Don’t toss out those discolored old pillows—rescue them with this simple whitening method.
Inevitably, sweat and natural oils from your body get absorbed into your pillow while you sleep, causing discoloration and attracting dust and dirt that worsen the problem. But knowing why your pillows don’t look like they used to doesn’t make them any less unpleasant to look at.
A few years ago I found myself mourning the discolored state of my own pillows, and had accepted that I probably needed to replace them. But I figured I might as well poke around online to see what I could find out about cleaning discolored pillows before I chucked them in the trash.
How To Wash And Whiten Yellowed Pillows
You’ll need:
- 1 cup powdered laundry detergent
- 1 cup powdered dishwasher detergent
- 1 cup bleach (or bleach alternative)
- 1/2 cup borax
First, check the tag on your pillow to confirm that it’s washable. (Most feather-down and synthetic pillows can be safely washed.) Remove the pillow case and pillow protector, if present.
Step 1 – Soak The Pillows In Hot Water
The first step in the cleaning process is to soak your dirty pillows in hot water to give the cleaning ingredients a head start on dissolving those tough stains. (If you have a top-loading washing machine, you can do the soak right in your washer. For those with front-loading washers, or if your top-loader doesn’t have a soak function, you can do the soak in a separate container or your bathtub.)
Start by bringing a large pot of water to a boil on your stovetop. Stir the laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, and borax into the boiling water, and stir until the powdered ingredients dissolve. (You could also pour the water into a bucket and then add the dry ingredients if you don’t want to mix cleaning ingredients inside a cooking pot.)
Once the powders have dissolved into the water, pour the water into your washer (or whatever you’re using to soak the pillows in), then add the bleach. Then let the pillows soak in the solution for at least 30 minutes, flipping the pillows over about halfway through the soak time to make sure that they’re getting saturated on both sides.
Step 2 – Wash The Pillows
Following the soak, run the pillows through a full wash cycle in your washing machine. (Select the additional or second rinse option, if your washer has one.)
Step 3 – Dry The Pillows
Finally, all that’s left to do is dry your pillows. If you have down pillows, put them into your dryer on the “fluff” or “air” setting. Synthetic pillows can be dried on low heat. Add a couple of tennis balls or wool dryer balls to the dryer to help fluff the pillows as they dry.
This is the “before and after” of our Production Manager Brittany’s pillows, who offered them up as test subjects so we could shoot these photos. After following the steps above, her pillows went from looking grimy to just like new (and the difference was even more dramatic in person!)
Bonus: Other clever ways to whiten a pillow
Whiten Pillows by Hand Washing
If your pillow care label requires hand washing for cleaning, wash a pillow by hand with a mild detergent to remove yellow stains. Here is how to make pillows white again with gentle hand washing.
To whiten pillows, fill a large tub with hot water and add a quarter cup of laundry detergent. To whiten-yellow-pillows that are heavily soiled, use a quarter cup bleach or quarter cup Borax. Avoid using boiling water to prevent damaging the fibers.
Put your pillow into the soapy water and knead it with your hands gently to allow the detergent to work its way through the material. Remove the pillow and hold it under cold water to rinse away all soap and dirt residue.
Do not wring out the pillow to prevent damaging the microfibers. Squeeze the material gently to remove as much water as possible.
If the care tag says not to dry your pillow in the clothes dryer, lay it in the sun to air dry, making sure to flip it occasionally. For a pillow that is safe to machine dry, place it into the dryer on a low heat setting and add wool dryer balls or tennis balls to fluff them.
This is usually the best method for washing a body pillow, too, as the large size makes it difficult to put in the washer.
Keeping Your Pillow Stain-Free
While you’ll still have to wash pillows occasionally to keep them disinfected and stain-free, there are specific measures to take to ensure that they are fresh in between washing.
Make sure that you encase your pillows in a pillow protector as well as pillowcases. Change them once a week, along with your bedding. If your pillows get especially dirty due to excessive sweating or other causes, change them twice a week.
While changing the pillowcases, spray the pillow surface with linen spray to keep them smelling fresh. This is also a great time to consider adding essential oils to the spray to promote good sleep. We recommend lavender and cedarwood scents.
It’s essential to clean machine washable pillows with a whitening agent at least twice a year. Always use the gentle spin cycle and rinse cycle when washing pillows. Use a dishwasher detergent or mild laundry detergent to spot clean delicate pillows as needed to prevent yellow pillows.
Make sure to clean make-up and dirt from your face before going to bed to prevent stains on clean pillows. Brushing your hair before bed also removes dirt and oils that may otherwise transfer to your pillow.
There’s nothing better than sleeping on new pillows that lull you to sleep with their clean, fresh scent and soft, cushiness. Unfortunately, pillows age over time and begin to yellow and flatten.
The good news is that it’s relatively easy to restore pillows to the pristine shape and appearance they had when they were new. All you need is a little bit of time and a few cleaning solutions.
FAQs About Whitening Old Pillows
Does this work for memory foam pillows?
Generally speaking yes, but be sure to check the tags on yours. Keep in mind that memory foam will take much longer to dry, so be sure to give it plenty of time in the dryer on a low heat setting. If you want to dry it outside, make sure there is a nice breeze to provide plenty of opportunities for all that dense memory foam to air out.
Does this work for down feather pillows?
Definitely. Follow the same advice above for your down feather pillows—plenty of drying time on low heat. It’s best to put them in your dryer with a few dryer balls to help prevent the feathers from clumping as they dry. (Believe me, you don’t want to end up with a pillow full of hot, soggy clumps of feathers.
