# How to clean yellowed linens



## greenmansions (Feb 16, 2005)

I have a problem getting our bedding clean, including mattress pad and pillow case liners. My DH's side of the bed gets so yellowed down to the mattress pad. The pillowcases are literally greasy after a week, and it goes down all the way to the pillow even tho I use a liner. I can't seem to get it to wash out and am wondering if anyone has any suggestions. Everything on his side is yellowed. I wore a hole through one of the very nice fitted sheets we have with all the stain remover I have used on it over time.

I have increased the frequency that I change the pillowcases to be at most 5 days between, but it isn't really helping. And yes, he showers daily with few exceptions.

Anyone else experience this? What can I do?


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## Contrariety (Jul 16, 2007)

I'd soak in oxi clean over night.


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## MissMommyNiceNice (May 1, 2007)

Borax would work. You can make a paste & rub it to pretreat. Also sunshine can help, it works on dipes I *imagine* it would work on husband sweat.

If that doesn't work, spring for a bottle of hydrogen peroxide based bleach.


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## Fujiko (Nov 11, 2006)

Is it a polyester-filled pillow/polyester mattress pad? My boss at BB&B told me that heat (body heat) causes the polyester to break down and the yellow is a by-product. Don't know if he was just trying to sell fancy down pillows though.


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## greenmansions (Feb 16, 2005)

I tried Oxyclean before, and that is what caused my sheets to shred - couldn't fit the whole sheet in my sink to soak it and some of it dried. And it didn't work on the parts that survived.

I'll try the Borax next.

The mattress pad is polyester filled but cotton covered, and the pillows are down/feather with cotton covers. No poly.

Since the bed is king it's hard to soak the mattress pad and sheets. Same for the down pillows. That said, I'll try putting it all in the sun for a day. Maybe that will bleach it out and freshen them up a bit. The yellowed side has a funky smell too, like the collar of a jacket that is desperate for a laundering for lack of a better description.

Thank you all for your ideas. I have to think of a creative way to try them.


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## anniegirl (May 17, 2005)

Since it's body oil that's the problem I would try some dishsoap to break down the greasiness stuck in the sheets (Dawn supposedly is the best, but I think any kind would do). Not too much (especially if you have a front-loader), it may take some experimenting to get the right amount. Wash in the hottest water possible. I think I would wash twice and use lemon juice in the rinse.

I agree that oxiclean is awfully hard on fabric and it makes cotton so rough! Besides that, it doesn't work that great on greasy stains.


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## greenmansions (Feb 16, 2005)

Oh the dish soap is a great idea! I just washed the sheets today, but I'm going to try that next time. I can see why that would work.

Today I washed them in Tide with bleach alternative, and you can totally tell which pillowcase was on DH's pillow vs. which was on mine. I'm going to wait now til our latest round of houseguests leave in a few days and try again.


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## greenmansions (Feb 16, 2005)

Just wanted to report back that I tried using Dawn on the sheets and pillowcases. I wet them and rubbed them with Dawn, then dropped them in the washer with Tide w/ Bleach Alternative (my usual for sheets and towels) and ran them on hot. They look so much better than just the Tide. I can't tell which pillowcase was DH's, and that's a first. Thanks anniegirl for that idea.


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## velochic (May 13, 2002)

It appears that the Dawn did the trick, but I thought I'd offer up another idea anyway.

Does anyone else use bluing? It's a very old-timey method of getting whites very white and keep colors bright. It's been around for over 100 years, but still works the best for these situations. This is what makes all of our clothes really *look* clean (in addition to actually being clean.







) I really like using it.


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## loon13 (Dec 2, 2002)

You can try a touch of Cascade in the washer along with the Tide. My mom did this to my old baptism outfit that had gotten yellow.


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## anniegirl (May 17, 2005)

Oh I'm glad you updated! I was just wondering the other day if it worked because I noticed the same thing on my dh's pillowcase. I guess I'll have to try my own advice!


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## greenmansions (Feb 16, 2005)

anniegirl, What the heck is it with these greasy men?









velochic, I have used bluing in the past for yellowed cotton blouses and it worked great. But those were not yellow from body oils, just yellow from age and wear.

loon, I'll give the cascade a try too sometime. I have a new box. I'll report back when I get around to it.


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## noobmom (Jan 19, 2008)

Yikes! Do you think you'd have any luck convincing DH to shower before going to bed? An ounce of prevention and all that...


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