How To Wash And Whiten Yellowed Pillows
At first I hesitated doing this post because it teeters precariously close to over-sharing…but the more research I did, and the more I asked around, I realized that pillows that become yellow over time is a pretty common thing!
One of the most common reasons why pillows can turn yellow is sweat. Even when you’re sleeping your body continues to sweat to keep your body at a comfortable temperature. Depending on the type of fabric your pillowcase is made from, sweat can seep through the fabric. As the sweat dries, it can leave a yellow stain on the pillow. Even if you use pillow COVERS underneath your pillow CASES, the yellowing can still occur.
In the past when the yellowing got really bad, I would simply toss the pillow and buy a new one. But I hated doing that because the pillow was still perfectly good. Recently I came across an old article from Martha Stewart Living that suggested pillows should be WASHED at least twice a year. Wow. I hope I’m not the ONLY one who didn’t know that! I have washed an occasional pillow in the past but usually because something was spilled on it.
After I read Martha’s suggestion I decided to take it to heart and set out on a mission to systematically wash all the pillows in the house, and since I was going to the trouble…I decided to address the YELLOWING issue at the same time. I decided to give them the “Miracle Laundry Whitening Solution” treatment. You can CLICK HERE to read all about it, but basically it involves the following ingredients:
- HOT HOT HOT water
- 1 cup of laundry detergent
- 1 cup powdered dishwasher detergent
- 1 cup bleach (you could try “A Natural Bleach Alternative if you are opposed to chlorine bleach)
- 1/2 cup borax
Just look at these “BEFORE” and “AFTER” pictures! It’s almost like my poor pillows were just WAITING for me to rescue them! ;-)
WASHING {and whitening} your pillows:
- Check the care label to confirm that your pillow (down or synthetic) can be machine washed – most can be.
- Remove the pillow case and any pillow protector
- Fill the washing machine about 1/3 full with HOT water (I even added a couple of pans full of boiling water).
- Add all the ingredients in the Miracle Laundry Whitening Solution (or, if you’re just looking to wash your pillows, add your detergent now) then start the machine and allow it to agitate for a few minutes to makes sure all the detergent dissolves before adding the pillows.
- Once the detergent is dissolved, add the pillow(s), and then allow the washer to fiil the rest of the way with HOT water. I washed two pillows at a time, which helped balance the load when it came time for the spin cycle.
- Agitate the pillows for several minutes, then turn the pillows OVER to allow the top side to get the full effect of agitating in the HOT water. Agitate for several minutes more.
- Put your machine on the 2nd rinse cycle or just run it through twice manually.
DRYING your pillows:
- For down and feathers, use the air cycle. For synthetics, use the low heat setting.
- Place the pillow(s) in the dryer, add a couple of tennis balls covered in clean socks or a few Homemade Dryer Balls to help FLUFF the pillows as they tumble dry. (If it’s a nice day you could also set them outside in the sun to dry!)
Now isn’t that just about a thousand times better!?!? :-)
