Your white sheets naturally turn yellow because of sweat and body oil, and can stain over time if you don't take proper precautions. To prevent yellow stains on white sheets, wash your sheets once a week or more if possible to consistently remove buildup — every four to five days is most ideal.
Use Baking Soda and Vinegar
White vinegar also has natural whitening capabilities and is an effective fabric softener. Try adding half a cup at the beginning of the wash cycle. Alternatively, you can soak the sheets and pillowcases in vinegar and warm water prior to placing them in your washing machine.
Add half a cup of Borax to one gallon of water and pre-soak your sheets in this solution overnight. Prolonged exposure to a whitening laundry booster removes the yellow tinge from your white bed sheets. After they've been soaking, wash the sheets as usual with a mild detergent.
Finally, there are functional mistakes, like improper washing and storage, that contribute to white sheets taking on a yellow or dingy cast. These include the overuse of laundry products, overstuffing the washing machine, and storing sheets in plastic.
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.
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.
Washing Sheets with Baking Soda and Vinegar
Did you know you can whiten sheets with baking soda and distilled white vinegar? These household products work surprisingly well at cleaning all types of materials and surfaces, and cotton bedding is no exception.
Yellowing sheets are primarily due to body sweat and oils, including lotions we put on to rejuvenate our skin overnight, according to textile engineer Vikki Martin, vice president of fiber competition for Cotton Incorporated.
Don't wash white sheets in cold water.
The Laundress previously told Architectural Digest that cold or even warm water won't be effective in removing pesky stains or oily marks from your white sheets. Opt for hot water instead, which will more thoroughly (and hygienically!) clean them.
Vinegar whitens, freshens, and softens fabrics. Add 1/2 to 1 cup of distilled white vinegar along with your regular laundry detergent. Don't worry about the vinegar scent- it will dissipate after drying. Vinegar may also be sprayed on spot stains and collar and underarm stains.
Solution #1: Hydrogen Peroxide, Baking Soda and Salt
When it comes to removing yellow stains from white shirts, two ingredients work best: hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. Both substances have powerful stain-lifting abilities.
I like to pre-soak the bedding in hot water and half a cup of vinegar for about an hour. Then I wash them as a normal load, but add half a cup of baking soda or lemon juice along with the detergent. These are both powerful natural whiteners.
Prepare Linens
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). Rinse with cold water.
Washing sheets is a balance between making sure they're actually clean and ensuring they last as long as possible. To get your bedsheets really clean, it's best to use hot water, over 130 degrees Fahrenheit to get rid of dust mites and over 140 degrees to help kill viruses and bacteria.
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. And these stains are more than just unsightly.
A chemical reaction
This sweat reacts chemically with various fabrics and detergents and can lead to stains in certain areas. The chemicals and oils in products you use on your face, hair, and body can add to the problem.
White bed sheets and linens can start to yellow over the course of time and this can be attributed to a variety of factors. One cause is a buildup of body oil on the fabric. Using too much or an inexpensive brand of detergent can also be problematic.
Both baking soda and vinegar help to whiten and brighten fabrics naturally. You can simply add them in with your regular laundry detergent. Start with just ½ cup of baking soda to start. Once the wash cycle is complete, add ½ cup of the vinegar for the rinse cycle.
Baking soda also helps brighten faded clothing, while the acetic acid in vinegar Is strong enough to dissolve soap and detergent residues which can leave clothes feeling softer—but don't worry, it's still mild enough that it won't harm your fabrics.
To remove stains with vinegar via pre-treating, you can dilute the vinegar with water (vinegar 1:3 Water) or soak in undiluted vinegar and allow garments to soak between 15-30 mins or even overnight depending on the stubbornness of the stain.
Mix equal parts ammonia and water and pour it over the yellowish stain to soak. Let it dry or until the shirt is washed. Without ammonia, hydrogen peroxide can be used instead.