Lavender Spray for Linens

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Today, I'm sharing my secret for the thriftiest luxury I take advantage of on the regular: my recipe for French Lavender Spray for Linens (applied to freshly ironed sheets). It is truly luxurious for just a couple of bucks. Not only do I use this aromatherapy spray on bedding, I actually use it on towels, upholstered furniture, and draperies, too. It smells heavenly and is one of my favorite DIY concoctions to create every week. 

Not only are we in the middle of lovely lavender week here on I Should Be Mopping the Floor, today is also Thrifty Style Team day. And I'm sharing my favorite thrifty luxury around...a well made bed that smells straight out of heaven (better than any fancy perfume!). This recipe will make you feel like you're sleeping in the poshest of five star hotels with crisp, clean, fantastic smelling (and feeling) sheets. It can also be used as a lovely aromatherapy room spray.

Lavender Spray

Want to know the best way to get engagement on an Instagram or Facebook post? Post that you iron your sheets. People will go bananas. They'll tell you "you're nuts", and comment things like: "who has time for that?". But, you know what? Even if I am nuts, I still sleep like a baby every night...on crisp ironed sheets that smell of lovely French lavender. So there's that. Ironed sheets are truly my weakness. I blame my mother.

Over a year ago, I posted a photo on my social media accounts stating I was getting ready for houseguests and ironing all of the sheets. I asked how others prepare for guests. While I didn't get a ton of answers to my question, I probably lost friends in droves who decided I was crazy for ironing my sheets. I'm here to tell you that it's the cheapest luxury you'll ever find. And, if I do say so myself, it's worth it. So, don't leave me, yet. See how this simple act can really transform your sleeping environment into one that feels a bit more luxurious and smells absolutely lovely.

If you're following along with all of the lavender fun this week, be sure to grab the Free Lavender and Lace Printables from Monday, as well as the Free Printable Lavender Labels that go with today's recipe (see them in the image below).

A Bygone Luxury (that is very affordable)

I got my sheet-ironing habit from my mother. I scoffed at this "silly" practice through my high school and college years, thinking it was nuts. But, after I was married and then later expecting our first child, I took a lot more pride in domesticity and came around to my mom's way of thinking.

When pregnant with our oldest, I was put on bed rest the last seven weeks of the pregnancy. We lived eight hours from our hometown, but my mom made the trek up and stayed with us most of that time, helping me get ready for Baby Benjamin (since I couldn't do much, myself). 

Always a doer, she kept herself ridiculously busy cleaning our home from top to bottom during that time. At one point, she had several sets of our sheets wrapped in plastic in our refrigerator. My husband had some serious confusion over this. It was at that moment I realized she was doing her age-old practice of sprinkling and ironing sheets (she used to take in ironing for extra pocket money when we were young...and sheets were her specialty). 

She would sprinkle the sheets with an old-fashioned sprinkle jar (usually containing distilled water). Then wrap them in plastic. Then the sheets chilled in the fridge overnight. This made them easier to iron the next day. This is an age-old practice that is simply divine. While I don't do this to the extent my mom did, my revised (read: much simpler) method is below. I have, of course, incorporated the French Lavender Linen Spray recipe that I'm sharing.

Ironing Sheets the New-Fashioned Way 

While I'm calling it a "new-fashioned" way, I myself am a bit old-fashioned...which is probably why I iron sheets. But, trust me, you absolutely have to give this a try. Instead of the whole "sprinkle, chill, iron" method my mom always used, I do the following simplified version.

• Launder your sheets. When drying them, pull the top sheet and pillow cases out of the dryer (or off the line, if you're so lucky to have that option), just before they're completely dry (damp, but not too damp). 
• Dry your fitted sheets as usual.
• Place your fitted sheet(s) on your bed (as pictured above). And yes, we have an old-people "split" bed with the movable bases...it's actually my favorite thing on earth. 
• After your fitted sheet(s) are in place, generously spritz their surface with your French Lavender Spray. I give my sheets a generous coat. Allow them to dry completely (I put my overhead fan on high to speed this process along). 
• I do not actually iron the fitted sheets, but I do get them on the mattresses straight out of the dryer when they're still quite warm. To be totally honest, ironing a fitted sheet sounds dreadful to me. God bless my mom for doing it all those years.

• While your fitted sheets are drying on the bed, iron the flat sheet(s), (that's what I'm doing in the above photo). I use the hottest and steamiest setting on my iron. I also generously spritz each section before ironing with my French Lavender Linen Spray. It's a great alternative for starch: so fresh, light, and perfect to iron sheets. The spray is so inexpensive that I, literally, go through almost an entire bottle when I launder our sheets (our bed is king-sized, to give you an idea of the amount you may need).
• Place your flat sheet on the bed and tuck into place. I give mine another spray of the French Lavender Linen Spray. Again, allow this to dry.
• Iron your pillow cases, again using the linen spray as you go. Place them on your pillows.
• Make the rest of the bed as you normally would. Once the bed is totally made, I give it one more spray, for fun.
• If you use blankets between your sheets and duvet or quilt, be sure to spritz them, too.
• When you climb into your bed that night, you'll be able to feel the difference that the nice, ironed top sheet makes...and the pressed pillow cases, as well. And of course, it will all smell heavenly.

Daily Touch Ups

I like my sheets to smell like lavender all the time...not just on bedding wash days. While this spray definitely has staying ability and will still be on your sheets well into the week, touching them up is an easy way to refresh along the way. I have two different methods of doing this.

• My first method is my preferred method that I do on days when I workout in the mornings.
• Since I'm the last one out of bed, I pull back the duvet and flat sheet and fold them neatly towards the bottom of the bed.
• Then I spray the fitted sheet(s), pillowcase(s) and extra throw pillows with the Lavender Spray.
• I go workout. By the time I'm back home, the sheets have dried and I make up the bed. 
• Never spray your sheets and make your bed immediately. Allow them to dry thoroughly before making the bed. 
• My other method is used on mornings when I don't workout (usually Sundays when we head to church).
• After waking up, I just make the bed as usual.
• About an hour before going to sleep at night, I pull back the the duvet and flat sheet and fold them neatly towards the bottom of the bed.
• Then I spray the fitted sheet(s) and pillows with the French Lavender Linen Spray.
• I then leave the bed to dry while we get ready to shut the house down for the night (doing chores, dishes, etc). By the time we're ready to turn in, the bed is dry and ready. 

Again, I use this recipe on a lot more than bedding, but it's definitely my main use. 

• I use it on towels as we fold them.
• I apply to drapes and curtains (color test on the fabrics first) every week to keep them fresh.
• I constantly spritz the upholstered furniture, as well.

French Lavender Spray Recipe

Download a printable version of this recipe here or here.

Ingredients for Spray

• glass spray bottles (you can use plastic, but be sure to not incorporate any citrus oils into your mixture...often people enjoy lemon in this, as well)
• I purchased the glass ones I use (they hold 16 ounces each) here on Amazon. 
• distilled water
• I usually grab a gallon when I'm at the grocery store.
• witch hazel, isopropyl alcohol, or vodka 
• I use witch hazel for my regular Lavender Spray. However, I use vodka when making a similar ironing water (I sometimes use it for ironing napkins, sewing, etc.). Vodka seems to do better in that instance. Plus, it's great for killing any bacteria and germs on linens. 
• Lavender Essential Oil or French Lavender Essential Oil
• See my notes below on essential oil choices. Purchase the inexpensive French Lavender Essential Oil from Amazon here. If it is not available on Amazon, my other choice over there is this lavender essential oil.
• I also see lavender oil at our local Walmart Stores.
• Be sure to also grab my free printable Lavender Linen Spray Labels to use with your spray. 

Directions

• Using a funnel, combine one part witch hazel (or isopropyl alcohol or vodka) with three parts distilled water) in your spray bottle. 
• If you're using the 16 oz. bottles, it's 1/2 cup witch hazel to 1 1/2 cups distilled water.
• Drop 25-30 drops of your lavender essential oil into the mixture. You can use less if you prefer a less intense scent. I like a lot of lavender. 
• Place top on bottle and secure tightly. 
• Give the mixture a nice shake to incorporate all ingredients.
• Be sure to add one of my Free Printable Lavender Linen Spray Labels to your bottle.
• I also like to shake it again before I spray, since the oil sometimes separates itself from the other ingredients.

Download a printable version of this recipe here or here.

Lavender Essential Oils

• I purchased the French Lavender Essential Oil after a bit of research...I wanted that sweeter French Lavender scent for this and other lavender projects.  I wouldn't use it in a topical manner on our skin, but it is a nice French Lavender for home recipes that are blended with other ingredients. 
• I grabbed the French Lavender Essential Oil here on Amazon (it's a lot less expensive than the normal Lavender I use, so it doesn't hurt as much to use larger quantities of it). 
• If it's unavailable (as it often is), this other one here on Amazon is another good one that I've used.
• If you prefer a more well-known brand and therapeutic grade of pure essential oils, I have also used Young Living Essential Oils for over eight years. I do not work the business side of it, but you're welcome to contact my friend, Lisa, over at The Pennington Point, if you're interested in this brand (she's another Texas blogger). These are the purest essential oils I've ever used and it's a tried and true brand. Their Lavender is wonderful. But, again, I went with my French Lavender one in this particular instance due to cost. 

Do you have a nice lavender recipe for your bedding? 
I'd love to know what you use, as well.

Thrifty Style Team Projects

And don't forget...it's everyone's favorite day of the month: Thrifty Style Team day! We love getting together once a month to share thrifty ideas, projects, and home stuff with you all. Check out all of my friends' wonderful ideas below.

DIY Rose Wedding Bouquet by Redhead Can Decorate

7 Thrifty Fall Decor Ideas by 2 Bees in a Pod

DIY Trophy Bookends by Salvage Sister and Mister

Snap Bag Simple Tutorial for Makeup Brushes and More by Hearth and Vine

Plain Wood Crates, Stained & Lettered by Bliss Ranch

Repurposed Drawers for Storage and Display by DIY Beautify

Shabby Chic Farmhouse Hutch Makeover by The How to Home

Cheap No Sew Curtain for the RV by Chatfield Court

DIY Boxwood Wreath by Creekline House

Updated Painted Metal Lanterns by Cottage at the Crossroads

Thrifty String Art Made With Embroidery Hoops by Meegan Makes

Amazing Backsplash Transformation by Duke Manor Farm