I use homemade detergent, have been doing it for about a year now. Works great, and we all have dry skin. It doesn't irritate, and it's very easy to make.
As for the house smelling bad, I get an apple, peel it, put the peels and some cinnamon in a pot, add water and simmer all day. Your house will smell great all day. I used to use essential oils, they can be expensive, and burning the oil changes the composition. You can take a small room fan, using a hair clip, clip a cotton ball onto the fan. Add about 5 drops of oil, turn on fan.
Tanya