Is Your Favorite Colored Bedsheets Turning Yellow? Know how to fix it

Want it or not, your favourite bed sheets are not going to stay the same forever!

They might turn yellow, and that's normal!

Your body fluids, sweat, skin oil, and various creams & lotions you use can leave some yellow stains on your beloved sheets, and to be honest, you can hardly control it.

But But But...all is not lost; we do have some tips and tricks that might help you remove those annoying yellow stains and also prevent your white sheets from turning yellow. 

Intrigued? Continue reading!

Before moving on to the solutions, let's understand the reasons behind them.

No matter what the weather might be, we all tend to sweat, even a little!

When the moisture leaves your body, it sticks to the sheets and leaves a stain. At night, we also leave dead skin cells and saliva, which can leave a stain.

And as mentioned earlier, the creams and lotions you use can also make your sheets yellow.

Now let us look at some of the solutions.

The Magic Powder - Baking Soda

• Instead of bleach, add 1/2 cup of baking soda along with the detergent when you're washing your white bed sheets. 
• Not only does baking soda help to remove yellow stains, but it also removes unwanted smells from your bed sheets.

A Natural Cleaning Solution - White Vinegar

You can also add Vinegar, which also acts as a laundry disinfectant to make your sheets extra clean. The vinegar smell rinses out and leaves sheets feeling soft. You can also combine it with the baking soda in the wash. Below are the steps:

• Add 1/2 of a cup of Vinegar to a big bucket of hot water (around 1 gallon).
• You can soak your bed sheets in the solution for one or two hours.
• Afterwards, drop your sheets into the washing machine and wash them under the regular cycle (use a mild laundry detergent).

The sun comes to your rescue for an even greater whitening effect. Sundry your sheets as they leave a naturally fresh smell.

Another Natural Rescue Agent - Lemon Juice

Make your sheets white and crisp again with this natural cleaning agent. It also consists of natural bleaching properties. 

• Add one lemon freshly squeezed into your regular washing powder before washing the sheets.
•  It will not only whiten the fabric but also provide a nice and fresh smell to your bedsheets.

Liquid Bluing Method

One might think liquid bluing would make the white sheet situation worse, but contrary to popular belief, it can help counteract the yellowing and give a whiter look to your sheets.

The trick is not to pour the liquid bluing directly onto the sheets, as it can cause stains. Dilute the formula according to the package instructions, often at a rate of 1/4 teaspoon bluing to 1 quart of cold water and then add the diluted liquid bluing to your washing machine along with the sheets and your regular detergent. Set it up for a normal wash cycle.

Washing Tip: Avoid overloading the washing machine, as it can make it difficult to get the sheets clean. You can aim for a load that fills no more than ¾ of the drum, as it ensures the sheets have plenty of room to move.

Other Commonly used TIPS & TRICKS to maintain your white sheets

1. Say no to chemical fabric softeners. The problem with fabric softeners is that even if they soften the fabric, they do not rinse very well. Hence we recommend better use of a natural fabric softener - like Vinegar or lemon juice. Simply add half of a cup of Vinegar directly to the fabric softener tray in your washing machine, and voila, maintain your whites. So, use Vinegar instead of store-bought fabric softener and get a 2-in-1! Also, measure the formula carefully and resist the urge to use more detergent or boosters other than necessary.
2. Don't eat in bed. We might have heard this from our parents since childhood, and some of us are still hearing it. It's a pretty logical tip when talking about avoiding stains. Therefore, we recommend you to be careful when eating in bed.
3. Make Use of the Extra Spin: Selecting the extra rinse cycle removes the excess product from the overuse of detergent, fabric softeners, or stain treatments, leaving sheets cleaner.
4. Regular washing. Once again, wash your sheets regularly. If you are one with a hectic life schedule, then make a washing schedule so that you won't forget. For colourful sheets, it's enough to wash them every two weeks, but for white ones - once a week would be ideal if you want to keep them crispy white.
5. Follow the washing label instructions. It's advisable to not experiment with washing your beloved white sheets. It might not look important, but your sheets might be made from a combination of different materials, therefore it's always a better idea to follow the instructions on the label.
6. Rinse before you wash. Rinse the bed sheets with lukewarm water for about 30 seconds just before washing them in a washing machine. This has been found helpful as it removes all the oils, dead skin cells, and other body fluids that are stuck in the fabric.
7. Use hot water. And by hot, we don't mean warm, we mean really hot water, and it can help in cleaning the stains that have gone deeper in the fabric.
8. Separate whites from other colours:  Hopefully, it's not new for you! That's probably rule No. 1 to remember that Whites are always washed separately from any other laundry. It maintains white bed sheets white for a longer time.
9. Avoid Plastic Storage: While putting away white sheets, avoid using plastic bags, especially for long-term storage, as it restricts airflow, causing yellowing over time. The other option can be opting for storage bags or bins made of linen, cotton etc.

All in all, there are a number of reasons because of which the white sheets can go yellow, but most of the reasons can be handled by you—literally! 

Now, given that the causes of yellowing in white sheets mostly rest with us, it's worth considering a few changes to your bedtime routine. 

You can start by checking out the finest collection of white cotton bed sheets from Bluedahlia

Employing that your bedsheets are feeling yellow, these tips come down to a matter of personal choice, so think of them more as suggestions rather than prescriptions.

As you already know, a clean body transfers less body soil to white sheets than a dirty body. Hence, showering before bed can help keep your favourite white sheets from taking on the yellow.

The less your body is in contact with the white sheets, the less dead skin will occur. You can also try wearing clothes with more coverage, the better. It will protect your sheets by serving as a barrier between you and them. Also, it's best to buy good quality cotton bed sheets for a longer run.