Yes, yellowed white pillowcases can be revived using various methods such as soaking them in a solution of baking soda and vinegar or bleach, or washing them with a laundry detergent that contains enzymes for stain removal.
First, start by mixing a few tablespoons of lemon juice with a cup of water in a large bowl. Dip a clean, white cloth into the mixture and use it to gently scrub the yellowed areas of the pillow. Be sure to avoid saturating the pillow, as this can cause it to become waterlogged and lose its shape.
Soaking will begin to remove dirt and old detergent, and will rehydrate the fabric. If linens are yellowed, add 1/2 cup oxygen bleach to 2 to 3 gallons of water (do not use chlorine bleach, which can weaken fibers). Gently agitate by hand, then let soak until the cloth appears white (this may take several hours).
Pillows start to turn yellow due to a variety of factors, most of which involve the accumulation of moisture. Sweat, drool, wet hair, and even skincare products can contribute to yellow stains on a pillow.
An easy fix for this is, logically, the same shampoo you wash your hair with. She suggests applying the shampoo to the stain and leaving it to soak in warm water. Once you've given it a good scrub (try a stain-removing brush, at Amazon), add it to the wash as normal.
Step 2: Put up to two pillows (for balance purposes) in the washing machine and wash in a mixture of detergent, vinegar, washing soda and dishwasher detergent. The added ingredients help whiten pillows.
Before laundering, try soaking the fabric in an enzyme textile cleaner diluted with water, or add a non-chlorine bleach to the wash water. Sometimes an old-fashioned method for bleaching white fabrics can be a gentle yet effective technique: Rub lemon juice and salt over the stain.
Use Baking Soda & Vinegar: These everyday items are natural whiteners. Try adding half a cup of baking soda to your load along with your regular detergent. Then just before the rinse cycle, add half a cup of white vinegar to the load. Don't worry, the vinegar smell will rinse away.
Simply add half of a cup of baking soda into your usual laundry detergent and wash your bed sheets in the washing machine. Not only does baking soda help to remove the yellow stains, but it also removes unwanted smells from your bed sheets.
Those who prefer not to use bleach, the experts suggested applying a small amount of baking soda to the stain and dunking an old toothbrush into white vinegar. The cleaning pros said: “Use the soaked vinegar brush to scrub the baking soda. Wipe away the dirty residue with a damp cloth.”
Wondering why pillows turn yellow in the first place? That dingy yellow hue that bed pillows tend to develop over time is caused by the moisture they absorb while you sleep, including sweat, saliva, natural oils from your hair and skin, and even skin and hair product residues.
Toss old pillows in the washing machine and set to soak. Washing two at a time balances the washing machine so they clean evenly. Add the hydrogen peroxide and vinegar to the drum of the washing machine. (Hydrogen peroxide is a natural whitener, and vinegar tackles deep-set stains.)
To whiten yellow pillows that are heavily soiled, use a quarter cup bleach or quarter cup Borax. Avoid using boiling water to prevent damaging the fibres.” Put your pillow into the soapy water and knead it with your hands gently to allow the detergent to work its way through the material.
To help whiten ridiculously yellow pillows, soak the pillows in a bleach solution prior to the wash cycle for 30 minute to an hour. I recommend about 1 cup for 2 pillows and using the soak function on your washer (if it has one).
Does white vinegar remove yellow stains? It does indeed! Mix it with equal parts water to create a great at-home spray to use on yellowed clothing.
Baking soda whitens, freshens, and softens fabrics. Add 1/2 cup of baking soda along with your regular laundry detergent. For spot stains, make a paste of baking soda and water and apply it directly to the fabric.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Use a fresh bottle of the 3 percent solution sold in drugstores. Load white clothes in the washer. Add one cup of hydrogen peroxide to the washer's bleach dispenser. Wash clothes as usual with your regular laundry detergent.
For top-load washers, place one pillow on either side so the weight will be equally distributed. Add 1 Tablespoon each of hydrogen peroxide, oxygen bleach, and baking soda. Wash in hot water. Then put straight in the dryer.
Pro tip: "To 'recharge' your pillows and freshen them up in between deep cleanings, you can also run the pillows through the washing machine on a gentle, warm water cycle with 1/2 cup of white vinegar," says Cohoon.
Many people sweat excessively due to certain medical conditions, but in general, this is the body's way of regulating its temperature. However, over time, sweat and body oils soak into the pillow. And as the sweat dries, it can change the color of the pillow due to the presence of a substance called urea in the sweat.
Chemicals such as hair product, makeup and other types of skin products can also pillow discolouration. Natural oil from your skin can also cause yellowing over the long run, although this process is often sped along if you go to bed after applying skin products such as skin cream.