Finding the best smelling laundry detergent is essential for anyone who wants to present their best self to the world.
After all, scent plays a hugely important role in human psychology, and looking good won’t get you very far if people don’t like what they smell when they stand next to you.
Fortunately, the effort you’re already making to keep your clothes clean (you are keeping your clothes clean, right?) can also keep your scent fresh.
In this post I’ll round up some of the best smelling laundry detergent options, and share a few insights from online reviewers who explain why they love each one.
The (Absolute) Best Smelling Laundry Detergent on the Market
Rounding Up the Best Detergents for a Long-Lasting Fresh Scent
Overall Best Smelling Laundry Detergent ↓
Persil ProClean Intense Fresh
- 5 Stars on Amazon
- 19,390 ratings
- “Intense Fresh” Scent
- Works in an HE washing machine
Maintaining a 5-start rating after nearly 20,000 reviews, Persil’s ProClean is easily one of the top-rated detergents on Amazon, and it’s not hard to see why.
In addition to its natural-smelling “intense fresh” scent, it also provides a deep, thorough clean, and can even remove the visible stains and dirt that most other detergents can’t touch.
Plus, it’s also one of the more cost-effective detergents on the market, because a little goes a long way:
You don’t need much detergent to get a deep, fresh-smelling clean.
Encouraging Review:
“I discovered Persil when I was in Europe and now that it’s in Canada I will not use anything else! It takes out old stains that Tide will not and I just love the smell. ” – MD
Best Smelling Natural Detergent:
Frey
Features:
- 5 Stars on Frey.com
- 4,834 ratings
- Smells like sandal wood
Advantages:
Frey prides itself on being “better for your nose, better for the environment and better for the world” than regular detergent.
In addition to keeping your clothes looking better for longer, its fragranced liquid laundry detergent comes in four naturally scented varieties.
This one, with a mix of sandalwood, bergamot and clove, is a favorite because of its sweet, warm fragrance.
Encouraging Review:
If a nomad lumberjack wizard rescued from a logging accident in an enchanted orak forest – that’s the smell of Frey… I don’t think I’ll use another detergent ever again.
– Jake S., Boulder, Colorado*
*I swear to Thor, I didn’t make that up – it’s an actual review on Frey’s website.
Tide Original
Features:
- 4.8 Stars on Amazon
- 32,350 ratings
- Smells like citrus
Advantages:
One of the best-selling laundry detergents on the market also happens to be one of the best-smelling, which probably shouldn’t surprise you.
It’s a classic for a reason.
In addition to the stain-fighting powers Tide is known for, their original formula has a refreshing citrus scent that can last for days after each load.
Plus, their new “upgraded original” version has extra cleaning power that fights grease and helps keep whites whiter, so it’s a good option if you’re looking for something that not only smells great, but provides a deep clean.
Encouraging Review:
There is just something about Tide that other laundry detergent brands have not been able to produce which is a great smelling detergent that actually works.
The scent in Tide detergent is long lasting and you can smell it on clothes days after you washed them!
– E
Best Smelling Laundry Detergent Fabric Softener Combo:
The Good Home
Features:
- 4.4 Stars on Amazon
- 27 ratings
- Lavender Scent
Advantages:
The best smelling laundry combo is this natural and organic package from The Good Home, which is free of the artificial optical brighteners in other detergents.
It offers a complete, fresh-smelling package that provides one of the best smelling fabric softener and detergent combos on the market.
The best part? The fabric softener smells like lavender, offering a fresh summer scent all year round.
Encouraging Review:
Smells Amazing!!! Sheets are so soft. Towels turned out soft and smells great!!!
– Ann Crockett
Best Smelling Long-Lasting Laundry Detergent:
Tide Pods
Features:
- 5 Stars on Amazon
- 13,751 ratings
- Fresh Floral Notes
Advantages:
Don’t let their small size fool you: these scented pods are packed with Tide detergent, and able to handle the toughest stains, even in a large load.
Able to dissolve in both hot and cold water, these scented Tide Pods contain a super-concentrated mixture of cleaning ingredients.
That means your clothes not only get extra clean, but retain the fresh “Spring Meadow” clean scent for a long time.
Editorial Review:
The Spring Meadow scent is a mix of bouquet and sunshine that gives a clean and crisp aroma that isn’t overpowering.
Your laundry stays fresh for weeks. The pods are packed with powerful concentrated cleaning properties.
– Sally Painter, LovetoKnow
Gain Original
Features:
- 4.8 Stars on Amazon
- 9,445 ratings
- Smells like fresh blossoms with a hint of fruit
Advantages:
Another best-selling detergent from a big name brand, the original Gain scent hasn’t changed in years, and with good reason.
It has a blossom-like overtone that’s complemented by hints of woody amber and fruity undertones of orange lemon and jasmine, resulting in a super fresh scent that reminds you of a warm spring day.
Encouraging Review:
Have been using the original scent ever since smelling my aunt’s laundry. Wonderful scent to me. Cleans well too.
– Shel
Arm & Hammer
Features:
- 4.6 Stars on Amazon
- 424 ratings
- Buoyant clean scent
Advantages:
Arm & Hammer’s “Clean Burst” original scent provides a fresh-smelling hit of buoyancy that’s both refreshing and inoffensive (so it won’t conflict with your favorite affordable cologne).
Plus, it’s got a low-suds formula designed to help with stain removal – even with extra dirty clothes and particularly stubborn stains – and works in modern high efficiency models.
Quick buying note:
This one’s available in multiple sizes, but the best value comes from buying a large commercial size.
Encouraging Review:
If you wash everyday, this is the detergent to get. Smells great, and designed for high volume laundry households.
For extra tough stains soak garment in oxyclean overnight, then was the following day. If you drip dry you really cannot smell the scent at the end of the day, but that applies to every detergent I know.
– SonnyK
Purex
Features:
- 4.7 Stars on Amazon
- 2,609 ratings
- Smells like mountain air and springtime florals
Advantages:
Purex’s Mountain Breeze scent combines the invigorating smell of fresh mountain air with Purex’s highly concentrated formula.
As a result, you can use less detergent with each wash but still get the same clean (and fresh-smelling) results.
Encouraging Review:
Cleans great, smells wonderful.
– CBear17
Love Home and Planet
Features:
- 4.7 Stars on Amazon
- 1,207 ratings
- Smells like rose petals
Advantages:
This plant-based detergent from Love and Home Planet is made with 94% plant-based ingredients.
Safe for both HE and standard washing machines, it has a natural flower-scented aroma blended with argan oil and lavender.
Encouraging Review:
This is by far the best detergent for delicate washing I’ve yet found!! Leaves a lovely rose scent on clothes without being overbearing. Cleans well also!
– Shelly Shisler
Frey
Features:
- 5 Stars on Frey.com
- 4,834 ratings
- Smells like jasmine
Advantages:
Another popular version of Frey’s eco-friendly laundry detergent, this version is also free of harsh chemicals and artificial fragrances, which is good news for those who sometimes experience skin irritation.
Made with botanical extracts, it contains notes of jasmine, rose and white cedar, resulting in a sweeter-smelling variation than the sandalwood option listed above.
Encouraging Review:
This product changed my life and I’m never going back to store bought. PLUS every order plants a tree!! And it’s animal cruelty free!!
Method
Features:
- 4.8 Stars on Amazon
- 3,417 ratings
- Smells like lavender and cypress
Advantages:
It’s no surprise to see Method on the list of the best smelling laundry detergent products.
Their naturally derived detergent is plant based, made from a biodegradable formula, and smells of lavender (a popular ingredient among good smelling detergents) and cypress.
Encouraging Review:
I LOVE THIS STUFF!!! Probably one of the best smelling laundry detergent around.
I was amazed by how little detergent is used and how clean my clothes were. To me, this is worth the money. I don’t plan on buying Tide again!
– Mountain Mama
Biokleen
Features:
- 4.6 Stars on Amazon
- 1,215 ratings
- Smells like citrus
Advantages:
Biokleen’s plant-based, non-toxic detergent has no artificial fragrance.
Instead, its fresh citrus scent comes from the grapefruit-seed and orange extracts used in the 3x concentrated formulation.
Encouraging Review:
If you want a GREAT smelling, HIGH volume Eco friendly detergent look no further. NO issues with sensitivity on any of my family members.
The smell is amazing. it really works on tough dirt too. We live on a farm and my husband is a painter, so dirt and grime is a daily laundry occurrence.
– Amazon Customer
Ecos
Features:
- 4.7 Stars on Amazon
- 1,852 ratings
- Smells like lavender
Advantages:
Another lavender-scented detergent, this one from Ecos also ranks among the best smelling laundry detergent fabric softener combos thanks to the built-in fabric softener infused with lavender and essential oils.
Encouraging Review:
This is my favorite laundry soap, tried and true. It gets through most stains and works wonderful as a spot shot. Great smell.
– Ben
Frey
Features:
- 5 Stars on Frey.com
- 4,834 ratings
- Multiple scents available
Advantages:
In addition to some of the best smelling laundry detergents on the market, Frey also has one of the best smelling laundry detergent fabric softener combos.
Their laundry detergents and fabric softener combo packs come in three scent varieties:
- Sandal Wood/Bergamot/Clove,
- Cedarwood/Oakmoss/Amber, and
- Jasmine/Rose/White Cedar
Each variety is blended with essential oils, and comprises more than a dozen individual scents.
Encouraging Review:
I can’t decide which scent I love the most but WOW do they smell good.
– Robin M.
Swash
Features:
- 4.4 Stars on Amazon
- 91 ratings
- Pure linen scent
Advantages:
Swash’s “Pure Linen” liquid detergent boasts the clean, calming and relaxing smell of fresh washed linens and comes with a “Precision Pour Cap” that dispenses the detergent for you, so you pour the perfect amount each time.
Encouraging Review:
We weren’t sure what to think when the cap was said to be “self dosed” and stop at the appropriate amount, but it stopped right on cue, every time!
So pleased with the mess free design, as I was over the process of dumping into a cup and then into my washer. Love this product, will be buying again!
– Mark Willard
Seventh Generation
Features:
- 4.5 Stars on Amazon
- 1,364 ratings
- Smells like lavender
Advantages:
Seventh Generation’s “Easy Dose” laundry detergent smells like freshly baked chocolate chip cookies emerging hot from the oven.
Just kidding – it smells like lavender, like most of the best smelling laundry detergents on the market. (Sorry to get your hopes up…)
But, this one also comes with a special cap that lets you pour the perfect amount of detergent each time, which is a very real – and very much appreciated – innovation.
Encouraging Review:
Love the scent and loves that it lingers! I don’t get things particularly dirty but it seems to clean as well as any other detergent I’ve tried.
And I really appreciate the small footprint in a laundry room filled with many different products.
– TwoBoyMom
Oxiclean
Features:
- 4.6 Stars on Amazon
- 155 ratings
- Smells like flowers and citrus
Advantages:
Oxiclean’s “Sparkling Fresh” detergent pods are both one of the most powerful and one of the best smelling detergents on this list.
It has a scent that smells like a cross between flowers and citrus fruit, which is basically the epitome of what a “fresh” scent should smell like.
Encouraging Review:
So far, this is the only detergent that works on my hubby machinists greasy work clothes.
It has also kept my dad’s white t-shirts actually white! I have bought it again, and have subscribed to monthly delivery!
– TJo
Gain Flings!
Features:
- 4.9 Stars on Amazon
- 6,480 ratings
- Smells like a summer night’s breeze
Advantages:
Gain’s “Flings!” laundry pods probably win the award for both the most creative smelling laundry detergent and the strongest smelling laundry detergent.
(Well, strongest smelling good scent, that is.)
They’re designed to smell “like a summer night’s breeze,” which reviewers on Amazon describe as a “strong but very pleasant scent” and one that smells “so wonderful.”
They also have 50% more scent than Gain’s powder detergent.
Encouraging Review:
I will be buying them from you guys from now on!!! I didn’t even have to go to the store.
After work I got home and they were sitting in my porch I got straight to doing laundry. Thanks! P.S this scent smells AMAZING.
– Jessica Valdez
Sun & Earth
Features:
- 4 Stars on Amazon
- 35 ratings
- Smells like citrus
Advantages:
Sun & Earth’s “Light Citrus” is one of the best scented laundry detergent options, and one of the safest.
It’s all natural, non-toxic, plant-based and made from a hypoallergenic formula, so it shouldn’t cause any allergic reaction.
Its citrus scent comes from natural orange oil, which is infused in the detergent, adding a light but undeniably great scent that’s also safe for people with sensitive skin.
Encouraging Review:
I have been using this product for two years and love it . It does a great job on my clothes, the scent is very light and it is gentle on the skin.
– Eileen A.
Zum Clean
Features:
- 4.4 Stars on Amazon
- 8 ratings
- Smells like eucalyptus and citrus
Advantages:
Zum Clean’s aromatherapy laundry soap is scented with a mixture of eucalyptus and citrus that smells fresh and invigorating.
It also includes coconut oil soap that cleans and lifts stains, baking soda to help tackle bad odors, and 100% pure essential oils.
Encouraging Review:
I did some reading and chose to try the eucalyptus for it’s cleaning power. I love the natural fragrance of the eucalyptus citris combination.
– Edson
Mrs. Meyer’s
Features:
- 4.8 Stars on Amazon
- 429 ratings
- Smells like basil
Advantages:
Mrs. Meyer “Clean Day” laundry detergent uses plant-derived cleaning ingredients with enzymes that fight dirt and stains, and comes with a garden-fresh basil scent that’s cool, crisp, uplifting and grounding.
Encouraging Review:
Don’t tell my husband, but I’m having a love affair with Mrs Meyer (insert “mail order” bride joke here).
Her basily scent makes me feel alive, and her easy-pour/no-mess spout is enough to make any stain obsolete. She’s powerful and packs a punch, so a little bit goes a long way— lots of value here.
– Joseph
Grab Green
Features:
- 4.5 Stars on Amazon
- 2,569 ratings
- Smells like lavender and vanilla
Advantages:
Grab Green’s 3 in 1 natural laundry detergent pods contain a stain remover, brightener and detergent, along with a hand-crafted lavender and vanilla fragrance that’s derived from essential oils.
Encouraging Review:
I absolutely love this! I have MCS, and most synthetic fragrances make me ill. With this stuff, i can hold it up to my face and just BREATHE it in…
It actually opens up my lungs. It’s just so wonderful to be able to actually savor an aroma, rather than being afraid of it.
– eichtj01
Ecover
Features:
- 4.5 Stars on Amazon
- 28 ratings
- Smells like lavender
Advantages:
Ecover has been making eco-friendly cleaning products for 30 years.
Their (you guessed it) lavender laundry detergent is made using renewable, plant-based ingredients, and contains a 100% natural fragrance.
Encouraging Review:
This is great for a natural laundry detergent. It has a yummy lavender scent and gets clothes super clean.
– curly fry
Rebel Green
Features:
- 4.3 Stars on Amazon
- 220 ratings
- Smells like peppermint and lemon
Advantages:
One of the best-smelling organic laundry detergents comes from Rebel Green.
Their natural liquid laundry soap is safe for sensitive skin and infused with a subtle aromatic combination of peppermint and lemon scents, which are bright upon opening but fade and even out perfectly over the course of the wash.
Encouraging Review:
Best organic, non toxic laundry detergent out there! I only use this!
I do miss the stronger scents of the detergents I used to use, but am happy to give that up to know what I’m using is safe for my family!
– Jessica Miller
The Laundress New York
Features:
- 4.6 Stars on Amazon
- 1,237 ratings
- Smells like lily of the valley and jasmine
Advantages:
The Laundress New York’s “Signature” scent is an all-purpose detergent that they describe as having a “classic” scent.
In this case that means a combination of lily of the valley and jasmine with sweet musk, sandalwood, and a touch of citrus.
Encouraging Review:
I don’t have what one would refer to as “heavily soiled” loads of laundry. Sheets and pillowcases and changed once per week and the same with the towels.
Therefore, I cannot attest to the cleaning prowess (e.g. removed tough oil stains), but this product works to get my laundry clean and has a wonderful fragrance.
– Robert Brian Lamm
FAQ
What is the best smelling laundry detergent?
The best smelling laundry detergent on the market is Frey’s all natural, eco-friendly detergent, which is blended with natural ingredients and essential oils, and contains more than a dozen complementary individual scents.
What is the best smelling laundry detergent fabric softener combo?
The best smelling laundry detergent fabric softener combo is The Good Home’s laundry detergent and fragranced fabric softener package, which includes 64 oz bottles of both its detergent and lavender-scented fabric softener, along with linen spray and dryer sheets.
What laundry detergent smell lasts the longest?
The “Spring Meadow” scented Tide Pods are probably the best smelling long lasting laundry detergent because they leave you with clean clothes and fresh floral notes that last longer than many of the other scents on this list.
What is the best detergent to wash clothes with?
Though it’s obviously a somewhat subjective decision, a strong candidate for the best detergent to wash clothes with is Persil’s ProClean detergent, which has 4.8 stars on Amazon after a whopping 12,800 ratings, 87% of which are 5-star reviews.
Why don’t my clothes smell clean after wash?
There could be several reasons why your clothes don’t smell clean after a wash. Some of the most common culprits include overloading the washing machine, using too little detergent, not using fabric softern, or leaving wet clothes in the machine for too long.
Another reason why laundry smells after washing sometimes is because you’re not using warm water. Washing clothes at low temperatures may not be sufficient to remove all types of stains and odors from dirty laundry.
For best results, make sure to follow the instructions laid out on the detergent, use warm or hot water when appropriate, and ensure that you only do one small load of laundry at a time.
Smaller loads tend to work best – and use less water – but if you have a bigger washing machine, you may be able to get away with medium loads.
How can I smell like fresh laundry?
If you want to smell like fresh laundry, the first thing you should do is use an amazing detergent with an equally amazing scent. (Each of the nose friendly detergents above make a great choice in that department.)
Beyond that, a scent booster can also give you better results. These are available in both liquid form and scent beads, and are a great option if you have an old machine and have struggled to get that “fresh scent” smell after completing a wash cycle.
But keep in mind that scent boosters tend to have strong scents, so make sure you choose one you’re happy with before mixing it in with your laundry.
More Resources ↓
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