Short answer: To use laundry perfume, add 5 ml to your washing machine's fabric-softener compartment (five presses of the myBIANCA gold pump), put your usual detergent in as normal, and run your normal cycle. That's it. You don't need fabric softener as well, because laundry perfume replaces it. With myBIANCA, one 5 ml dose is one wash, so a 500 ml bottle does 100 washes (about 38c a wash).
Laundry perfume is simple to use, but it's new to a lot of people, and the same questions come up again and again: how much, which drawer, which cycle, and can I still use my own detergent? Here are the answers.
What is laundry perfume?
Laundry perfume is a concentrated fragrance you add to the rinse part of your wash. It does the job many people buy fabric softener for (making washing smell lovely), but it's a fragrance, not a softener. myBIANCA's laundry perfumes are silicone-free and non-bio, with no dyes or optical brighteners.
How to use laundry perfume, step by step
- Add your detergent as normal. Liquid, powder, pods or detergent sheets all work.
- Measure 5 ml of laundry perfume. Each press of the gold pump on our 500 ml bottles and 50 ml Home Minis gives 1 ml, so that's five presses. If you're using a sample sachet, one sachet is exactly 5 ml.
- Pour it into the fabric-softener compartment. That's the section of the drawer usually marked with a flower symbol. It releases during the final rinse, which is what carries the scent into your clothes.
- Load your washing and run your usual cycle. Laundry perfume works in all machines and at every temperature, hot or cold, front or top loaders.
- Dry as normal. Your washing will smell fresh coming out of the machine and as it dries.
How much laundry perfume should I use?
Use 5 ml per wash: five presses of the gold pump. Laundry perfume is highly concentrated, so more isn't better. A 5 ml dose gives a full, scented wash, and it's how a 500 ml bottle gets you 100 washes. Keeping to the measured dose also means the scent stays pleasant rather than overpowering.
Where does laundry perfume go in the washing machine?
In the fabric-softener compartment of the drawer, alongside your normal detergent. Don't pour it directly onto clothes. Adding it through the drawer means it's diluted in the rinse water and spread evenly across the whole load. If you're using a sample sachet, empty the sachet into the drawer and throw the empty packet away. Don't put the packet in the drum.
Do I still need fabric softener?
No. Laundry perfume goes in the same compartment and replaces fabric softener. Softeners work by coating fibres, which makes towels less absorbent, and Nike's advice for moisture-wicking shirts is to skip the fabric softener. Laundry perfume gives you the fresh scent without the softener.
Which washes is it good for?
Pretty much all of them. It's especially worth using on:
- Bedding and towels: the washes where you notice scent most, every time you get into bed or dry off.
- Everyday clothes: so wardrobes and drawers smell fresh, not stale.
- Sportswear: many sportswear brands advise against fabric softener, so laundry perfume is an easy way to keep gym gear smelling fresh.
- Anything dried indoors: scent helps, but slow drying causes musty smells. See our guide to why washing smells musty and how to fix it.
How to choose a scent
myBIANCA has six scents: Azure Blue, Polar White, Spring Green, Stylish Pink, Sunset Kiss and Oud Illusion. They range from fresh and clean to warm and rich. Scent is personal, and it smells different on washing than it does from the bottle. The easiest way to choose is to try a few before buying a full bottle:
- The Discovery Bundle includes perfume sample sachets (5 ml each, one wash per sachet), plus detergent sheets and colour catchers.
- Home Minis are 50 ml bottles (10 washes each), so you can live with a few scents for a couple of weeks before you commit.
When you've found your favourite, the 500 ml bottles do 100 washes each.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Using too much. Stick to 5 ml (five pumps). It's a concentrate.
- Adding it to the detergent compartment. It would be washed away in the main wash. It belongs in the softener compartment so it's released in the final rinse.
- Using it to hide a damp smell. If washing smells musty, it's drying too slowly. Fix the drying first, then add scent.
- Leaving washing in the drum. Take it out when the cycle ends so it dries fresh.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use laundry perfume with my normal detergent?
Yes. It works with any detergent: liquid, powder, pods or detergent sheets. Add your detergent as usual and the perfume to the softener compartment.
Does laundry perfume work on a cold wash?
Yes. It works at every temperature, including 30°C and cold washes.
Can I use laundry perfume instead of fabric softener?
Yes. That's what it's designed for. It goes in the softener compartment and replaces softener.
Is laundry perfume suitable for sensitive skin?
We don't make a sensitive-skin claim because we haven't done dermatological testing. The full ingredient list is on every laundry perfume product page, so if you or your family have sensitive skin, check it first.
How many pumps of laundry perfume do I use?
Five. Each press of the myBIANCA gold pump gives 1 ml, so five presses is the 5 ml dose for one wash.
How many washes do I get from a bottle?
At 5 ml per wash, a 500 ml bottle gives 100 washes and a 50 ml Home Mini gives 10.
Is laundry perfume safe to keep in the house?
Treat it like any concentrated household product. Keep it out of reach of children, avoid contact with eyes, and read the label on the bottle.
Written by Brendan Arthur, co-founder of myBIANCA, a laundry fragrance brand packed and shipped from Co. Meath.
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