How to remove severe yellow stains from white pillowcases?

[dustin92]

So, I have a miracle to perform if possible... My Girlfriend has 2 or 3 sets of white (printed, but mainly white) sheets that are in good condition, but the pillowcases have become seriously yellow over time (she does sweat in her sleep). She has used hot water and bleach with no success. I'm thinking an overnight soak in something (not sure what to use). I've had luck removing body oil/odor from my sheets with a concoction of hot water, baking soda, and Awesome (dollar store degreaser), but I'm not sure if it will remove stains, my sheets are colored and weren't stained, just had a buildup of oil (my skin is extremely oily) and smelled funky. We both shower daily and change sheets regularly (I change mine every week, she changes hers every 2, but sleeps fully clothed) so it isn't a lack of personal hygiene, just buildup not being completely removed in the wash. We have a Magic Chef portable washer, so can soak and wash as much as necessary. Hot water is very hot and plentiful. If these sheets can't be cleaned they will likely be thrown out, we just found them while cleaning out a closet. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[launderess]

Sad but normal occurance for pillow slips

Yellowing is also seen on center of bed sheets and shirt collars.

This is caused by a reaction (oxidation) of skin oils/sweat which were not promptly and totally removed during laundering. Main culprit is cholesterol which is secreted by the sebaceous glands to keep the skin soft. If perspiration is not totally removed from textiles, eventually it will go rancid and leave yellow marks.

Hence the old advice about changing *and* laundering bed linen often. Depending upon level of soiling it may be necessary to either launder pillow slips separately using a stronger detergent and adding an emulsifier, or just do the whole linen wash with same formula.

As to reversing the yellowing; it may not be totally possible. Since what has occurred is more of a chemical reaction (skin oils going rancid), rather than a "stain", you may not be able to restore things to perfect whiteness.

 

[stan]

Agree with Laundress

You may not be able to correct
You might try taking the pillow slips to you local dry cleaner and ask that they be run through,
(dry clean only) the solvent may pull out the oil that wet cleaning can't. If successful.. When you get them back, wash as you normally would before sleeping on them.
HTH

 

[askolover]

I use this with oxy and super hot wash (190F).  Works well.  A little bluing in the final rinse helps too.

 

[helicaldrive]

Ammonia

Use very hot water, clear ammonia and Persil or Tide. Soak. Completely saturate the body oil stain with detergent and set it aside for half an hour before putting in the soaking bucket. Wash before the water gets cold.

 

[rolls_rapide]

Just use a decent powder...

Perhaps try soaking them overnight in a bucket of WARM water with biological washing powder. (Hot water will deactivate the enzymes and possibly set stains). Then, wash again with powder, in the machine. Ideally, you want to start off with cool water and bring the temperature up slowly. But you probably won't be able to do that if your machine doesn't have a heater.

Use a decent powder which contains oxygen bleach, such as 'Tide+ Bleach'. 'Sodium Percarbonate' is the oxygen bleach; 'Nonanoyloxybenzenesulfonate' (NOBS) is the bleaching activator used in the US.

This detergent also contains three enzymes, two of which are important to your problem.

The 'Protease' enzyme works to break down protein-containing body soils and secretions, such as skin cells which are sloughed off by friction of fabrics against the body.

Apparently, the 'Lipase' enzyme has a delayed reaction. When washed with a detergent containing lipase, the enzyme partly converts the grease/oil to soap, even as it dries. (I imagine line drying is best for the enzyme). The next time the garment is washed, the partially converted stain lifts out much more readily.

'Disodium Diaminostilbene Disulfonate' is the brightening agent. It makes fabrics look substantially whiter, by absorbing invisible ultraviolet light and re-transmitting it on a different wavelength; i.e visible.

'Sodium Carbonate' is washing soda, which is a proven degreasing agent.

'Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate' and 'Sodium Laureth Sulfate' are the actual detergent surfactants.

INGREDIENTS
Sodium Carbonate
Sodium Sulfate
Sodium Aluminosilicate
Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate
Sodium Percarbonate
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Sodium Polyacrylate
Water
Silicate
Nonanoyloxybenzenesulfonate
Fragrance
Palmitic Acid
Polyethylene Glycol 4000
Disodium Diaminostilbene Disulfonate
Silicone
Protease
Amylase
Lipase
Fd&C Blue #1

 

[helicaldrive]

Forgot to say

Use ammonia every time you wash sheets, and use hot water too. A scant 1/4 cup in an HE front loader.and up to 2 or 3 cups in a full fill top loader. Fantastic stuff. It does not bleach or fade items. Surprisingly, it does not leave behind any odor, harm fabrics or irritate skin.

Make sure it is clear ammonia with no detergent added. Sudsy ammonia will make a mess in a FL.

The gimmick here is that with housecleaning, ammonia dissolves grease and oil like nothing else. Same with body oil in fabrics.

And it’s dirt cheap!

P.S. to keep pillows from getting yellow and smelly, put two or three white fabric zippered pillow protectors on each pillow and the pillow slip over that. Wash all items weekly in hot water.

 

[helicaldrive]

Interesting

Didn’t know TWB has lipase. Very hard to find in detergents. Persil power pearls has it., but only the power pearls.

 

[helicaldrive]

Powder detergents

Numerous people on this site have said powder detergent works better esp with whites. And they are so right. I have always wondered, why is that so?

 

[rolls_rapide]

Powders work better because they have better detergent technologies built in. Powders have sequestering agents, buffering agents, bleaching agents, brightening agents, biological agents (enzymes) along with the 'surface active agents' (surfactants). Ingredients which might react in storage, can be effectively encapsulated within a stable coating. All in all, a superior product.

Frequently, liquids are trade-offs on the stability of the liquid's formulation against how effective it is. Bleaches can't be used because they destabilise and deactivate enzymes. Liquids are good for pre-treating greasy stains, and for quick washes. But for whites, they are a 'no-no'. Don't be fooled either, by "Bleach alternative" slogans on liquids. There's not one iota of bleach near the product - they rely on optical brighteners to try to disguise the fact.

 

[rolls_rapide]

Tide Powders...

Of the four Tide powders available, all of them have oxygen bleach, brightening agents and enzymes.

Tide 'Free & Gentle' has neither fragrance nor product colouring. And a couple of processing aid ingredients seem to be absent too.

Tide 'with Downy' seems to be pretty much similar to 'Original Scent' and '+ Bleach' formulations.

I suspect Tide '+ Bleach' has a slightly higher level of bleaching and brightening agents, compared to 'Original Scent' and 'With Downy' variants.

 

[panthera]

Some good advice here!

One way to avoid buildup of oil/fat based compounds, especially from humans, is to use 1/2 cup of TSP with a load of bedding, together with a good enzyme based detergent. One needn't worry about the water being too warm in most American washers, the stupid dumbing down of machines here guarantees that 'hot' is nothing more than luke-warm for the normal rest of the world.

 

 

 

[lakewebsterkid]

Ammonia

I second this suggestion. You would be surprised by how much residue it will remove. I used it on my bedsheets recently, and they feel like new. I just discussed this on ths.gardenweb. I had an old dark sweatshirt that had cooking oil on it. I washed it in cold with other dark items as usual, and just used a 1/4 cup of ammonia. The oil stain was completely removed. White Brite is another good suggestion, but does not have the oil removing effect of ammonia. Just be sure to not use it with bleach. Supposedly it has a very powerful effect when you mix it with a bit of Oxiclean, and can super whiten.

 

[tomturbomatic]

An aerosol pretreater like Shout in the metal aerosol can could be tried. Spray the fabric, let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes then wash in a good detergent solution with STPP. Bleaching is not the answer. The bond between the oil and the textile has to be broken. If you cannot find Shout, you could try to find a degreaser at the auto supply store. Knight's Spray Nine might work.

 

[panthera]

When dealing with lots oil/fat

STPP works, of course. TSP is the better choice, in my opinion, as it is more base and more readily forms soap, keeping the oil/fat from redepositing.

We'll never resolve the STPP/TSP fan club opinions, though, will we?

 

[rp2813]

Has anyone ever used Rit Whitener & Brightener or know what's in it -- if they still make it?   I think my mom used it for sheer curtains.

 

[rickr]

When I launder bedding, I always wash in hot water, and add quite a bit of ammonia. While I don't think this will remove the yellow stains in theses sheets, it would be useful advice for her next sheet set.

 

[gyrafoam]

OMG

Throw the f@&king things out and buy some new ones,already. How much could it cost?
Wash in hot water with a good detergent. No sense in trying to re-invent the wheel.
Just 'sayin.

 

[dustin92]

I guess some people just throw things out when they get dirty rather than clean them, and give the money tree a shake for new ones. I think I'm going to try an overnight soak in Powdered Tide, Oxi Clean, and some Dawn. Will see what results we get.