Can anyone advise a good detergent, etc that removes facial oils and sweat discoloration off pillow cases? I've tried bleach and Oxiclean with mixed results. They dont clean as well as I want. Thanks.
Cleaning skin oil stains on pillow cases
- Thread starter robbinsandmyers
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Ammonia might do the job.
Ammonia
A little detergent and oxy clean.
Hot water
A little detergent and oxy clean.
Hot water
Any mid- to high-end detergent (Cheer powder or Persil liquid for me) boosted with a good dose of Biz powder.
My current HE toploader runs the Sheets cycle in non-HE mode with water input at the selected temperature with no dumbing-down. 122°F for Warm (really), 133°F for Warm+, or tap-hot for Hot. Better results at Warm+ than Warm. Some agitation time, a long soak (2 hrs), then more agitation.
Borax is said to work nicely as a booster for body odor/soils but I haven't tried it.
kenmoreguy89
Well-known member
Hot water and powder detergente is all what i usually need.
John,
My current routine (with best results thus far) is to prewash the pillow cases in hot water and Dawn dishwashing liquid, then proceed into the regular cycle. I use a low water level for the prewash and don't allow the washer to empty before the regular cycle, instead I finish filling the tub with warm water, add my regular detergent (Persil) and my sheets and let the washer finish washing and rinsing. My pillow cases are very dark and facial oil really shows itself. The Dawn seems to do a good job on the oil.
lawrence
My current routine (with best results thus far) is to prewash the pillow cases in hot water and Dawn dishwashing liquid, then proceed into the regular cycle. I use a low water level for the prewash and don't allow the washer to empty before the regular cycle, instead I finish filling the tub with warm water, add my regular detergent (Persil) and my sheets and let the washer finish washing and rinsing. My pillow cases are very dark and facial oil really shows itself. The Dawn seems to do a good job on the oil.
lawrence
I had similar issue
I have dark gray sheets that really show body oils. My skin is extremely oily and I've tried many various detergents and wash routines including prewash, soaks, powders, boosters, etc. What works best for me is I made my own pretreatment spray which is simply about 4 tablespoons of Seventh Generation dish soap and then fill the rest of the spray bottle with water. I spray all the oil stains, let sit for 10 minutes then do a HOT wash with a heavy-handed dose of Tide Ultra Stain Release Free. I wear a mask when I spray the laundry because the overspray makes my throat feel funny.
I have dark gray sheets that really show body oils. My skin is extremely oily and I've tried many various detergents and wash routines including prewash, soaks, powders, boosters, etc. What works best for me is I made my own pretreatment spray which is simply about 4 tablespoons of Seventh Generation dish soap and then fill the rest of the spray bottle with water. I spray all the oil stains, let sit for 10 minutes then do a HOT wash with a heavy-handed dose of Tide Ultra Stain Release Free. I wear a mask when I spray the laundry because the overspray makes my throat feel funny.
Dishwashing liquid is indeed a good treatment for body oil stains and also other greasy stains. I used it once for getting lily pollens out of a white sweater, worked great! I just use a clear liquid, put it on the stain directly and rub it in.
Bleaching won't help
Bleaches don't really work on oils, they work on colours (wine, sauce etc.).
Oils best shift with high temperature, long times and lots of tensides.
Dunno if you have an FL or TL, but our FLs over here that have specific soil options tend to run long hot soaks when oil stain settings are selected.
If you have an FL washer, a Sanitize cycle should work great.
Use some high quality liquid detergent (liquids are usually somewhat higher in tensides).
In a TL a hot wash with an soak option or unplugging half way through the wash might be good.
Just make sure to use a heavy dose of detergent (measured, but more than usual) and rinse thoroughly.
Sometimes, skin residue does well with an enzyme soak (warm water, long overnight soak with a good enzyme Laden detergent) can help as well.
Though debated as laundry treatment, skin is acidic by nature, so the soils rubbing of are acidic as well.
Same dissolves same.
And most detergents are alkaline, so an acidic treatment (vinegar in a spray bottle or such) can help.
Just don't let it sit to long.
Apparently there are some acidic detergent pods in the US and maybe some acidic laundry detergents as well.
They might work great as well.
Bleaches don't really work on oils, they work on colours (wine, sauce etc.).
Oils best shift with high temperature, long times and lots of tensides.
Dunno if you have an FL or TL, but our FLs over here that have specific soil options tend to run long hot soaks when oil stain settings are selected.
If you have an FL washer, a Sanitize cycle should work great.
Use some high quality liquid detergent (liquids are usually somewhat higher in tensides).
In a TL a hot wash with an soak option or unplugging half way through the wash might be good.
Just make sure to use a heavy dose of detergent (measured, but more than usual) and rinse thoroughly.
Sometimes, skin residue does well with an enzyme soak (warm water, long overnight soak with a good enzyme Laden detergent) can help as well.
Though debated as laundry treatment, skin is acidic by nature, so the soils rubbing of are acidic as well.
Same dissolves same.
And most detergents are alkaline, so an acidic treatment (vinegar in a spray bottle or such) can help.
Just don't let it sit to long.
Apparently there are some acidic detergent pods in the US and maybe some acidic laundry detergents as well.
They might work great as well.
kenmoreguy89
Well-known member
Powders have less "tensides" meant as synth surfactant because they rely much on alkaline builders for oils.
To some extent even oxy clean will do something as it is percarbonate so sodium carbonate aka washing soda soaked atomized in peroxide.
But that is mostly thanks to its alkalinity and peroxide may do someyhing for dead skin embedded in fat.
While I agree that whatever bleach Is not the Key for oils, the powders still offer a great power over fats because of the alkaline nature missing in liquids.
The latter have several surfactant cocktails and are usually enzyme laden.
If you decide to rely on enzymes though keep in consideration that some denaturate with a wash temp too hot.
Soak whether thanks to surfactant, enzymes or alkali Is the Key for stubborn solid fat stains.
Alkaline works best in hot water as the saponification process of fats Will be increased.
Body oils on pillows though is also dead skin plus oil so a detergent containing good amounts of protease enzyme besides lipase will also help a lot to break It down
I usually get good results with regular powder and hot wash.
I may do a 30mins soak if really dirty.
To some extent even oxy clean will do something as it is percarbonate so sodium carbonate aka washing soda soaked atomized in peroxide.
But that is mostly thanks to its alkalinity and peroxide may do someyhing for dead skin embedded in fat.
While I agree that whatever bleach Is not the Key for oils, the powders still offer a great power over fats because of the alkaline nature missing in liquids.
The latter have several surfactant cocktails and are usually enzyme laden.
If you decide to rely on enzymes though keep in consideration that some denaturate with a wash temp too hot.
Soak whether thanks to surfactant, enzymes or alkali Is the Key for stubborn solid fat stains.
Alkaline works best in hot water as the saponification process of fats Will be increased.
Body oils on pillows though is also dead skin plus oil so a detergent containing good amounts of protease enzyme besides lipase will also help a lot to break It down
I usually get good results with regular powder and hot wash.
I may do a 30mins soak if really dirty.
Henrik, you had all my attention as you mentioned there are acidic detergent pods in the US.
Same dissolves same makes sense but I`ve never heard of an acidic laundry detergent except for liquid fabric softener.
Could you give an example what brand you`re talking about?
IIRC "The Laundry Guy" previously discussed in another thread mentioned the use of vinegar as a pretreater on oily stains.
At first I found it kind of strange but then I thought I`d have to try it myself to come to my own conclusions.
Same dissolves same makes sense but I`ve never heard of an acidic laundry detergent except for liquid fabric softener.
Could you give an example what brand you`re talking about?
IIRC "The Laundry Guy" previously discussed in another thread mentioned the use of vinegar as a pretreater on oily stains.
At first I found it kind of strange but then I thought I`d have to try it myself to come to my own conclusions.
@mrboilwash
Totally random source:
Watched some small YT clip on the whole thing about people eating pods and it mentioned that while most were alkaline or neutral, some were acidic and cause related injuries.
Totally random source:
Watched some small YT clip on the whole thing about people eating pods and it mentioned that while most were alkaline or neutral, some were acidic and cause related injuries.
Yellow stains on white sheets:
I have always washed the sheets and pillowcases in hot (140f) water used a good dose of Liquid Tide and bleach. Add a couple extra rinses, a little Downy in the last rinse and you should be good to go.
WK78
I have always washed the sheets and pillowcases in hot (140f) water used a good dose of Liquid Tide and bleach. Add a couple extra rinses, a little Downy in the last rinse and you should be good to go.
WK78
Oil
As mentioned, a nice soak with Biz will help. Adding ammonia towards the end of a hot wash will help quite a bit too.
I HIGHLY recommend using a sanitize cycle if your machine has one.
As mentioned, a nice soak with Biz will help. Adding ammonia towards the end of a hot wash will help quite a bit too.
I HIGHLY recommend using a sanitize cycle if your machine has one.
Since alkalinity to some degree is require for cleaning cottons and linens highly doubt any detergent sold for general laundry purposes is acidic. Near neutral is one thing, but even there one has doubts.
Now something for silk, wools or other fine wash would be another matter. Cottons and linens aren't harmed by alkaline substances in general, but are by acidity. Wool and silk OTOH are the opposite which is why special care laundry products are near neutral to slightly acidic.
This being said commercial and or professional laundries have long relied upon chemistry to get proper results. Certain soils or marks can be shifted at alkaline pH, others with acid.
For ages both domestic and commercial laundering relied upon high water temperatures and pH levels along with good mechanical action to remove soils ranging from body oils to blood.
Soap, sodium metasilicate and perborate (in short Persil washing soap of old), along with wash temps of 140F or above will (and did) given excellent results on commercial laundry including blood stained hospital wash.
Thanks to pressures from "green" movement the energy intensive and environmentally suspect ways of old have come under attack. So instead of chemicals even commercial laundries have been pushed to adopt enzymes and higher surfactant levels in wash but at lower temps.
All oils/fats to some extent are hydrophobic, that is they resist water.
Use of surfactants including emulsifiers such as alcohols C10 – C18 ethoxylated can attack oils by increasing wetting power of water, and also helping to break up such soils from fabrics.
The other way is to raise pH by using alkaline substances that will (for lack of better description) saponify oils/fats on fabrics. That is simply breaking them down into "soap" so they can be washed away. People adding ammonia to combat oil/fat soil are using ammonium hydroxide (a gas trapped in water to make ammonia), which has a base pH.
Now something for silk, wools or other fine wash would be another matter. Cottons and linens aren't harmed by alkaline substances in general, but are by acidity. Wool and silk OTOH are the opposite which is why special care laundry products are near neutral to slightly acidic.
This being said commercial and or professional laundries have long relied upon chemistry to get proper results. Certain soils or marks can be shifted at alkaline pH, others with acid.
For ages both domestic and commercial laundering relied upon high water temperatures and pH levels along with good mechanical action to remove soils ranging from body oils to blood.
Soap, sodium metasilicate and perborate (in short Persil washing soap of old), along with wash temps of 140F or above will (and did) given excellent results on commercial laundry including blood stained hospital wash.
Thanks to pressures from "green" movement the energy intensive and environmentally suspect ways of old have come under attack. So instead of chemicals even commercial laundries have been pushed to adopt enzymes and higher surfactant levels in wash but at lower temps.
All oils/fats to some extent are hydrophobic, that is they resist water.
Use of surfactants including emulsifiers such as alcohols C10 – C18 ethoxylated can attack oils by increasing wetting power of water, and also helping to break up such soils from fabrics.
The other way is to raise pH by using alkaline substances that will (for lack of better description) saponify oils/fats on fabrics. That is simply breaking them down into "soap" so they can be washed away. People adding ammonia to combat oil/fat soil are using ammonium hydroxide (a gas trapped in water to make ammonia), which has a base pH.
kenmoreguy89
Well-known member
Acid pods
May be that the acid pods they were referring to that Henrik mentions were machine cleaning pods?
Washer cleaning treatments as well as ones for DW's are usually acid, that is for mineral build up.
Forget most machines today will rather need a very alkaline treatment to get rid of the usual moldy fatty gunk as minerals build up is the last of their problems, and that's because of modern (bad) washing habits.
Last chance is that they misread some info and meant to say that just like acids alkali are corrosive, and somehow came up with saying some pods are acid.
Actually, to our digestive system alkali are way more irritating since our stomach is made to deal with acid, as our digestion take place thanks to acids.
But is not even merely about irritation and poisoning
The reaction that alkali makes with acids in our stomach is dangerous when we speak of ingesting a detergent pod because of suffocation.
Reaction alkaline acid is a frizzy reaction and combined with a soap it produces foam, if from ends up in the lungs you choke.
That is also why some first aid directions mentioned not to induce vomit..
[this post was last edited: 5/13/2021-03:33]
May be that the acid pods they were referring to that Henrik mentions were machine cleaning pods?
Washer cleaning treatments as well as ones for DW's are usually acid, that is for mineral build up.
Forget most machines today will rather need a very alkaline treatment to get rid of the usual moldy fatty gunk as minerals build up is the last of their problems, and that's because of modern (bad) washing habits.
Last chance is that they misread some info and meant to say that just like acids alkali are corrosive, and somehow came up with saying some pods are acid.
Actually, to our digestive system alkali are way more irritating since our stomach is made to deal with acid, as our digestion take place thanks to acids.
But is not even merely about irritation and poisoning
The reaction that alkali makes with acids in our stomach is dangerous when we speak of ingesting a detergent pod because of suffocation.
Reaction alkaline acid is a frizzy reaction and combined with a soap it produces foam, if from ends up in the lungs you choke.
That is also why some first aid directions mentioned not to induce vomit..
[this post was last edited: 5/13/2021-03:33]
Technically, no, alkalinity isn't needed for cleaning
It really depends on the tensides.
You can perfectly construct a cleaning Formular that works in any pH.
If they are not ionic they don't care.
Anionic or cationic surfactants really just care so they don't bind to the wrong thing or in reverse bind very well to the right thing.
That's for example why soft water helps as the mineral ions in water can interact with ionic tensides rendering them useless.
I know for sure it is perfectly possible to run in either pH direction since DW detergents over here have done that.
And as weird as it might sound, DW and washer detergents are fundamentally not that different.
When phosphate was banned some manufacturers completely changed their makeup to contain plain citric acid thus makeing them acidic and adapting surfactants, enzymes and bleaching components as needed.
The main reason alkalinity is more common is that most common tensides prefer that.
I do also think to know that cotton is sensitive to acidity.
However there is always the point that especially in US machines, contact times are usually quite short and effect depends on pH level as well.
It really depends on the tensides.
You can perfectly construct a cleaning Formular that works in any pH.
If they are not ionic they don't care.
Anionic or cationic surfactants really just care so they don't bind to the wrong thing or in reverse bind very well to the right thing.
That's for example why soft water helps as the mineral ions in water can interact with ionic tensides rendering them useless.
I know for sure it is perfectly possible to run in either pH direction since DW detergents over here have done that.
And as weird as it might sound, DW and washer detergents are fundamentally not that different.
When phosphate was banned some manufacturers completely changed their makeup to contain plain citric acid thus makeing them acidic and adapting surfactants, enzymes and bleaching components as needed.
The main reason alkalinity is more common is that most common tensides prefer that.
I do also think to know that cotton is sensitive to acidity.
However there is always the point that especially in US machines, contact times are usually quite short and effect depends on pH level as well.
