Ever wondered if your favorite essential oils can damage your washing machine? We all want fresh-smelling clothes but not from fabric softeners which can be harmful in the end. This is where essential oils come in; they don’t have any cleaning properties but they help to deodorize surfaces and clothes. The pertinent question has always been, do essential oils damage washing machines?
Essential oils are safe to use in the washing machine but can also damage it. How you use the essential oils in the washing machine determines its safety. For example, if you put the essential oil in the washer drum without adding enough water, there is a possibility of it catching fire.
Is it safe to use essential oils in the washing machine?
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Essential oils are pretty flammable; most people’s concern is whether they can start a fire. To answer your question, you can use essential oils in the washing machine without causing a fire.
The washing machine is full of water anyway, so there’s no chance of it catching fire. You should only ensure to never add essential oils directly to your dryer lest it starts a fire.
To add essential oils to the dryer, add a few drops of your favorite oil on a wool dryer ball or a small rag. Throw the rag or the wool dryer ball into the dryer before starting it.
Another primary concern when using essential oils in the machine is whether they stain your clothes. To prevent this from happening, ensure you are using pure essential oils.
How to use essential oils in the washing machine
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Mix 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice with ½ cup white vinegar and 7-10 drops of your favorite essential oil to use in the washing machine.
Put this mixture to the soak, leave it for about 10 minutes for the clothes to soak, then wash normally.
The second way to use essential oils is to put the essential oil in the fabric softener compartment before the cycle starts.
You can also choose pure extracts, but in this case, you’ll need to put four times the amount for the desired fragrance. For example, if you use 5 drops of essential oil, you must use 20 drops of pure extracts.
The amount of essential oil you use in your laundry depends on the amount of your laundry. If you are unsure if you will like the outcome, start with a few drops and keep adding to your next laundry until you can get the right amount. You don’t need to dilute it before putting it in the washer because the water will dilute it.
Use an unscented detergent to get the full scent of your choice oil on your laundry.
You can also make a DIY fabric softener using white vinegar (4.5 liters) and 20-30 drops of your favorite fabric softener. Mix properly and use the mixture in your rinse cycle.
The best essential oil for washing machine
When it comes to essential oils, you are spoilt for choice. It all depends on what you hope to get from the essential oils. Unfortunately, not all essential oils are safe for use in washing machines.
However, the safety of essential oils, or lack thereof, depends on their unsuitability for specific fabrics.
Some fabrics may lose their colors or quality if some essential oils are used during laundry.
Some of these laundry essential oils you can use in the washing machine are;
Lemon essential oil
Lemon essential oil is a fantastic laundry essential oil! Besides its disinfecting qualities, the lemon essential oil has a refreshing scent that helps to dispel the sluggish feeling and promotes clear thinking. It leaves your clothes smelling fresh and helps you to think clearly throughout the day.
Lavender essential oil
Lavender essential oil is an everyday scent mainly used to make soaps, washing detergents, shower gels, and fabric softeners. Lavender has a calming and relaxing effect on the brain.
It also helps to boost and support the immune system. It is best used on bed linen for the best relaxing sleep.
Tea tree essential oil
Tea tree essential oil is fantastic, especially for people with frequent flu and colds. It has strong antibacterial properties to help fight germs and viruses.
It’s also convenient when washing fabrics that have mold. Use tea tree essential oil to clean your old towels and rags.
Red Mandarin essential oil
The red mandarin essential oil has a sweet and fruity scent that helps to uplift your spirits. It helps to relieve anxiety, moodiness, and fatigue. It also helps to relieve stress.
Peppermint essential oil
Peppermint possesses natural antibacterial and antimicrobial properties that help to disinfect your clothes. Besides that, it helps calm one’s moods while promoting general wellness.
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus, just like peppermint, is a germ fighter! It keeps your house clean and germs-free (well, almost). The aromatic scent aids in centering one’s mind helping one to focus during the day.
Chamomile
This essential oil’s delicate floral scent gives a calming and balanced feeling. Chamomile can be used alone or you can combine it with a citrus essential oil like lemon or orange for an uplifting scent.
Rose essential oil
Rose essential oil has a delicate, light, and floral scent. This is the perfect laundry essential oil, especially for people who don’t like strong scents. It has a calming effect, and it promotes overall wellness.
Is it safe to put essential oils in a washing machine
It is easy to see where this question comes from. Essential oils are flammable, so they could be dangerous around appliances that might produce sparks.
But not in the washing machine! You see, you are going to add them to the drum, which also contains water. Therefore, there is zero danger of the oil catching fire and causing a disaster.
Besides, you are going to add just a little amount of the essential oil to the washing machine drum. Do not do more than a few small drops. Otherwise, the scent might be difficult to wash away when you don’t need it in your clothes anymore.
The best practice is to add the essential oil to the washing machine tub before you start it. The water that you will add to the tub is going to mix with the essential oil and spread evenly.
You might also be fearing that the essential oil is going to cause stains on your clothes. This is not likely to happen because the water will break the essential oil so none is likely to stick to the clothes fabrics.
Can I add essential oils to the washing machine?
That is the whole point of this article. You can add essential oils into the washing machine safely.
But, there are a few things that you should consider carefully. These are:
Add the essential oils to the tub before you can start the washing machine. This way, it will mix well with water when you start running the washer.
You could also add the essential oil to the fabric softener compartment, so that it mixes with the softener and then the water. Don’t worry, even in that state, the water will still dilute it effectively.
Another option is to mix the essential oil with the detergent that you are using. For the best effect, use a detergent that has no scent or a very mild one because it can interfere with that of the essential oil.
Add a few drops of the essential oils into the washing machine. If this is your first time to do so, add very small amounts. Later, you can find out what works for you so that you can increase the quantity considerably.
Where to put essential oils in the washing machine
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There are a few options here. First, you could add the essential oils to the washing machine tub itself and then add water, clothes, and detergent in whatever order. Once you start the washer, it is going to dilute the essential oil appropriately.
Secondly, you could add the essential oil to the compartment where you add the fabric softener. You can mix a few drops of the oil with water in this compartment and then add your fabric softener.
Thirdly, mix a few drops of the oil with your laundry detergent, which should be mildly, or not scented at all, since we want to bring out the scent of the oil over that of the detergent if any.
When you are done using the essential oil of your choice in the washing machine, clean it thoroughly. To do this, run a complete cycle in the tub, then air-dry the washer by leaving the door open for a few to several hours.
Wrapping Up
So can essential oils damage a washing machine? The truth is … essential oils don’t damage washing machines when appropriately used. Neither do they spoil or stain clothes when used correctly. You only need to learn your fabrics properly and avoid some laundry essential oils.
Use the proper amount of laundry essential oils and follow the right steps. Never use essential oils directly in the dryer as they can cause fire and damage the washing machine.
As always, clean the washing machine after every use. To remove the essential oils from the washing machine, use vinegar and hot water to clean the drum.
Run a full wash cycle then rinse the drum. Thoroughly clean the machine’s internal parts, then leave the washer door open to air-dry it.
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