Favorite bed pillows get a lot of use every night. We keep clean pillowcases on them and don’t think much about the pillow inside until it’s time to change the bed linens. Lately, have you looked?

Yikes! The pristine white pillows have turned blotchy with disgusting yellowish-to-brownish stains. What on earth…? The most common response is to stuff an ugly, stained pillow into a clean pillowcase and hope never to look at that mess again!

What are those stains?

The culprit is sweat, the chemical composition of which varies from one person to the next, depending on what that person has been eating and drinking or the medications he or she is taking. Now add drool, body oils, makeup, and hair products transferred to the pillow from lying down with wet hair—all of these things, over time, discolor pillows. But why not the pillowcase? Because we launder them frequently, stains are banished quickly before they have a chance to become a problem.

But the pillow itself? When did you last launder yours? Hmmm …

You may not think you sweat while asleep, but if your pillow has become stained or just looks dingy gray and old-looking, that’s a sign you do. Congratulations are in order. This means you’re normal.

Some people sweat more than others, which can explain why your spouse’s pillow may be far more stained than yours or why your teenage son’s pillow is more disgusting than, say, his little brother’s. Resting your face or head against that pillow hour after hour releases sweat, which travels easily through the pillowcase into the pillow.

Get rid of them

The stains, not the pillows! Depending on how old these stains are, you can probably get your bed pillows clean and beautifully white again. Most types of pillows can be washed in the washing machine.

If your pillow has a zippered pillow liner, remove it. You’re in luck if the stains are limited to just that protective cover (this is different from a pillowcase and may have come as an accessory with the pillow). If the pillow itself has stains, it’s time to wash both the liner and the pillow.

Washable only

Check to make sure the pillow tag says that it is washable. Most pillows can be safely washed. (Do not attempt to wash memory foam pillows; follow these instructions instead). Wash only one large (king-size) pillow or two smaller pillows at a time for the best results.

You’ll need these ingredients:

A good laundry pretreatment stain remover that contains enzymes such as Soilove, Shout Active Enzyme Laundry Stain Remover, Zout Triple Enzyme Formula
1 cup of any powdered laundry detergent
1 cup powdered automatic dishwasher detergent like Cascade Complete Powder
1/2 cup borax
1 cup bleach (or bleach alternative)
1 cup white vinegar

Step 1

Treat the stains with the strain remover with enzymes, and allow to sit for about 20 minutes.

Step 2

Fill a large container half way with the hottest water you can manage from the tap. Add the pillow(s) and allow to soak.

If your washing machine is a top loader and has a soak function, fill the washer with hot water, then stop the cycle to allow the pillow(s) to soak.

If your washing machine is a front loader, find a big container like a storage bin or use the bathtub for this step.

Step 3

While the pillows soak, fill the largest cooking pot you can find with tap water, set it on the stovetop, and bring it to a full boil. Turn the burner off and pour in the laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, and borax. Stir gently until the products dissolve in the hot water.

Step 4

Very carefully, pour the contents of your hot caldron into the washer, storage bin, or tub—wherever your pillow(s) is soaking. Carefully add and stir in the liquid bleach. Because the stained pillows need to beare fully saturated, use a broom handle to gently push them down, turn them around into the water as pillows tend to float. Allow soaking for at least one hour. Longer is fine.

Step 5

After the soak, launder the pillow(s) using your machine’s longest hot wash cycle, with an extra rinse if you have that option. Pour a cup of white vinegar into the liquid softener reservoir to add to the final rinse. This will keep it separate from the bleach, as you do not want to mix bleach and vinegar.

Step 6

Dry the pillows in the dryer on a medium heat cycle, along with wool dryer balls if you have them. If not, throw in a couple of tennis balls, each tied into the toe of a sock, into the dryer to keep the pillows moving. For down pillows, use the air-only or fluff option. If the pillow is synthetic, use Low heat.

Keep them white

Invest in zippered pillow protectors, and you will never have to go through this process again!

In the future, as you change and launder your bed linens, peel off the pillowcase and inspect it. If you see any spots on the pillow protector, launder it, too.

Check your pillows routinely so you can deal with spots quickly. That’s the secret to keeping pillows white and pristine!

Print How-To Pin How-To

5 from 3 votes

How to Get Yellow-Stained Bed Pillows White Again

Depending on how old these yellow bed pillow stains are, it’s a good bet you can get your bed pillows clean and beautifully white again.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Treating stains, soaking and laundry cycle1 20

Total Time1 45

Category: Housekeeping

Cuisine: Laundry

Materials

Laundry stain pretreatment product with enzymes (NOTE 1)
1 cup powdered laundry detergent
1 cup powdered automatic dishwasher detergent
1/2 cup borax
1 cup liquid bleach, or bleach alternative
1 cup white vinegar

Instructions

Treat the stains and allow them to sit for about 20 minutes.
Soak the pillows in hot water—the hottest you can manage from the tap. If your washing machine is a top-loader and has a soak function, use that. Fill the washer with hot water and then stop the cycle to allow the pillow(s) to soak. If yours is a front loader find a big container like a storage bin or the bathtub for this step.
While the pillows soak, pull out the biggest cooking pot you can find. Fill it with tap water, set it on a burner on High and bring it to full boil. Turn the burner off and pour in the laundry detergent, Cascade, and borax. Stir gently until the products dissolve in the boiling water.
Carefully pour the contents of your hot caldron into the washer, storage bin or tub—wherever your pillows are soaking. Carefully add and stir in the liquid bleach. Make sure the stained pillows are fully saturated by turning them over or moving them around. You may need to use a broom handle or similar to gently push them down in the washer as pillows will tend to “float.” Allow soaking for at least one hour. Longer is fine.
After the soak, launder the pillow(s) using your machine's longest hot wash cycle, with an extra rinse if you have that option. Add a cup of white vinegar to the final rinse by pouring it into the liquid softener reservoir. This will keep it separate from the bleach, as you absolutely do not want to mix bleach and vinegar.
Dry the pillows in the dryer in a medium heat cycle along with wool dryer balls if you have them. If not, throw in a couple of tennis balls, each one tied into the toe of a sock into the dryer to keep the pillows moving. For down pillows, use the air-only or fluff option. If the pillow is synthetic, use Low heat.
Look at the difference!

Notes

Note 1: Soilove contains enzymes that attack protein and other organic stains in ways I cannot describe. It is fabulous on bed pillow stains. Shout Active Enzyme Laundry Stain Remover, Zout Triple Enzyme Formula are also good choices.

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Please keep your comments positive, encouraging, helpful, brief,
and on-topic in keeping with EC Commenting Guidelines

Mimi Barre says:

April 1, 2024 at 9:21 pm

How can I get old stains out of a white cotton apron that is beautifully embroidered with many colors? The fabric is old. I made it in 1955.

Janice says:

April 22, 2023 at 5:58 pm

I did this today! I didn’t have powdered dishwasher detergent, so I took a chance and threw a cascade pod in. Other than that I did exactly as you wrote. It worked beautifully! My pillows not only look great; they smell wonderful too! Thank you!

Priscilla says:

January 1, 2022 at 7:38 am

I have really good luck just soaking all my whites in Iron Out and very hot water overnight following directions on container. Then I wash them in my favorite laundry detergent and rinse twice. I’m not fond of the smell of Iron Out but the process is easy and the results are awesome. It has taken out stains that were over a year old. Don’t use on colors.

Sheri B. says:

December 29, 2021 at 12:53 pm

I use liquid Tide laundry soap.I live in a apt complex and when people use the machine and then I go and use it, the hot water is gone and my clothes are in very cold water. Powder does not dissolve good. In the times I have used it.
Will liquid Tide work?

Barbara Schieding says:

December 29, 2021 at 12:15 pm

My pillow is pink. Should I use a bleach alternative instead of the bleach?

Mary Hunt says:
December 30, 2021 at 6:40 am

I have not tested this. If you try, please let us know your results. My sense is that a bleach alternative will not be as effective in the final analysis, but I will be very interested to learn how that works for you.

How to Get Yellow-Stained Bed Pillows White Again

What are those stains?

Get rid of them