balls, it can be difficult to see why anyone would use them.
However, there are many beneficial reasons why you should use essential oils in your dryer.
One of the main benefits of using essential oils with dryer balls is the smell that they provide to your laundry. This can help to keep your laundry smelling fresh and clean for longer in storage.
Aside from the obvious fragrance benefits, there are also aromatherapy benefits depending on the oil that you choose to use.
Adding an oil such as lavender to your laundry can help to elicit feelings of calm when you wear your clothing.
Using dryer balls in general helps to dry your clothes more quickly by increasing the amount of airflow inside the drum of the dryer. This can help to cut down on the amount of energy used to dry your laundry.
Swapping out fabric softeners for essential oils on dryer balls is a great way to ensure that your clothes smell clean and fresh without adding any unnecessary chemicals to your laundry routine.
It is also a much more budget-friendly, eco-friendly, and natural option when compared to store-bought softeners and dryer sheets.
Top Essential Oils To Use On Dryer Balls
There are no rules that dictate the types of essential oils that you can add to your dryer balls to make your laundry smell nice.
However, below are some of the best essential oils to provide a beautiful aroma and some great health and well-being benefits.
Chamomile Essential Oil
Camomile is an essential oil that is renowned for its ability to help reduce feelings of anxiety, depression, and stress. The oil comes from the flower of the chamomile herb and provides a gentle floral scent for your laundry.
People who regularly use chamomile essential oil have reported that it can help with reducing feelings of tension and anxiety.
There is also anecdotal evidence that it can help to soothe nerves and provide a refreshing and inspiring mood. This makes it great for use on bedding and pajamas.
Rosemary Essential Oil
Rosemary is another incredibly popular essential oil that people often use on dryer balls to improve their laundry.
One of the reasons why this oil is so popular for laundry is that it has a strong aroma that lasts on the fabric of your clothes for a long time.
The aroma of rosemary oil is the perfect fragrance to add to laundry that is suitable for people who enjoy masculine and feminine fragrances.
The overall aroma of this oil is perfect for laundry because it is so fresh and clean.
People who have regularly used rosemary oil have suggested that it is useful in reducing tension and stress that can be held in the body. It can also help to promote memory and cognitive function.
Rosemary oil (see also “Using Rosemary Essential Oil For Hair“) has also been linked to improvements in circulation within the body although this might be a topical benefit rather than an aromatherapy benefit.
Lavender Essential Oil
Lavender is one of the most popular essential oils that people use in their everyday lives. It is well known for its relaxation properties and is often used when people are trying to unwind and relax before they try to sleep.
These well-known effects mean that lavender essential oil is perfect for adding to dryer balls when you are doing a load of laundry that includes bedding and pajamas.
This can be a great way to reduce the energy used when using the dryer and improve the quality of sleep your family has.
Patchouli Essential Oil
Patchouli is an essential oil that is often used in aromatherapy or in homemade cleaning products that contain essential oils.
The aroma of this oil is earth and musky which is a very popular fragrance of choice for homemade cleaning solutions.
Adding patchouli oil adds more than just fragrance to your laundry when used with dryer balls.
People also note experiencing reduced levels of tension, stress, anxiety, and insomnia. Patchouli oil can also help to improve your mood.
Cinnamon Essential Oil
Cinnamon is an incredibly warming and comforting essential oil that can be added to your dryer balls to improve the scent of your laundry. There are two different types of cinnamon oil that you can use.
Cinnamon oil can come from the wood of the plant or the flower. However, both types produce the same warm and spicy aroma, but wood oil is stronger.
When used for the aroma, cinnamon oil has been purported to enhance mood, calm feelings of anxiety, and promote high-quality sleep.
This makes it a great essential oil to use with bedding. Cinnamon is also a warming aroma that can make winter nights feel cozier.
Grapefruit Essential Oil
If you don’t want a musky or earthy smell on your laundry, grapefruit essential oil is a great alternative (see also “Is Olive Oil Considered An ‘Essential Oil’?“). The natural aroma of grapefruit oil is refreshing and brings a citrus scent to your laundry and linen.
Grapefruit oil has an incredibly potent aroma which means that you only need to use a few drops to give your load of laundry a decent smell.
Regular users of grapefruit oil report that it can help to promote feelings of happiness and well-being. It can also help to keep feelings of stress and anxiety at bay.
Sweet Orange Essential Oil
Another great citrus essential oil that you can add to your dryer balls is sweet orange oil. This is a super popular oil that people tend to use when they are laundering towels and other linens.
Aside from the amazing, fresh scent of the orange oil, there are also some health benefits that come with regular usage of this oil.
People report using orange essential oil with their dryer balls helps them to feel like they are more balanced in their overall mood.
People have also suggested that they have been more productive when they are exposed to this oil. Finally, some people have reported that feelings of anxiety and depression are reduced with this oil.
How To Use Essential Oils For Dryer Balls
Applying essential oils to your dryer balls is super simple and easy and produces some great effects for your family and your laundry.
Get The Correct Dryer Balls
The first thing that you need to do to use essential oils with dryer balls is to make sure that you purchase the right sort of dryer balls. There are two main types of dryer balls that you can purchase.
Some dryer balls are made of plastic and are designed to simply create space between the laundry to help improve airflow and reduce drying time. These dryer balls are great for reducing energy usage when drying clothes.
However, they are not useful for adding essential oils as they are not absorbent.
The other popular type of dryer ball is the type made from wool. These are small, firm balls of wool that are designed to allow for improved airflow within the machine.
These are the kind of dryer balls that you need if you want to add essential oils to them because they absorb the oil.
Apply Essential Oils To The Dryer Balls
Once you have the correct dryer balls, it is time to apply the essential oil that you want to use. All you need to do is 2 – 3 drops of essential oil to the surface of each dryer ball that you are going to use.
It is important to allow the balls to dry for a minute or two before adding them to the machine. You can also add different oils to different balls to create a blend.
Add The Dryer Balls To The Dryer
Once the oil has had time to soak into the balls, add them to the dryer. You can either lay them on top of the load of laundry, or you can choose to spread them throughout the laundry.
Whichever you choose to do won’t have an effect on the efficacy of the balls as they will be moved around when you start the machine.
It is important that you don’t overload the machine with clothes as this will make the balls less effective and can increase the fire risk.
Dry Your Laundry
Now it is time to dry your laundry. It is important to take safety precautions whenever you dry your clothes and do them in shorter bursts to ensure that they don’t overheat and cause a safety hazard.
Final Thoughts
Using essential oils with dryer balls is a great way to add some extra, natural scent to your laundry.
This is a great way to keep your laundry smelling fresh and to get some extra aromatherapy benefits from your clothing and linen.
Hi, my name is Mia Greene, and I am the creator of AromatherapyUnited.com!
I wanted to create a space to share the benefits and impressive properties of essential oils, and spread awareness of their healing powers. Join me here, and learn about all of the benefits and uses essential oils have to offer.
