Updated at: 20-09-2022 - By: Sienna Lewis

Pillow cases should be washed in two steps, which is something you should understand how to do. Pillows like those from Tempurpedic, for example, cannot be machine washed, making this a critical consideration. Pillowcases are the only way to keep your pillows clean because some pillow fabrics can’t be washed.

The sun, wiping, and vacuuming of pillowcases can swiftly clean them, but there are other procedures that can get them completely disinfected. Keep them clean and odor-free by following the instructions in the tutorial below. You have the option of washing them by hand or machine.

How To Clean Pillow Cases By Washing

Step #1. Prepare and treat

Check tag

Before you begin washing, gather your supplies and prepare the pillowcases. Remember that pillowcases can be made of a variety of materials, therefore it’s important to know how to clean them. If your pillowcase can be washed, look for a tag on the packaging from the company that made it.

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Remove stain

To remove stains and discolouration from the pillowcase, you first need to separate it from the pillow. As the pillow’s barrier, the cover is bound to have a variety of residues. With a brush or some liquid soap and vinegar, you may get rid of the stains.

Soak and deodorize

A tub of hot water, baking soda, and mild detergent should be used to clean the fibers after this procedure. The material will also be deodorized, which is useful if your pillowcase is in need of a thorough cleaning. Check to see if you’ve thoroughly scraped the surfaces by scrubbing the fabric against itself.

Step #2. Wash and dry

Rinse and launder

Clean and deodorize your pillowcase before soaking in a sink of water for several hours or overnight, depending on how quickly the water clears. The pillowcase can be washed in a gentle cycle with light detergent in your washing machine, if the manufacturer’s instruction is followed. This will remove any remaining detergent residues from the textile.

Dry thoroughly

Washing your pillowcase by hand is a viable option if yours isn’t machine washable. If soap residue remains, thoroughly rinse the item to remove it. Outdoors or in a well-ventilated area can be used to dry it.

Otherwise, dry the pillowcases as instructed on the tag. The safest method of washing and maintaining clean pillowcases is to utilize moderate settings and cleansers. It may be possible for the material to withstand hot water, conventional detergent, and a normal dryer setting in some situations.

What Are The Yellow Stains On My Pillowcase?

You may be asking why you need to pre-treat your pillowcases before washing them. Whether or whether you can see a few stains on your pillowcase, following this technique will ensure that it is fully cleaned. Those obstinate yellow stains on the fabric will also be removed with this method.

Keep in mind that your pillowcases are always being exposed to oils, moisture, and saliva. Yellow stains can be tough to remove, despite how disgusting they sound. Daily wear and exposure to sunshine, on the other hand, can result in discolouration.

How To Clean A Silk Pillowcase

Cotton and polyester pillowcases aren’t popular with everyone. People tend to neglect silk pillowcases in favor of the more expensive, but skin-friendly, but more difficult to clean, alternatives. However, if you like, you may always wash by hand to avoid damaging the fibers.

If the fabric is stained, rub some detergent into the spot with your fingertips. Allow the silk pillowcase to soak for 15 minutes before washing it. Cold water should be used throughout the cleaning process, and bleach should be avoided at all costs.

Using a sunny day outside, rinse the silk thoroughly and hang it up to dry. Because heat might harm silk, the best way to dry it is by hanging it to dry. Any other option is to swiftly dry your clothes in a ventilated area while using the gentlest and heat-free dryer setting possible.

How To Keep Pillowcases Clean

Cleansing your pillowcases regularly might help prevent the accumulation of filth on your sheets. Cleaning your linens with oxygenated bleach, for example, is a good idea to eliminate residues and prevent stains. When it comes to the pillowcase, avoid using fabric softeners or dryer sheets, as they stimulate the buildup of oils in the fabric.

Changing your pillowcases on a weekly basis will also benefit them. Your fibers will be less likely to become caked in filthy residue this way. Taking a shower before you go to bed each night is another simple yet efficient way to keep your pillowcase clean.

How To Clean And Whiten Grimy Pillowcases

After washing a yellow pillowcase, you may feel like adding more bleach is the only option for getting it white again. However, this is a bad idea. The grease won’t come out with bleach, and bleach can actually make the stain worse. As an alternative, use these techniques to break down the chemical interactions between the greasy residue and the fabric, restoring the original white color to your pillowcases.

Cleansing solution should be prepared. To begin, add 1/4 cup Dawn Original dish detergent (Fairy or Sunlight in the UK) and 1 cup baking soda to a sink basin filled with very hot water. After dissolving the baking soda, stir in the pillowcase.

Sweep it with a brush. Use one hand to scrub a small section of the pillowcase against the other. Once you’ve rubbed all over the pillowcase, move on to the next location. (You may even use a laundry scrub board for this.)

Let it soak for a few minutes before flushing. After draining the sink and refilling it with hot water, add a few more drops of dish soap to it. Let it soak for a few hours, or even overnight, before you remove it. Rinse it thoroughly in HOT water until the water flows clean after it has saturated.

Clean up the mess. Finally, use your regular laundry detergent and 2 cups of white vinegar to wash and rinse the pillowcase in your washing machine. Do not use fabric softener when washing the clothes. Don’t skip the vinegar at the end since it gets rid of any remaining soap or grease and destroys odors. Using a second rinse cycle is recommended if your machine has one.

Why Do Pillowcases Get Yellow And Grimy?

Teenagers’ oily hair and skin are well-known side effects of the hormones they’re exposed to as parents. Pillowcases of physically active people, athletes, and those who spend a lot of time outside tend to turn yellow due to the oils in their hair and skin. In addition to a slippery, waxy feeling on your pillow, moisturizers, nighttime skin treatments, and makeup residue can all contribute to this.

How To Wash Pillowcases To Keep Them Stain-Free

You can keep your pillowcases clean once you’ve removed the yellowing grime by following two simple steps.

There are a few things you can do to avoid using fabric softeners and dryer sheets. These function by applying a thin layer of wax or grease to the cloth, which then attracts and retains oils from the skin and hair. Static cling can be reduced by adding white vinegar to your rinse cycle instead of using them. (Here are some other reasons why you should use vinegar in your washing machine.)

Secondly, while laundering your linens, use an oxygenated bleach. Chlorine bleach is ineffective at removing grease and can cause perspiration and body oil proteins to permanently bond with the cloth if used too frequently. In addition, it is harmful to use bleach in addition to the vinegar advised. After washing, oxygenated bleach transforms into hydrogen peroxide that removes stains and returns your sheets to their original whiteness.

How To Keep Pillowcases From Getting Greasy

Showering or washing your face thoroughly before going to bed will help prevent body oils from rubbing off on your pillow and ruining your pillowcases.

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Another approach to keep your pillowcases free of stains is to wash your bedding weekly. Launder your sheets and pillowcases as part of a regular bedroom cleaning regimen. It’s best to swap out your pillowcases every two days if you’re an active person, have allergies, or merely have greasy hair.

For those who want to go longer periods without shampooing, wearing a satin-lined sleep cap or bonnet to bed may be an option. When it comes to keeping your hair from getting tangled or frizzy while you sleep, a satin pillowcase is the best option since it prevents your bedding from obtaining that yellow, waxy film of filth.

Cleaning pillowcases

Pillowcases should be removed and cleaned separately from pillows whenever possible. Having close contact with your skin and hair, pillowcases tend to turn yellow faster since they absorb residue from your skin care products. Use a firm brush to scrub the pillowcase with liquid dish soap before washing it. Vinegar can be used to remove stubborn body oil and other stains. A hot cycle in the washing machine will get rid of any lingering residue and bring back the pillowcase’s freshness.

Washing pillows

Pillows aren’t very difficult to clean, but their particular composition necessitates a little more care. Assuming you don’t have the label on your pillow, machine cleaning is an option for most synthetic and down pillows. Add hot/boiling water, dry laundry soap, and a tiny bit of bleach to the washing machine tub and let it sit for 30 minutes to boost cleaning capabilities. After that, use a hot water setting and a liquid detergent to wash your pillow. Use a second washing cycle to remove any soap from within pillows because of their filling.

Drying pillows

A low heat setting or an air drying option is recommended when drying pillows in the dryer. Throw some balled-up socks into the dryer with the pillows to fluff them up while they’re drying so they don’t grow lumpy. It’s a good idea to let your pillows air dry for a few days to keep them fresh and avoid the growth of mold and mildew.

Maintaining freshness

You should clean your pillows at least twice a year to keep them fresh and free of residue and stains. Once a week, wash your pillowcases and consider washing before bed to remove makeup, hairspray, sweat, and other impurities from your skin. To get a good night’s sleep, use freshly cleaned and ironed bed linens, including your pillows and pillowcases.

How To Clean Yellowed Pillowcases

You’ll need a few items to revive your dingy pillowcases. There’s also the matter of washing the pillowcases. Fortunately, washing the pillowcases in the laundry works just fine.

You’ll need these things:

  • Hairspray (I recommend just a cheap one)
  • Hand Soap
  • Using a Laundry Brush

What Causes the Yellow Stains?

You might be perplexed as to why your pillowcases have yellow stains. No matter how revolting, the oils from our hair and skin get up on our pillowcases, where they turn yellow.

Because bleach does not remove grease, it will not lighten the yellow stain. To eliminate all of the body oil, you will need more than laundry detergent to lighten the discoloration.

Pillowcase yellow stains can be removed and whitened most effectively by washing them in shampoo.

Pillows may also be affected by the yellow stains! See here how to wash pillows in a washing machine.

Removing the Yellow Stains

I once saw a suggestion to wash the pillowcase in hair shampoo. It was claimed that greasy hair was to blame for the discoloration. It’s common knowledge that those who shower in the morning have more oily hair than those who do it at night.

To test this, I sprayed some hairspray on my pillowcase. Suave Daily Clarifying is the shampoo we use most frequently, therefore I didn’t mind using a lot of it.

The yellow discoloration on the pillow case is clearly visible below. I used a little brush to apply the shampoo on the pillowcase and then rubbed it in.

If you look closely, you’ll be able to see the yellowing in the pillow, however it’s hard to see in the photos.

The shampoo was left in the pillowcase for about ten minutes before I washed it. After that, I ran the pillowcase through the washing machine on hot with some dish soap. When I saw the impact it made, I was awestruck.

In the images below, you can see the spot where I sprayed the shampoo. In person, it was much easier to discern the difference in color than it was in the photographs once more. In person, it’s even better than it looks on paper.

I recommend using approximately a spoonful or two of the suave shampoo and rubbing it into the yellowed pillowcase to thoroughly clean it.

Using a brush or simply rubbing the fabric together will work, but make sure the shampoo gets into all of the yellowed regions of the pillowcase.

Wait a few minutes before serving. Dry the pillowcase after washing it in the hottest water recommended for the material. You’ll be amazed at how much better you feel. Cleaning yellowed pillows has never been easier than with this method.

Keeping Pillow Cases From Yellowing

I’ve discovered that I don’t have to do this every time. About once a month, I give it a good shampooing. It prevents the yellowing of our pillowcases.

Adding a few drops of Dawn soap to the laundry is also a common practice of mine. Clean linens and pillows with a mild detergent to eliminate any traces of body oil.

You may easily clean yellowed pillows by following these simple instructions. Once again, your pillowcases are going to be white.

It’s also possible to remove sweat stains from bedding by following this simple guideline. It’s a terrific idea!

Interested in some more washing advice? Learn how to remove deodorant off clothing. It helps you get rid of the black stains left by deodorant.

Why our pillowcases need special attention

Our bodies become filthy as the day progresses. Once we’re done playing, we head home and fall asleep on our beds. We let our skin meet our sheets, with our faces on our pillows, every night for several hours. Even if we wash our faces, hands, and teeth (or even take a shower) before going to bed, we still wake up every morning with a layer of oil and dead skin cells, as well as dust mites and allergens of all kinds.

How to keep your pillowcases clean

Our bodies become filthy as we go about our daily business. In the end, tiredness sets in, so we head home and take a nap. We let our skin encounter our sheets, with our faces on our pillows, every night for several hours. The oil and dead skin cells that we leave behind when we wake up every morning, along with dust mites, allergens of all kinds, and more, aren’t completely washed away when we wash our faces, hands, and teeth before going to bed (or even after).

Check care instructions

Our bodies become filthy as the day goes on. Once we’re done playing, we head home and fall asleep. In the middle of the night, we sleep with our heads cradled in pillows and our skin touching the sheets for several hours. To make matters worse, even if we take the time to wash our hands before bed and brush our teeth (or take a shower), we still wake up to a layer of oil and dead skin cells from the night before, in addition to dust mite allergies and other contaminants.

Switch to silk if possible

If you’re looking for a pillowcase fabric that doesn’t collect dirt and grease, silk is the best choice. As silk is also healthy for the skin and hair for other reasons, it’s worth noting here.

Wash them by hand if you can

If you wash your delicate pillowcases by hand, they will last longer. Using a non-alkaline detergent or baby shampoo is the best way to wash silk pillowcases. Using the vinegar fabric softener recommended below works great with silk as well.

Use a fragrance-free detergent and skip the fabric softener

If at all possible, wash your pillowcases with fragrance-free detergent, and avoid using fabric softener at all costs, especially dryer sheets. Is there anything you’d like to see improved? Add 1/4 cup white vinegar to your washing machine’s rinse cycle and see your clothes sparkle like new! Your clothes will be soft and free of any vinegar or other chemical smell.

Apply stain remover before washing

Your pillowcase is bound to get a little amount of lipstick or eye makeup even if you wash your face meticulously. Add some baking soda or salt and tepid water to a paste made from a tablespoon or two of lemon juice or white vinegar, and stir until the mixture is smooth. Let it sit for a few minutes before rinsing with cool water, and you’re done.

If you can’t wash them by hand, use a mesh laundry bag

Your delicates are protected from the agitation of the machine, heavy zippers and buttons, and any other potentially damaging components of the larger wash by using this type of bag.

Wash inside-out

To retain its outside surface, delicate items should be washed from the inside out.

Choose the gentle setting

Keeping your pillowcases in the best possible condition requires constant attention. If you can’t wash by hand, use the most mild cycle on your machine. This is the greatest way to extend the life of your pillowcases.

Air dry if possible

If you have a place outside where you can air dry your pillowcases (or your entire load of laundry), the aroma of freshly air-dried linen is a luxury that many people have yet to experience. However, they can also be dried indoors using an air conditioner. Avoid direct sunlight if you can, as it can cause bleaching of the plant’s pigments.

By washing our pillowcases at night, we can avoid the inconveniences associated with sleeping with unclean skin and hair and benefit from the feel of newly washed textiles on our faces in the morning. Visit our sleep center again soon for additional ideas, news, and information on how to get a better night’s sleep. Shop for the greatest pillows and more here.

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The soaking approach

To remove sweat stains off pillowcases, this approach uses dish soap, vinegar, and Borax. Removes hair and body oils from the skin with a simple wash of the hands. Baking soda or Borax is a natural stain remover and bleach. In addition to removing perspiration odors and stains, distilled white vinegar also softens pillows.

What you need:

  • liquid dishwashing detergent: 4 tablespoons
  • One-fourth cup of borax (can substitute with baking soda)
  • Vinegar: 1 cup white distilled

This is how you do it:

  1. Add vinegar, borax, and dish soap to a bucket of hot water in the amounts specified; be careful not to overdo it.
  2. Place the pillowcases in the washer.
  3. Using your hands, vigorously agitate the pillowcases in the solution to ensure an even distribution of the solution. This will aid in the removal of the stains.
  4. Do this a minimum of three times, each time allowing an hour to pass between stirrings.
  5. Overnight, soak the pillowcases. the more time you have, the better.
  6. Squeeze off extra liquid from the pillowcases before putting them in the washing machine in the morning.
  7. The oils will be broken down by the liquid dish soap, the Borax will lighten the yellow stain, and the vinegar will remove the rest.
  8. You can either use powder detergent soap to gently scrub away the remaining spots, or you can wash by hand.
  9. Use only fresh, cold water to complete the rinsing process.
  10. To dry the pillowcases, hang them out in the sun. Bleaching occurs naturally in the sun.

The washing machine approach

Among the things you’ll want to bring are:

  • Dish soap in liquid form, 2 tablespoons
  • Borax is 1/4 cup.
  • a quart of vinegar
  • Laundry detergent powder: 1/8 of a cup (can substitute with liquid detergent)

This is how you do it:

  1. If you’re going to finish the wash in the washing machine, be sure to drain the water. If the pillowcases are dripping wet, they’re not clean enough.
  2. In the washing machine, combine Borax with your regular laundry detergent powder. Assemble them in the same location. For most pillowcases, the amount of borax used should be exactly right. Avoid using more than 1/4 cup of borax in a load because of the foaming and reaction it can produce.
  3. Then, turn up your machine’s temperature to the maximum.
  4. Dishwashing liquid soap, around two tablespoons, should be poured straight into the water.
  5. Put your pillowcases in the washing machine.
  6. Just let it all go through a normal wash cycle on your machine.
  7. Fill the fabric softener dispenser halfway with vinegar.
  8. If your machine does not have this option, add the vinegar during the rinse cycle.
  9. Add vinegar to the rinse cycle if your machine does not offer this option.
  10. The vinegar must be added at the start of the wash cycle if your machine locks the doors or dispensers while it is washing.
  11. A pair of linens and pillowcases can be cleaned with this amount of vinegar. Depending on the number of pillowcases you’re washing, you may want to adjust the amount.
  12. Dry them in the dryer after the wash and rinse.
  13. The pillowcases will be as good as new after this process.

Frequently asked questions about sweat stains

Can baking soda be substituted for borax?

To remove sweat stains from a pillowcase, baking soda can be used in place of Borax. The most critical step is to soak the plate in hot water and use liquid dish soap. You can use liquid dish soap to get rid of all the body and hair oils that have accumulated on your pillows.

Can the method be used to remove stains on colored bedsheets and pillowcases?

Sweat stains can be removed from colored bed sheets and pillowcases using any of the items listed above.

There is no bleach or chlorine in any of the ingredients. The brightening properties of borax will not alter the color of the garments. They are completely safe for you and your clothing. Dish soap is the key to success in this situation. Pillowcases should be soaked for as long as possible with hot water and dish soap.

Is bleach suitable for removing stains from pillowcases?

White bed sheets and pillowcases can’t be cleaned with bleach or any other substance containing chlorine. Your bed sheets will be damaged beyond repair if you use bleach on them, making the stains much more noticeable.

Bleach, when used with other cleaning agents, can induce harmful reactions and should never be used.

How do you prevent sweat stain build-up on pillowcases?

Every week, wash the pillowcases and apply the items indicated to prevent the buildup of sweat and oil stains. Because you don’t have to use borax on all of your laundry, you may set out a day of the week to solely launder bedsheets and pillowcases, making it easier to keep track of your laundry.

Conclusion

Using a pillowcase protects our pillow from the accumulation of dirt, oils, and other icky things that can build up over time. That is why it is imperative that we understand how to properly wash our pillow cases in order to maintain proper hygiene and extend the life of our pillows. Washing the materials is the most effective method.

Pre-treat the stains with a brush and liquid soap, then soak the fabric in hot water, baking soda, and detergent to eliminate the odors and residues. To wash the pillowcase, follow the label’s directions and place it in the washing machine.

The pillowcase can be dried in the dryer or in the fresh air.