How to clean a yellowed pillow?
We all have a pillow at home that is dirty and yellowed in places, but how do you clean a pillow? There are a few effective methods to whiten a yellowed pillow… But do you know them?
10 Tips offers below tips and homemade recipes to whiten a yellowed pillow.
1. Whiten a yellowed cotton pillow
Before washing your pillows, you must of course remove the pillowcases. To prevent your washing machine from racing you should always clean your pillows in pairs to throw everything in the tub of the washer.
To whiten the yellowed pillow you need this:
- A capful of laundry detergent (the one you usually use)
- A cup of bleach
- 1/2 cup Borax (powdered borax)
- A cup of dish soap (powder)
It is important to take the quantities into account so as not to damage your pillow or even your washing machine.
For your pillow wash to be really effective you need to set your hot water cycle to a double rinse to make sure you get everything out and to clean your pillow thoroughly.
Let the pillow dry well to finish cleaning
To complete the laundering and cleaning pillows yellowed by time you can let them air dry on a rack. If your pillow is cotton, you can toss it in the dryer if you’re in a hurry to use it overnight.
That’s it, there should be no more stains and yellowed effect on your pillows once this trick is done.
2. Wash a yellowed pillow with lemon juice!
The pillowcase as well as your pillow itself are yellow? Well why not use lemon juice to whiten yellowed laundry?
Indeed, lemon juice is a natural and effective trick to whiten and restore shine to white bedding, including the pillow.
- Pour an equal amount of detergent and lemon juice into the washing machine.
- Clean the pillow and the yellow linen on the normal cycle.
- Dry on a rack or on a clothesline.
Did you know that the lemon trick is also effective in bleaching a duvet? Come read this other article: How to wash a yellowed duvet?
3. Clean a yellowed pillow with milk
Another trick to whiten a yellowed pillow, cushion, sheet or other linen is to use milk!
Indeed milk has a whitening power so why not use it to wash your pillow? Here’s how:
- Fill a large bowl or better the bottom of the kitchen sink with cold milk.
- Immerse the yellowed pillowcase and leave to act for 2 hours or better overnight.
- Finish cleaning in the washing machine on the normal cycle and dry.
Several other tricks other than milk exist to whiten yellowed fabrics. Come read this other article: How to whiten the laundry?
4. Hydrogen peroxide to whiten a pillow by hand
Hydrogen peroxide is another effective product for bleaching and staining a pillow that has yellowed over time. Here’s how to use it to clean your pillow:
- Half fill the kitchen sink with hot water.
- Add a cup of hydrogen peroxide and soak the pillow.
- Leave on for an hour, rinse and dry well to finish.
The hydrogen peroxide trick can also be used on various fabrics as you will discover here: How to remove a yellow stain from white clothes?
Sweating is often the cause of a yellow ear but it is not alone! Indeed, saliva can also stain and yellow the pillow.
Baby saliva that builds up over time can cause hard-to-clean stains on pillows and bed sheets.
Here is my tip for removing drool stains from your child’s pillow:
- Pour a little liquid soap on the saliva stain and let it act for a few minutes.
- Rub the drool stain with a clean, slightly damp cloth.
- Rinse the pillow with a new damp cloth and dry quickly.
To discover other tips and tricks against saliva stains, here is another article to read: Remove a saliva stain.