Lavender is one of my all-time favourite scents. Thanks to its calming, uplifting properties, I try to use lavender as much as I can throughout my home. One of my favourite ways to enjoy it is in this lavender linen water as I iron. Don’t let the name fool you, though. This can also be used as a lavender spray anywhere in your home to freshen up any space! Read on to learn how to make this 5-minute DIY.
To say that I love lavender would be a major understatement. In fact, lavender is one of my favourite plants to grow in my garden.
If you were to spend just a short time looking around this site, you would see that I have recipes for lavender ombre soap, lavender lemonade, and even my dried lavender wreath.
From health and beauty products to food and home decor (and everything in between), I love using lavender in my everyday life.
Now, I’m adding another use for lavender: a lightly scented lavender linen water spray that is a must-have for your laundry room.
This post will cover…
- Why Use Lavender?
- How to Use Lavender Water
- Caution Regarding Lavender Linen Spray
- How to Make Lavender Linen Water
- Ingredients
- Make It!
- Use a Glass Spray Bottle
- Substitutes For Witch Hazel
- FAQ About Linen Water
- More Ways to Use Lavender
Why Use Lavender?
Lavender is an herb that has been long-known for its pleasant scent and calming properties. In fact, it has been used to cleanse and refresh since ancient times. The word “lavender” has its root in the Latin word “lavare,” which means “to wash.”
True to its namesake, ancient Romans used the flower to perfume their baths, bodies, beds, and clothing.
Those Romans were on to something. Not only does lavender leave linens smelling fresh and clean, but studies also suggest that lavender possesses anti-fungal, antimicrobial, and antibacterial properties, which may prevent common skin infections.
The test of time certainly stands behind this scented herb. Lavender has been used in traditional medicine since ancient times and is gentle on skin. Plus, it smells wonderful.
So the way I see it, the more lavender I have in my life, the better! What better way to get all those awesome aromatherapeutic benefits besides surrounding yourself with the scent as you sleep? That’s why I love this DIY lavender spray.
How to Use Lavender Water
First of ,all, yes you can buy lavender linen water, but you’ll end up paying a pretty heftforprice on something that you can easily (and inexpensively) make yourself.
Before we get into how to make this recipe, let’s talk about why you need it. Understandably, if you’ve never used lavender water before, you may be wondering what to do with it.
I originally made this spray myself to use when ironing. I quickly realized that this scent was a favourite of mine and started using it for so much more.
Of course, I still use this recipe for ironing too. To use this linen water when ironing, simply fill up your iron with it. It will freshen the fabric while pressing, and make ironing a much more pleasant chore.
Additionally, you can pour it into a spray bottle and mist linens fresh from the wash or those that have been stored for a while and need a refresh. And, if you’re like me and love the smell, you can use this lavender spray on SO many things, including spraying it in the air to deodorize the air.
It’s a really easy way to add a light scent to help freshen fabrics of all types. You can also use it on:
- Towels
- Curtains
- Furniture upholstery
- Throw pillows
- Dog beds
- Bathrooms
- As an air freshener
I use this linen spray for bedding, on my sheets, on dog beds, and on my son’s bed. I’ve even added it to a small spray bottle I keep next to my bed to use as a lavender pillow spray that helps me fall asleep at night. I might be just a little obsessed.
The all-natural ingredients mean that this spray is gentle with a delicate scent that doesn’t overwhelm the senses, making this a wonderful recipe to add to your regular laundry routine or pull out and use anytime you want to enjoy it.
Caution Regarding Lavender Linen Spray
One quick word of caution. While lavender is generally considered very safe, especially in a diluted form like this, use caution when using it around pregnant women, babies, and pets (especially cats).
Never spray this spray directly on pets, and always provide an avenue for fresh air in case the scent bothers them.
I have never had any kind of issue like this in my home or with my dogs; however, it’s always good to be cautious around animals as their noses are much more sensitive than human ones.
How to Make Lavender Linen Water
Now that I’ve told you all the fun ways to use this lovely spray let’s talk about how to make it. It takes just five minutes!
Ingredients
- 4 cups of distilled water
- 1/4 cup witch hazel
- 25 drops lavender essential oil
Make It!
Remove the spray bottle and pour the witch hazel into the bottle. Use a funnel if needed. Next, add your lavender oil to the bottle.
Add the distilled water to the bottle. Shake the bottle well for several seconds to mix the ingredients together. Also, shake again lightly before using this spray, as the ingredients can separate over time.
Use a Glass Spray Bottle
You will need a spray bottle for this recipe. When you use essential oils, use glass bottles because the essential oils can leach chemicals from plastic ones. Plus, it’s friendlier for both the environment and your budget as they will last a long time.
I like to recommend using a dark-coloured bottle to store your spray if you are going to be making a large batch. This helps preserve the essential oils by preventing UV rays from breaking them down. If you only have a clear spray bottle, that will work just fine too. Just make sure to store the spray bottle in a dark area like a cupboard.
Of course, if you are making this simply for linen spray, you will likely go through it fairly quickly. In that case, a glass bottle like the one pictured below works just fine.
Substitutes For Witch Hazel
Also, this recipe uses witch hazel to preserve the scent of your lavender oil. It should also help keep your oil dissolved in the solution (but I always shake it before using it, just in case). If you don’t have any witch hazel, you could swap it out and use unflavoured vodka or rubbing alcohol in its place.
FAQ About Linen Water
While it will look aesthetically nice, it will end up colouring the water and could stain the linens.
This recipe uses only a few drops of essential oil, and it’s well mixed in the mist. Therefore, you shouldn’t see any problems with oil stains.
I wouldn’t recommend using anything besides essential oils. They are highly concentrated, so you do not need to add much to the mixture. And in such small amounts, it doesn’t create oil stains. Meanwhile, an infused lavender oil will require more to get the scent and could leave behind oil stains.
Distilled water is free from bacteria and other organic materials. This means that the likelihood that you’re adding contaminants to the recipe lessens, and the linen spray will last longer.
Try using this lavender linen water as a pillow spray to help you relax and sleep better. I hope you love this lavender spray as much as I do. Before you know it, you may also be spraying your kids’ pillows with it to help them sleep at night. Enjoy!
More Ways to Use Lavender
- Naturally Freshen Laundry With Homemade Reusable Dryer Bags
- Heavenly on the Hands Lavender Liquid Soap
- DIY All-Purpose Cleaner With Lavender and Alcohol
- Lavender Lemonade: The Taste of Summer
- Easy Homemade Lavender Bath Salts Recipe
- Lemongrass and Lavender Deodorizing Soap for Tackling Strong Odours
DIY Lavender Linen Water
Equipment
- 1 Bottle with spray top
Supplies
- 4 cups distilled water
- ¼ cup witch hazel
- 25 drop lavender essential oil
Instructions
- Remove the spray bottle top and pour your witch hazel into the bottle.
- Next, add your lavender oil to the bottle.
- Add the distilled water to the bottle.
- Shake the bottle well for several seconds to mix the ingredients together.
Notes
A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants.
Made this, smell awesome relaxing … thank u for sharing
Could I add dried lavender to this?
I wouldn’t. It will colour the water and that can stain linens.
Where do I find the printable label?
You say to use lavender essential oil. I make lavender oil from garden lavender and olive oil. Can I use this instead of essential oil??
Hello, what you are making is an infused oil, which is lovely, but may add oil stains to your linens. Essential oils are extracted from the plant and highly concentrated, so you do not need much to ad the fragrance and therefore no oil stains.
No, you can’t.
What you make is an oleolite, which is different from essential oil. An essential oil is obtained by distillation in vapour current.
I was excited to actually use my lavender for this, based on the pictures. Disappointed that I have to use essential oil.