Stained sheets and pillowslips are a problem for most of us at one time or another. Even a small smudge of mascara on your pillowcase can make freshly cleaned bedlinen look dodgy, clouding the pleasure of sliding into them at night. If you have guests staying, any stain would cause suspicion.
Your guests will sniff at them dubiously, trying to work out if they had been washed or not!
While stains can be difficult to remove in a standard wash cycle, these tricks of the trade will have your sheets spotless in no time.
Removing Fresh Blood Stains:
- Pour some dish washing detergent on the stain, making sure the detergent covers every part of the stain.
- Now rub the stained area until the detergent is completely absorbed.
- Rinse out the area with cold water and continue to scrub the bedding stain. If necessary, repeat the process until the blood stain is no longer visible on your bedding.
- Wash your bedlinen as usual once the stain is removed.
Removing Old Blood Stains:
If the stain is older than 48 hours you will probably need to soak the sheets or pillowslip first in cold water with an enzyme pre-soak, then launder in cold water.
Check the stain and do not put the sheet through the dryer until the stain is gone; remember that heat will set the stain in.
If the blood stain still remains, try using a few drops of 3% hydrogen peroxide from the medicine cabinet. Pour directly on to the stain and let it sit for a few minutes. Rinse and repeat.
Removing Yellow Discolorations:
We all love the look of clean white sheets but often our white bedlinen can yellow because of sweat and other bodily fluids. What you may not know is that bleach isn't the "cure-all" stain remover and whitener some people assume.
Continuous use of bleach will actually cause your sheets to yellow further because bleach oxidizes, yellows and ultimately destroys all natural fibers like bamboo cotton, and linen.
To brighten, whiten and keep you sheets and pillowcases looking new, try Oxyclean or any "oxygenated" detergent, or washing soda.
These products are effective and natural whiteners and brighteners that can be used on both coloured and white bedlinen. They work well on biological stains such as urine, sweat, vomit etc. These products also remove the embedded minerals left in the fabric that cause the yellowing.
Whitening your bedding:
To make your sheets, pillowslips and quilt covers look brand new takes a little time and effort, but it’s well worth it. Having your bedlinen look new and stain free makes slipping into them at night all the more enjoyable!
- Soaking is key to whitening and brightening your bedding.
- Add Oxyclean or washing soda, according to the box directions, to a basin of warm water - Do not use bleach!
- Use the warmest water that is recommended for your sheets and pillowslips.
- Soak for 1-2 hours, I find the longer you soak the whiter your sheets become.
- After soaking, add your bedlinen to the washing machine, and wash on a regular cycle.
- Check your sheets to make sure the stains are gone and the sheets look whiter before placing in them in the dryer, or on the wash line.
Fresh stains, old stains, or just whitening your bedlinen can be an overwhelming task to some; but with these tips you can inexpensively eliminate most stains safely and effectively from Cotton and Bamboo sheets and pillowcases.
Recent stains will be gone in minutes and set in tough stains might need some pre-soaking, but it is worth it to have white and stain free bedlinen.
It makes slipping into your sheets so much more pleasurable!
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