The 7 Best-Smelling Laundry Detergents of 2024
Updated: Apr. 04, 2024
One cap of these heavenly scented laundry detergents will change the way you look at doing laundry. Fresh smelling fabrics ahead!
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Scented laundry detergents you just have to smell
The best smelling laundry detergents can take doing the laundry from plain old housework to domestic bliss, especially if you also have one of these best washer and dryer sets. Scenting your clothes, towels, and bedsheets in a fragrance you love works as a dose of aromatherapy and adds a little bit of elegance to the spin cycle (as long as you know how much detergent to use).
Our picks for the best smelling laundry detergents will get your clothes clean and gently perfume your fabrics for a lingering scent that lasts. Or, here’s how to make homemade laundry detergent and how to get smells out of clothes without washing.
Via Merchant
Best overall: Tyler Glamorous Wash Diva Fine Laundry Detergent
Tyler Glamorous Wash laundry detergent is a cult favorite with almost 22,000 Amazon ratings—so of course our Deputy Shopping Editor, Megan Wood, had to smell it for herself. She says, “I’m usually an unscented laundry detergent purchaser, but I’m absolutely in love with the Glamorous Wash fragrance for delicates, knits, and sheets.” It smells like fruits, florals, and notes of chocolate. Tyler Glamorous Wash is a safe laundry detergent for front-loading washing machines, or you can use it for hand-washing items in the sink. Wood notes her entire home smells good while doing the laundry with this best smelling laundry detergent. Some high-end boutiques put a capful of Glamorous in a spray bottle, add water, and spritz the mix onto clothes as a linen spray. Genius!
Via Merchant
Best for delicates: The Laundress Delicate Wash
You probably won’t use The Laundress Delicate Wash for every single load of wash. That’s OK! It’s not meant to be a workhorse laundry detergent. But it’s perfect for the special items you want to lightly scent and gently clean. Bras, lingerie, linens, and cashmere all deserve special attention. In fact, the scent was specifically designed to complement delicate fabrics.
What makes the Laundress products so special? “Our scents comprise at least 12 notes for a fine fragrance experience that makes the act of doing laundry feel more luxurious,” explains Hannah Yokoji, brand director for The Laundress. “To create each Laundress scent, we dedicate hours in The Laundress lab blending a selection of our favorite essential oils and fragrances.” And psst, The Laundress recently partnered with high-end fragrance Le Labo to blend the finest modern perfumery with their best performing detergent. That’s right, you can get best-selling Rose 31 and Santal 33 perfumes in best smelling laundry detergent form. It doesn’t smell much better than that!
Via Merchant
Best eco-friendly: Cleancult Liquid Laundry Detergent
Cleancult liquid laundry detergent was reviewed by a Reader’s Digest editor. It’s a best smelling laundry detergent that’s packaged and formulated with eco-conscious methods and available to order in an easy subscription model. The non-toxic, biodegradable detergent smells incredible, in a range of three yummy scents. We’re partial to the sweet honeysuckle for florals, but juniper and sandalwood or sea spray aloe are strong contenders for earthier or saltier notes. The clean keeps going beyond laundry: Your refills ship sustainably in recyclable packaging, and the laundry detergent bottle features a plant-based cap. Smell good and do good. Have you heard of laundry stripping?
Via Merchant
Best natural: Zum Clean Laundry Soap
If you like the scent of patchouli, you’ll love Zum Clean laundry soap in patchouli. The plant-based liquid laundry soap is made with essential oils, coconut oil, baking soda, and vegetable glycerin—and scented with the earthy fragrance of patchouli. Since coconut oil acts as a moisturizer, you won’t need dryer sheets. Pro tip: Use wool dryer balls to naturally dry clothes faster.
Via Merchant
Best long-lasting: Method Lavender and Cypress Laundry Detergent
Sure, lavender smells amazing on clothes, but Method Lavender and Cypress laundry detergent adds a woodsy scent to the floral notes for a wonderful aroma that’s a mix of sweet and pine. If your dream best smelling laundry detergent is more masculine, this is your scent. Ginger mango is another best smelling laundry detergent option, with a subtly spicy and fruity scent. One bottle of any fragrance should last you 66 loads and get your clothes very clean. These are the best laundry detergents for sensitive skin.
Via Merchant
Best stain fighting: Seventh Generation Geranium Blossom and Vanilla Laundry Detergent
Seventh Generation’s triple-enzyme formula fights tough stains and the botanical extracts smell ahh-mazing in their geranium blossom and vanilla laundry detergent. Seriously, this stuff should be made into a scented candle. Plus, it’s a USDA certified biobased product, meaning 96 percent is made with plant-based ingredients. It’s concentrated, so one bottle should be good to go for 53 loads of fragrant laundry. If you’re curious, here’s the difference between liquid vs. powder detergent.Â
Via Merchant
Best value: Love Home and Planet Rose Petal and Murumuru Laundry Detergent
What is murumuru, you ask? It’s a palm native to Brazil, and murumuru butter, extracted from the seeds of the plant, is often used as a moisturizer. Combining it with a lush rose scent, Love Home and Planet’s rose petal and murumuru is one of the best smelling laundry detergents on the market. The formulation is made with 94 percent plant-based cleansers that smell delicious. Users especially like this laundry detergent for washing and scenting towels. It’s also certified vegan and cruelty-free by PETA. Next, check out the best laundry detergents you can buy for every need, as well as what HE detergent is and why you might need it.
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Originally Published: September 23, 2021
