Episode 123: Doing Your Laundry Naturally

doTERRA: Did you know that the average American family does eight to ten loads of laundry each week? That's between 400 and 500 loads every year! What you're putting into your laundry matters and today, we’ll show you how to make sure your laundry is getting clean without the addition of chemicals.

Welcome back to Essential Oil Solutions with doTERRA, the podcast where you'll hear exciting, useful, and simple everyday uses for essential oils from experts in the field. If you like what you hear today, rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen. We always appreciate hearing from you.

Today, we're excited to talk to Tania Mustain about how you can do your laundry using natural products. Tania, thank you so much for joining us today.

Tania Mustain: It's a pleasure to be here. Thanks so much for having me.

doTERRA: This is a topic that, you know, maybe some people might not have thought about before. Why is it a possibility that our traditional laundry detergent might be harmful?

Tania: That's a great question. And the common belief is that when we wash our clothing, it's clean and safe. But in fact, it comes out of our washer with residue from the detergent we use. The average detergent has harmful chemicals in addition to all the fragrances that become irritants to our largest organ, which is our skin.

Think about your body being a diffuser. What are you diffusing? Because it will affect your air quality and your environment. Many people aren't feeling their best, and they just don't understand why. But when looking at an environmental factor such as laundry detergent, it can often be a trigger.

We have an expectation that we can trust companies to do what's right and not harm us. But this is not the actual world we live in. So, you know, we've got to do our homework, research companies and their practices, and then make an informed decision, because every time we buy a toxic item, like most detergents, we're casting a vote to continue their practices, which is why I love buying my doTERRA detergent.

It has a full bottle, a 10 mL bottle, of On Guard blended in the detergent. I have my environmental background, right? When I pick out a detergent, I don't think, “Okay, will this make our clothing clean and smell great?” I also think about my skin, you know, my family's skin, our pores and what residue is going to be left behind. And we don't often take our purchases that seriously or put much thought into them in this way. When considering, you know, high rates of health concerns, it's time to be more cognizant of our buying power and the effects that those purchases they have on our family.

Another area of concern in the environment is these chemicals not only linger on our skin, we don't only breathe them in. But think about the wash water, right? Where does that go? So we've got to think about everyone, and not only just ourselves. So that's a big question.

doTERRA: And I think you're absolutely right. It is a big question, and it's a question that affects more than we think it does. So what are some things that I should be looking for in a natural laundry detergent?

Tania: Well, to answer that, it's first important to know what not to have in your natural detergent. So, you know, things like fragrance—as we talked about—dyes and those chemicals also, right? So we’ve got to do our due diligence on those.

Look for minimal ingredients, fragrance-free detergents, where you can add your own scent. Choose detergents that are plant based instead of petroleum based. And choose detergents with natural whiteners like baking soda or citric acid.

Not knowing this—that your family is affected in such profound ways, our air quality, water quality—it would be a great time to expand your knowledge and make a change in an area like your detergent and then branch out to like fabric softener and other—the possibilities are endless.

But let's say you're a busy mom or you're just busy in life, and you really don't have the time to make your own detergents or do the research. I recommend On Guard detergent. It’s what I use. It's a company that's transparent. Their testing is transparent. And so it wouldn't be such a gargantuan task to look up the safety of this detergent.

doTERRA: I love all of those tips. I think that's so helpful. And that doTERRA has this prepackaged laundry detergent that you can trust is so incredible.

Tania: Yes!

doTERRA: Obviously, we want to avoid those synthetic fragrances when we're looking for a laundry detergent, but we also want our clothes to smell really nice. What can I do to help my clothes smell better naturally?

Tania: Oh, so you can do this in several ways. Let's start with using your On Guard detergent because it smells amazing. You know, Wild Orange, Eucalyptus, Cinnamon, you know, it smells amazing, and—excuse me, Clove.

Or you can make your own DIY detergent. Part of helping your clothing smell better starts with removing. If you use On Guard detergent, you'd be accomplishing this due to the On Guard protected blend. But if you're making your own detergent, then I suggest using On Guard oil and Purify blend. The Purify blend in and of itself purifies. So while adding some baking soda and a bit of vinegar, along with your favorite smelling doTERRA oil—you could do that. Baking soda is very effective at handling environmental threats. And then when paired together with On Guard, it'll be a powerhouse.

When it comes to drying your clothing, that's another opportunity to get our clothing smelling great. Get some natural dryer balls and add like maybe about 20 drops between about three different dryer balls minimum. You know, you should have multiples. And then it helps with static cling. If you love fabric softener smells, keep in mind, it's a chemical cocktail that's making them smell so good.

doTERRA: Right.

Tania: You love that smell, the oil I'd recommend for dryer balls is Whisper. You'll love it.

doTERRA: You mentioned a few oils there. What are your other favorite essential oils to use in your laundry routine?

Tania: Oh, where to begin? Okay, yeah, I always use Purify, and then I add some more oils to it. I like Slim and Sassy, but because I have my On Guard, I don't have to worry so much about that. If I want something fragrant or energizing, I'll use Spearmint or Citrus Bliss. If I want a spa experience, then I'll add some Lemongrass, Serenity, or Lavender. If I want a floral scent, then I’ll add the Ylang Ylang or even Peace blend is my favorite. Now, let's see, if I want a serene, woodsy experience—which I love woodsy smells—there are Siberian Fir, Cypress, Cedarwood, or—wow—Frankincense.

If I have a stain, I use Lemon oil because it's really helpful for stains. If I'm worried about a fabric that may be a sensitive fabric, I'll try the inner area, like some inconspicuous place of the garment. And I do the Lemon oil, and just make sure it's okay. And if it's good to go, then I put it on the stain and throw it in the wash cycle. There are so many fun ways to use your oils in your laundry, and then you can tailor it to your specific desires.

doTERRA: All of those sound incredible, and I can't wait to try a few of those recommendations in my laundry. Tania, thank you so much for sitting down and talking with us today and for sharing this incredible advice on how we can keep our laundry a little bit more natural.

Tania: Awesome! Oh, it's my pleasure. Thank you so much.

doTERRA: Thanks for joining us and congratulations on living a healthier lifestyle with essential oils. If you liked what you heard today, rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen. Also, if you want to try any of the products you learned about, go to doterra.com or find a Wellness Advocate near you to place an order today.