These herbal dryer sachets are a beautiful and healthy way to scent your laundry and they make wonderful gifts for friends, co-workers and even teachers!
Several years ago when I was making a collective effort in our home to get rid of unnecessary toxic cleaners and DIY my own, dryer sheets were one of the first to go.
I’ll be honest and say that moving away from dryer sheets wasn’t hard at all. However, it wasn’t quite as easy to convince family members to step back from them. Every now and then my kids would come home from grandma’s house in freshly laundered clothes.
Those clothes smelled like grandma’s fabric softener and that smell was hard to remove.
Non-Toxic Alternatives (that still smell good!)
Grandma was (and still is) loyal to those brand-name softeners. She was convinced that scented clothes were indeed clean clothes.
The EWG rating on Dryer Sheets is a wee bit disturbing. Especially if you have kiddos that are sensitive to what goes on their skin. In my efforts to steer clear, I picked up wool dryer balls for Grandma, and another set for us.
Wool Dryer Balls are a wonderful option to cut down on dryer load time. Simply toss the balls in the dryer with your wet clothes and the clothes will dry much quicker. You can add essential oils to those dryer balls for scent as well.
Dryer Sachets
These dryer sachets are similar to dryer balls with the exception of cutting dryer time. They are, however, a lovely way to gift to family and friends around the holidays. Or.. a set of 4 would make a lovely gift for a teacher, Sunday school instructor or family member.
Each herbal dryer sachet is filled with one cup (1 oz in weight) of dried lavender buds. It’s then pulled tight at the top, and tied around the opening several times in a knot to ensure the buds don’t creep out.
Toss in the dryer with your wet clothes. As the cycle commences, the dried lavender will infuse the clothing in the dryer. Your freshly laundered items will smell quite amazing.
Go a step further and fill the bag with dried rosemary as well. Combined with lavender it’s a vibrant yet calming scent.
How to Make Herbal Dryer Sachets
Items needed:
- dried lavender and/or rosemary (approx.. 1 C. per bag will equate to 1 oz.)
- 4×6 muslin bags with drawstring
- optional: lavender essential oil
- cigar band wraps (prints 3 per page)
- 65# cardstock, in brown
- paper cutter for cutting the cigar band wraps
You can find all of the ingredients to make these cute dryer sachets on Amazon. However, if you are looking for organic dried Lavender, that’s available as well. Check Starwest Botanicals or Mountain Rose Herbs.
To make:
Carefully add the weighed lavender to your sachet, taking care not to spill too much on the floor. It helps if you have a funnel – or, even a temporary funnel.
A piece of regular printer paper rolled up works pretty well.
Fill with the lavender, then pull the top ties to close the sachet. Then carefully wind the string around the top several times, knotting every time you pass. This will ensure the lavender stays within after repeated dryer loads.
To use the sachets, toss in the dryer with your clothes — one sachet can be used for up to 35 dryer loads. Lavender essential oil can be applied to the buds to re-energize the scent. The muslin bag is washable and the buds can be composted if needed.
If gifting these herbal dryer sachets, download these labels and wrap around the sachet. Then simply use a glue stick to secure the band.
Don’t want to make them yourself? We carry these Dryer Bags in our soap shop – they make a wonderful gift!
