What Are These Strange Stains?
No matter what kind of pillowcase you use or how often you wash it, dirt eventually seeps through and reaches the pillow itself, causing discoloration.
Sorry to break it to you, but those yellow stains come from sweat, saliva, and dead skin cells. None of these are things you’d want to rest your head on willingly.
It’s important to mention that these stains have nothing to do with personal hygiene. Everyone sweats, sheds skin cells, and sometimes drools during sleep. So, seeing these stains is completely normal—but it’s also totally understandable that you want to get rid of them.
What You’ll Need
- 1 cup powdered detergent
- 1 cup liquid detergent
- 1 cup bleach
- 1/2 cup borax
Mix these ingredients thoroughly, then add some hot water to dissolve everything well and keep the cleaner from being too concentrated when you pour it onto the pillows.
Place the pillow(s) you want to clean into the washing machine and add the cleaning solution alongside them. Some detergent dispensers are designed to be placed directly in the drum with the laundry—if you have one, use it. If not, just pour the liquid directly onto the pillows.
Next, start a hot water cycle on your machine—check your pillow’s label for the highest safe washing temperature—and set it so the water doesn’t drain at the end.
Let the pillows soak like this for 30 minutes, then drain the water and run another hot water cycle without detergent. Once that’s done, repeat the rinse cycle one more time.
This process flushes out all the dirt and detergent residue, leaving you with fresh, fragrant pillows straight from the washer.
If possible, dry your pillows in the sun on a flat surface, turning them occasionally. Sunlight disinfects and adds a fresh scent.
If sun drying isn’t an option or you prefer your dryer, check your pillow’s label to see if it’s safe and which setting to use. Feather pillows dry best on an air cycle, while synthetic ones do well on low heat. Tossing in a clean tennis ball helps keep pillows fluffy and airy instead of clumping.
Sweet dreams!
