8 Ingredients That Can Help Remove Yellow Stains On Pillows

Your bed is supposed to be a place for rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation — achieving those ends can be tricky, however, when you discover that the pillows on the bed are covered in stubborn yellow stains. These stains are common on pillows for a number of reasons: some people sleep warm, and their head and upper neck region can get sweaty at night. The stains can also be due to hair products leaving residue on your pillow. As gross as it may seem, they may also be saliva stains. Regardless of the reason your pillows have yellowed, you're probably wondering if there's anything you can do to remove these unnerving yellow stains. Fortunately, you don't have to throw out your favorite pillow just because it's gross-looking — there are a number of ingredients you can use to bring your yellow-stained pillow back to life.

Among the top performers for ingredients that will return your pillow to its original bright white hue are unsuspecting products like shaving foam, which can lift oils from fabric, and more commonly used stain cleaners, such as OxiClean. You can also reach into your pantry for items like baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, lemon juice, vinegar, or even utilize the power of the sun to remove stubborn stains. If you're finding the yellowing on your pillow to be especially stubborn, you can also try specialty stain-removing products. One more note: the following tips assume your pillow can be run through the washer and dryer. If you own a pillow that cannot be laundered (such as a solid foam or gel-filled pillow), you'll have to spot-clean it instead.

If you think that shaving foam's only purpose is making your shaving knick-free (or providing some sensory play for your young children), think again. Shaving foam actually has a hidden power when it comes to lifting stains from your yellowed pillow. Made with emulsifiers and surfactants, shaving foam can help isolate the staining properties on the fabric. For the best results, spray a generous amount of foam on the pillow, then scrub it in with a brush. After about 30 minutes, you can wipe off the shaving foam, then run the pillow through the washer and dryer.

This pantry staple is a game-changer for removing yellow pillow stains from pillows. To use this combo, make a paste of baking soda and water and apply it to your stained pillow, fully saturating the stain. Like with the shaving foam, you'll leave the paste on the pillow for about 30 minutes, then spray it with vinegar or use a cloth dipped in vinegar — the fizzing action will help remove the stains from the pillow. Finish it up with a washing and drying cycle to reveal truly bright white results.

A yellowed pillow can be brought back to its original bright shade with the help of OxiClean (either name brand or generic). This method requires a little bit of time but very little effort: simply fill the bathtub with water, then read the directions for the appropriate amount of powder to add. Soak the pillows for a few hours, then wash and dry them as you normally would. Since the pillow will be quite heavy after soaking, be sure to wring out excess water and balance your washing machine load with another pillow or other items.  

Bleach is a heavy hitter when it comes to lifting stubborn stains, and if your yellowed pillows are in dire straits, it might be time to put it to use. Since bleach is so strong, it's important to properly dilute it before applying it to your pillow. Spray the diluted bleach onto the pillow while it sits in the bathtub or another space where nothing else will be damaged or discolored. After the stains are bleached out of the pillow, proceed with a washing and drying cycle. To keep your pillows fresher going forward, pair this cleaning tip with a good pillow protector.

If you like getting back to basics, you'll love this tip. Lemon and sunlight are some of the most powerful whitening tools that nature has to offer us, and this potent duo can lift gross yellow stains from your pillow. Using either bottled (real) lemon juice or the juice squeezed straight from a lemon, soak the stain in the juice, then place the pillow outside in the sunlight. You should notice the stain fading throughout the day. Once the stain is gone, wash the pillow in the washer and dryer. 

Not interested in using bleach but still want a powerful whitening spray that will remove yellow stains? If so, hydrogen peroxide is a great option. You'll want to create a 1-to-1 mixture of the cleaner and water, then spray it onto the stains and let it sit for about one hour. Casper recommends pairing the solution with some sunlight to boost the whitening power of the hydrogen peroxide. You should be left with a much brighter pillow afterward, and you can wash away any lingering residue in the washing machine.

If your sweat-stained pillow isn't too far gone — and if you're hoping to deodorize it and lift stains quickly — you can keep the cleaning session simple. Pour some dry baking soda onto your pillow's stains and let it work its magic for a while. Since this dry cleaning technique doesn't include running the pillow through the washing machine at the end, you'll want to leave the baking soda on the pillow for a couple of hours. Just use your vacuum to suck up the excess powder afterwards.

For a truly deep clean, borax is your best friend (the good news is that this technique is super easy). Combine the appropriate amount of borax in the washing machine along with some laundry detergent, then run the load using hot water. Remember to balance the load out properly to get the best results and keep your washing machine in good condition. If you want to give your pillows a deep clean, you can perform a stripping session by soaking the pillows in borax, baking soda, and liquid laundry detergent to lift most stains.