Learn How to Make Yellow Pillows White Again with Proper Care

The white turned yellow pillows in your rooms are not a very attractive sight. The pillows are used in almost every bedroom, and taking a good care of them is crucial. The white pillows turning yellow are quite natural as the body oils, makeup, dead cells, sweat, and dirt seeps into the pillow. You cannot stop your white pillow turn yellow but, you can definitely make yellow pillows white again.

It is obvious that over the time, dirt and grime build up on the pillows, spoiling the once immaculately clean pillows turn yellow. While you always have a choice to buy the new ones, maintaining a cleaning cycle can breathe back life into your yellow pillows and whiten them perfectly.  Here are some of the ways to make yellow pillows white again.

Machine Wash Method to Make Yellow Pillow White

Have a thorough look at the care tags

It is always advisable to check the care tags attached to the pillows before washing it. Although most of the pillows are washable in the machine, some of it might have the special instruction of dry clean or spot clean. In such cases, the fabric of the pillow or the filler inside the pillows might degrade in case of machine washable.

Stain removal with spot cleaning

If your pillow has some stains on it, always spot clean it prior to dumping it in the washer. The dirt, sweat, makeup, or natural body oils can often lead to yellow staining on the pillow. To make yellow pillow white again, use any normal spray for stain removal or water and baking soda paste. There are many creative uses of baking soda and you may check one of the articles on our blog to learn more about them.

Make a natural mixture to wash the pillows

Do not just launder your pillows with the normal detergent. Instead, you may use 6oz (3/4th cup) washing soda, 8oz (1 cup) dishwasher detergent, and 4oz (½ cup) vinegar along with every 1.5oz laundry detergent for cleaning 2 pillows.

Use hot water for thorough cleaning

The above mixture to wash pillows can be grainy and might stick to the pillows in one wash. So, it is advisable to run the 2nd wash with just hot water or a mixture of hot water and 4oz (1/2 cup) vinegar to clean it thoroughly.

Color check

After washing, remove the pillows from the machine and check if yellow stains persist. If the stains are not gone, try washing again with 2oz (1/4th cup) peroxide which is a safe bleaching solution. After this, if the color is still yellow but there’s no smell of sweat, mildew, etc., you may hide it placing the pillows under the pillow cover. If the smell persists, you must consider replacing it with new ones.

Use tennis balls to dry

When the pillows are completely clean, you can place it in a clean dryer and throw 2-3 tennis balls in the dryer with air-dry settings. The tennis balls will punch the pillows and fluff it up instantly when dry.

Hand Wash Method to Make Yellow Pillow White

Check the tags on the pillow

The memory or down foam pillows are not safe to clean in water. Thus, it is always good to check the tags on the pillow when you plan to make the yellow pillows white again. In such cases, spot cleaning is the best thing to do to remove stains. For odor removal, using the vinegar spray or baking soda and water paste can work wonders.

Dry the pillow in the sun

As the washer cannot be used, you may try pillow whitening by placing it under the sun. For yellow stained pillows, you may take a small toothbrush and apply vinegar, bleach or baking soda to draw the dampness and odor away.

Gentle detergent and warm water pillow cleaning

You may wash the microfiber pillow in the wash basin using gentle detergent and warm water. Let the soap work its way out by squeezing and then rinse it using cold water. Wringing the pillow is not advised as it may destroy the memory foam filler in the pillow. But squeezing it gently can help to dry the pillow with much less risk of damaging it.

Maintaining a cleaning habit for your pillows can keep them in good condition for long. If you wish to make yellow pillows white, try to change your bedding and pillow covers once every week. Washing the pillows at least twice each year and using a linen spray can keep your pillows fresh always and also in prime condition.