Make Laundry Smell Good Without Perfumes

I take white vinegar, as others suggested, and add it to the softener dispenser so it adds it to the final rinse cycle. To the vinegar, I usually add a few drops of some essential oil. Lavender is nice, rose is VERY fragrant. I usually just put some in the bottle of vinegar when I get it and then give it a few good shakes before I use it. I don't use any laundry softener this way, and rarely would have 'needed' it. Clothes are no more static-y in the middle of winter than if I had used softener and they or no more 'stiff'. It seems to work well for us.

be sure to not use too much detergent and i love when I add white vinegar to a load of towels and do an extra rinse on them - mmm. just clean!

I also really like the clean non-sent of the meleluca brand laundry products. My mom uses them and i love the smell of my clothes that have been washed at her house after a visit.

HMM I also wonder if there are any natural oil (lavender, eucalyptus) sprays that you can add to the dryer lint trap area to infuse scent, but not actually touch the clothing. . . Just a thought.

What if you skipped making your laundry smell good and make your house smell like fresh laundry instead? Bath and Body carries a scent from Slatkin and Co. called fresh linen that smells great! They have candles, plug in's and room spray. There is also a great scent from Wal-Mart that is almost identical.
Don't know if this will work for you, just thought I would suggest it!

I think it's funny how we've all been so conditioned to think that perfumed laundry is clean. It's not just you, it's everyone! I used to make my own detergent and my husband would comment on how our laundry never smelled clean. Well, if it's clean, it shouldn't smell at all!!!!! LOL!

I agree with the line dry option others have posted. You can also try some essential oils. I've heard lavendar works nicely.

i also use the free and clear detergents and softeners, not b/c i didn't like the smells, but our doberman(yes, our doberman lol - not us, our kids, or out little tiny dogs, but our 90lb beast!) is HIGHLY allergic to perfumes/dyes - we started washing the blankets she sleeps on with that stuff, but even touching our clothing causing her skin to break out, so we just use the free and clear on everything. i have come to LOVE that our laundry doesn't have a scent, but it did take a while to get used to it. i also add some white vinegar when i'm washing towels/blankets to further neutralize any odors. maybe you'll get used to the clean smell? i keep a vineyard yankee candle burning nearly all of our waking hours, so the house itself still has a nice smell... maybe try something like that?

You can add a few drops of essential oil to the laundry, like lavender & mint (you can get tiny bottles of EOs at places like Whole Foods, but they can be expensive). Start at just a few drops. And experiment with adding it in the wash (rinse cycle?), or adding it in the dryer (apply a couple of drops to used dryer sheet). I'm betting that you'll have better luck with it scenting to a nice degree by using the dryer sheet method.

Also, try adding herbal sachets to the close drawers/closets where you store the clothes. Lavender, calendula, chamomile, rose petals, mint, orange peel/lemon peel, etc.

We didn't want oils in our washer, since we cloth diaper it would cause repelling and leaking as well as causing towels to be less absorbent. My family recently started using woold ryer balls to decrease dryer time and found that scenting the balls with EO or frangrance oil every few weeks gave the laundry a nice scent and did not leave oily residue on the machine or the clothes :0) We got our from Shauna at bouncingwoolies.com, there are others but her are fantastic!

I find that baking soda freshens up a load of laundry. I get the huge bags of it at Sam's Club or Costco so I can use it specifically for laundry and other cleaning. I use about 3/4 to a full cup when I wash a large load. Just dump it in when you start your load and enjoy!

Also, I used the baby all when my kids were younger and loved the smell. Even used it on my laundry!

I used to soak cotton balls in a favorite perfume and put them in the corners of my closet and drawers. Made my clothes smell nice without having to spray myself. I always get a headache when I spray certain perfume on myself, or my skin will itch. You can do the potpourri or herbed sachel thing as well.

I hate line drying. I swear I must be the only person in the world who thinks the clothes come back in smelling like a wet dog. Something must be wrong with me! Plus...here in Michigan the weather isn't exactly line dry friendly.

Good luck! I hope you find a solution :o)

Try lavender sachets in your linen closet.
Rose petals and cinnamon in sachets work well, too.
Some people will add a cotton ball with a drop of vanilla extract on it.
It's how our grandmothers scented things before commercial detergents/softeners went crazy with it.

Line dry is the only option. Perhaps add a little baking soda to the wash to help neutralize any lingering odors if needbe.

Line dry your clothes outside! There is nothing better than the smell of clothes dried outside. You can pop them in the dryer for 5 minutes after they are dry to soften them up- but they will still have that wonderful smell.

I use MelaPower 6 detergent and MelaSoft fabric softener. They are great smelling without being overpowering and they are non-toxic.

What about some dried lavender (or other herbs) in a bag in the dryer?