Tips and tricks for cleaning white bedding

Cleaning has never been something I’ve enjoyed, but I do enjoy the feeling of a clean, tidy house and that feeling makes all the chores worthwhile.

But one cleaning chore that’s been in the news a lot is changing the bedding. There were rumours that a third of people wash their bedding once a year.

Yep, just once, in 12 months.

I’d like to think this isn’t true – I know I definitely change my bedding a LOT more than that – and actually, DUSK has completed some of their own research which sounds a little more promising.

Their Big Clean survey found that 93% of people sleep better in newly washed bedding and over half of respondents said they felt calmer and less stressed when sleeping in a clean bedroom. I know that since I decorated our bedroom and painted it a dark colour, I feel more rested.

While this is all really positive, they also found that over half of people don’t pay attention to bedding cleaning instructions and that many of us just hope for the best when we put the washing in.

With that in mind, I’m sharing my top tips and tricks for the ultimate clean bedding, particularly when it’s white. White bedding can be trickier to clean, but that won’t matter with my cleaning solutions.

   

Making yellow pillows white again

One of the biggest problems with white bedding is the yellow stains that can appear on our pillows. This isn’t anything to be embarrassed about, and can happen after just a few nights of sleeping on the pillow. But why does it happen and how can you make your yellow pillows white again?

Why do pillows turn yellow?

   

The yellow stain on your pillow is predominantly caused by sweat and the natural oils that are present on our heads. It can also be caused by products, such as lotions and moisturisers. The more moist and humid the bedroom is, the more you will sweat and perspire at night, and so the more quickly such stains will appear.

Eventually, the stain will go through the pillow case and begin to stain the actual pillow itself. For this reason, it’s important that your pillows and mattress all have good-quality protectors on them.

You may be able to prevent a yellow stain by not going to bed with wet hair, ensuring that the room has good ventilation, via an open window, and keeping the room cool with an air con unit or fan.

You might also want to try applying moisturisers a couple of hours before bed, so they have a chance to sink in properly before you go to sleep.

How to get rid of yellow pillow stains

You may find that, no matter how many times you wash your pillowcases, they still come out yellow. This can mean that, while your bedding is clean, it doesn’t look it.

I’ve found that the best way to get rid of these yellow stains is use white vinegar and baking soda. Follow the below steps:

1. Fill the sink with warm water and then add half a cup of white vinegar and half a cup of baking soda
2. Leave the pillowcases to soak for at least an hour
3. Drain the sink and rinse the pillows under cold water
4. Add to your washing machine along with the rest of your white bedding and clean as normal

The extra care taken to soak the pillows should be enough to remove the stains. The white vinegar dislodges any oils left in the fibres and the baking soda is a natural whitening solution.

Avoid using bleach, as this could actually make the yellowing worse.

For very old stains, it may be better to soak the pillowcases in white vinegar overnight.

 

Washing your white bedding

It’s likely that the rest of your white bedding won’t stain as easily as your pillows, but you should still wash it at least once every two weeks. You can do this by following the instructions on the label.

How to wash your white bedding

I like to wash my bedding and towels at 60 degrees with both washing powder and a fabric softener. Everything else is washed at 30 (which is better for the planet) but I do like to put bedding and towels on a hot wash to really make sure any bacteria is killed. You should read the label before you do this, as some manufacturers might recommend a lower temperature.

I put all the white bedding in together, but it is important that you don’t overfill your washing machine. Doing this can reduce its effectiveness when cleaning your bedding, so ensure the items have space to move around while they’re being cleaned. I generally find I can fit the sheet, the duvet cover and two pillowcases in my machine comfortably.

Once the cycle has finished, I remove the washing as quickly as possible to prevent any funky smells. On a nice day, there’s nothing better than drying your bedding outside on the line. In fact, this can be done even when it’s not that hot outside.

A good rule to remember is, ‘If the path is dry, your washing will dry’. So as long as your patio isn’t wet, your washing will dry just fine, though it might take longer on a cool day.

Use DUSK’s handy cleaning checklist to remind you when certain bedding tasks should be completed.

Washing your bedding protectors

Our pillow and mattress protectors are there for a reason, and these can get just as dirty and stained as our bedding. Remember to wash these items too every now and then. I do this about every two months, and put the pillow and mattress protectors in the machine with washing powder to really clean them properly.

Washing your actual duvet

It’s not just our bedding that can get dirty but the actual duvet and pillows too, so how on earth do you clean these?

We have a duvet that can be washed in the washing machine, so we try to do this every couple of months. However, if your duvet can’t be washed in the machine, there are some other ways you can clean it.

The first is using heat. Heat can kill bacteria, and so you could put a dry duvet into the tumble dryer for 20 minutes or so.

Did you know that you can also hang your duvet and pillows out to dry? The sun’s UV rays will help to kill any bacteria and the wind can help to blow any dust out of them. Give all the items a good shake first and then hang them up.

Don’t forget about your bed!

 

Dust can fall down all sorts of places, and when you sleep, it can fall down the sides of your bed. If your bed is like mine, dust can settle between all the slats underneath the mattress. So every now and then, I grab the hoover and get in all those nooks and crannies to prevent inhaling dust and bacteria at night, even if you have clean bedding.

 

There’s a lot to think about when washing your bedding! But it’s important that you keep on top of it to prevent breathing in bacteria. Doing so can lead to further health issues, like asthma.

I hope that you find my white bedding cleaning tips helpful and can use them yourself!