I am a perfectionist about many areas of my life.
Laundry is not one of those areas…
I know a lot of gals are super fastidious with their laundry habits– always separating lights and darks, always folding right out of the dryer, always ironing their sheets, and never, EVER leaving a load too long in the washer. *cough*
I don’t have a lot of “fancy” clothes, so I generally just wash everything together, and I usually use my homemade detergent. (Or sometimes I do like to use Biokleen Laundry Detergent– I’ve had good results with it.) During the warmer months, I prefer to hang items outside to dry- either on my clothesline or Homestead Drying Rack.
For the longest time I never pre-treated stains– which resulted in a lot of, er, “spotted” clothes.
Thankfully, I started using this homemade spot treatment, and it has worked wonders (especially with a messy preschooler…). You can whip up a batch yourself with natural ingredients and you’ll never have to buy spot-removers at the store again.
Homemade Laundry Stain & Spot Remover
Supplies:
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/4 cup liquid castile soap (I like Dr. Bronners)
- 1/4 cup liquid vegetable glycerin
- 5-10 drops of lemon essential oil (I use doTERRA oils exclusively. Click HERE to learn how to purchase doTERRA oils of your own.)
- Glass spray bottle OR plastic squeeze-type bottle
Instructions:
Mix all ingredients together.
If using the essential oil, store the mixture in a glass container since lemon oil can disintegrate plastics. If you omit the essential oil, it can then be stored in a repurposed plastic bottle with a lid that allows you to squirt it out.
To use, shake well and apply liberally to spots and stains. Lightly rub the mixture into the fabric with your fingertips.
As with most spot removers, this one works best if you treat the spot immediately and allow it to soak before tossing it into the washing machine. Sometimes I’ll even allow the item to soak overnight before washing it.
I haven’t had as good results if the stain has already been washed first– but you can still give it a try.
I haven’t had any issues with this mixture discoloring clothing, but if you are concerned about that, I would definitely test it in an inconspicuous area.
Notes:
- I get my small glass spray bottles from AromaTools or my local health food store.
- If you don’t have liquid castile soap, you can use liquid dish soap instead. I’ve used the “blue stuff” in the past with good results. You’ll just want to stick to a higher-quality brand, since the cheaper ones are usually watered down.
- To learn more about why I love essential oils so much, check out this page.
- To find out how to purchase doTERRA essential oils of your own, click here.
Laundry isn’t the only area of my home where I use essential oils– I put them to work on a daily basis for all sorts of things: cleaning, treating wounds and colds, preventing illness, and a whole lot more. You can get all the details for FREE in my eBook, The Essential Homestead– which is free to all email subscribers!
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About Jill Winger
Oh! I had no idea it was that easy. I already have all of those ingredients
Hope it works as well for you as it has for me!
I have all these ingredients and will be excited to give this a try! I have four kids, it gets very hard to keep up to stains right away. There are a few things you have to let go of, and I try to put “play/stained” clothes on the days we eat something that might stain or we go outside. And I accept the fact that one of my sons will forever be in stained t-shirts and sweatpants, lol!
Oh- I can totally relate! My daughter has a whole lot of “play/around-the-house” clothes that are stained like crazy. I don’t even worry about trying to keep them spot-free.
But, I’ve found this recipe works well for the “good” clothes that accidentally get stained.
I enjoy reading this blog for fun, but I find it disturbing when I see doTerra essential oils promoted. There is no such thing as “therapeutic grade” essential oils – it’s just a marketing hype term that, unfortunately, has been around for some time and people have bought into the term. Also, the prices for doTerra products are ridiculous. There are many reputable suppliers that provide pure, undiluted essential oils, and I would suggest that everyone do the research to find other sources. The majority of formulators won’t touch Young Living or doTerra with a 10-foot pole. JMHO
I have seen many, many other companies using the term “therapeutic-grade” to describe their oils– not just doTERRA. Because there is no regulating authority when it comes to essential oil quality, many companies have come up with a way to describe their products.
Yes, one of doTERRA’s trademarked terms is “Certified pure therapeutic grade”- but they’ll be the first to tell you that it is not an “industry standard,” but rather a way that they like to describe their oils. I don’t see a problem with that.
I’ve investigated many other essential oil companies, but I keep coming back to doTERRA. Yes, you can get oils for cheaper- but the quality usually isn’t there. I currently have a bottle of “cheap” lavender sitting in my cupboard– there is no comparison when it comes to the smell- it clearly has a chemical scent. And it immediately gives me a headache when I open the bottle– doTERRA’s doesn’t. Plus, it states on the bottle, “Not for Internal Use.”
As far as pricing, I’ve found that doTERRA’s wholesale prices are quite comparable to other quality-oil companies. And doTERRA has multiple promotions that allow me to save even more.
Essential oils are a very hot topic right now, and everyone has the right to choose their own brand. But after the amazing results I’ve had with the product, I’ll be sticking with doTERRA.
Jill, I can hardly wait to try this. I’ve been using the Lehmen’s recipe for laundry soap with great success for a couple years now. But needed a good stain recipe.
I’m curious why the vegetable glycerin helps with stain removal?
I’m not sure, but glycerine is typically a thickener/suspender. My guess would be that it makes more of a gel consistency, so that the liquid stays on the clothing better. It may also keep the oil suspended in the liquid. Just a thought – I may be wrong.
This sounds awesome! Wonder how it works on those impossible grass stains my kids get. Now if there only was a cure for my son running and sliding on his knees and wearing holes in his pants. : )
Hey! This sounds great! I just wondered if essential oils are ok to use in a home with dogs? I have two labs and really want to use essential oils for making my house smell naturally nice and other uses. Would be so grateful for your thoughts! Thanks
Hi Jenna-
Yes, I use EOs in my home non-stop and we have dogs. In fact, I’ve even used certain oils ON my dogs (although it’s wise to research first).
I actually have a book on aromatherapy for pets; including cats, dogs, rabbits and horses.
Have you found that this helps with oil stains at all? I keep getting them and can’t get rid of them! I wonder if I use more lemon essential oil if that would help. Great recipe!
I believe I’ve had it work on fresh oil stains– but it still would be worth a try on older ones as well!
I’ve been using a little “trick” on my really tough stains including oil, fresh and set. I take my spot remover spray and wet the area with it. Then I sprinkle a little bit of Oxyclean crystals on the area, just enough that sticks. I roll up the clothing and toss it into the washer as usual. It works especially well on “organic” stains like blood, sweat, grass and NC red clay dirt as well as oil. I would be interested to hear what others know about Oxyclean for its “natural” properties. I have DIY home and beauty products all over my house, but I keep buying Oxy because it works so well. I also mix it half and half with baking soda for a toilet and tub scrub. A friend said to use a more natural brand (Oxybrite, I think), but it has the same product ingredients as the Oxyclean. So I just wonder.
Melisa
I don’t happen to have the lemon oil right now but have several others. Could I substitute and, if so, what else have you tried? I have sweet orange, tea tree, and lavender. I love this idea. I’m slowly getting us away from commercial laundry products.
Hmmm… I’d stick with the citrus as far as stain-removing goes. Perhaps the orange?
I will try this tonight and let you know what happens!
Please do!
So Jill, the citrus oil helps in the stain removal? I wonder because you mention omitting it if storing in a plastic container. I know about lemon oil and plastic, but I wondered by the possible omission of the oil if it was more for scent. ?
Melisa
Also, just FYI, there is another brand of castile oil soaps on the market by Dr. Woods. I have been using him instead of Bronner’s (more for personal religious reasons) for a few years now and prefer his quality. All the Woods’ soaps are organic and use shea butter. The price is better from Amazon and Swanson. And their soap bars make wonderful gifts. (Hope it’s okay to post a little product promo but I just wanted to let people know there were others.)
I do think the EO helps with the stain removal– however, I’ve tried it both with and without and have still had good results. I think for certain stains, the lemon might give it an extra boost, but it still might work without it.
Have you had any problems yet with your plastic spritzer top getting clogged or deteriorating because of the EOs? I wonder if I should order extras.
Melisa
Nope- not yet! Just used it the other day, in fact, and it worked great!
I love your site! I was very excited to try this recipe, but it’s not working for me at all. None of the stains came out, even after letting them soak overnight. Any suggestions? I don’t have hard water. Also, what is the purpose of the glycerin? Because I know it is great for softening the skin, but wasn’t sure why it was included in this recipe.
Hmmm… What sort of stains are you using it on? I’ve had pretty good luck with it thus far, although every once and a while it won’t work on a stain that has been allowed to sit for a long time (although I don’t know much of anything that will work on some of those!)
The glycerin was included in the original recipe that I tweaked. I assume it has some sort of surfactant qualities, since it is a by-product of the soap making process (and is often removed and re-sold from conventional bar soaps)
Sorry it’s not working, though!
(And I love your blog as well! I just make your DIY baby shampoo this past week as a baby shower gift.)
I hit enter too soon. lol
How does it work on baby poop stains? I haven’t had any luck with finding a safe spot remover that works on those.
It does fairly well on baby poop– as long as I treat it right away– and depending on the stain itself.
If the baby poop stains are on your cloth diapers, hang them out to dry in the sun. They’ll disappear. I think all my white cottons come out whiter when I sun-dry them.
Melisa