If you’ve laundered your bedding and still notice greasy, yellow stains and odors, these tips on how to clean grimy pillowcases will help get your linens clean and fresh again.
Parents of teens are all-too-familiar with how their hormones lead to greasy hair and skin that stains their pillows. Those who work outdoors find themselves in the same boat. Pillowcases also get grimy when someone doesn’t remove their makeup before going to bed.
The thing is, grimy pillowcases tend to be smelly ones, too. Who wants to lay their head on a pillow that stinks? Let’s fix that.
How To Clean Grimy Pillowcases
Removing the Grime
1. Prepare a cleaning solution. This step loosens the chemical bonds between the greasy stain and the pillowcase fabric’s fibers.
- Fill a sink basin with very hot water, then add 1/4 Dawn Original dish detergent (Fairy or Sunlight in the UK) and 1 cup baking soda.
- Swirl to combine them, then add the pillowcases.
2. Scrub the fabric.
- Grab a hunk of the pillowcase in each hand and scrub it against itself.
- Switch positions and repeat until you’ve given it a good all-over rub. (A laundry scrub board works even better.)
3. Refill the sink and let them soak. Switch the pillowcases to the other sink basin and drain the one you’ve been using.
- Refill the sink with hot water and add more Dawn.
- Put the pillowcases back in and let them soak for 1-2 hours (or even overnight) then rinse thoroughly in HOT water until the water runs clear.
4. Launder. Finally, put the pillowcases through a regular wash cycle on HOT water, using your usual detergent, and dry them.
Keep Grime from Returning
You may not be able to talk your family into showering every night before bed, but you can still take a few steps to keep your pillowcases from getting grimy again.
First, skip the fabric softeners and dryer sheets. These work by coating fabric with a very light layer of wax or grease, both of which attract and hold onto skin and hair oils. (Try using vinegar in the laundry to fight static instead.)
Second, use an oxygenated bleach when washing your linens. Chlorine bleach doesn’t remove grease well and should never be mixed with vinegar! (Find out more cleaning products you should never mix.)
Katie B. says
I have shelves and shelves of vinegar, too. The grocery store clerk always look at me oddly when I buy an entire cartful when it’s on sale…not that vinegar’s ever expensive, but if I can get it at 50 cents for a gallon, I’m stockpiling!
Thank you for the feedback on the new site design. I’m very, very happy with it, and it’s so easy to add/change stuff if I need to. Love that!
Katie Berry says
It should work but, honestly, I fail to see what is so time-consuming about scrubbing with a brush, then filling a sink with hot soapy water and dumping pillowcases in so they can sit overnight. Surely your two small kiddos can spare you for three minutes.
Martin says
What a sweet, sticky reply! ‘Dearest Katie’ & ‘Hugs to you’
YUK!
Katie Berry says
Aw, did someone pee in your bowl of Wheaties this morning?
Lonnie says
I tried this and was amazed at how clean and stain-free they came out. Sent this pin to my daughters
Katie Berry says
I’m happy to have helped, Lonnie!
Patrica Hand says
Thank you so much for this post about cleaning grimy pillow cases!! This WORKS….yay!! I tried it on 3 pillow cases today and soaked them in the Dawn and baking soda, wow it really got the grimies out. I boiled water on the stove so it would be really hot and poured it into a basin with everything. Now I have some more pillowcases to clean. This may not solve the world problems, but it solves one of mine…ha ha.
Katie Berry says
I’m happy to have helped, Patricia!
Dorothy says
Will this work if you have used bleach on these pillows before ?
Katie Berry says
It should, Dorothy, provided you’ve since laundered and dried them.
Allan says
What type of vinegar do you use? White vinegar?
Katie Berry says
That’s what I use, yes.
E.A. says
I have inherited beautiful old linens but they are yellow in some ares especially the pillowcases. I have laid them on the grass in the sun, my mother’s way especially for cloth baby bibs n diapers.) but the yellow comes back. Plus they have that waxy smell. They seem very strong or not easily torn. They are all white.
Katie Berry says
I’m very reluctant to offer any tips on cleaning something as precious as heirloom linens, E.A. You might find some good info in this video from Martha Stewart about cleaning vintage linens, though. Best of luck!
Katie Berry says
I’m sorry, I don’t know what item you’re asking about.
Katie Berry says
What item are you asking about?
Petros says
This grimy pillowcase issue has been plaguing our household for ages, but I never thought to do a search on it. Good thing I did! Found your great site and… solved.
I have 2 questions:
1) regarding the oxygenated bleach + vinegar treatment
where do you add the vinegar? do you add it in the fabric softener compartment of the clothes washer dispenser drawer?
2) re washing bed linens in hot water
what temperature is considered hot water?
thank you
Katie Berry says
The problem used to plague my home, too, especially before my daughter moved off to college. Girls these days use so many hair products, and they all seem to make pillowcases nasty. Here are the answers to your questions:
1. Add it during the rinse cycle. If you can put it in the fabric dispenser drawer, that’s perfect.
2. When doing laundry, 120°F/49°C is considered hot.
I hope this helps!
Irene says
How much vinegar do you use in the fabric softener dispenser?
Thank-You
Irene
Katie Berry says
Whatever amount of fabric softener you’d have used, replace that with vinegar.
Katie Berry says
Glad it helped, and thanks for sharing the solution that worked in the machine!
Dale says
I found your website looking for a way to clean my pillowcases. It worked and they are very clean. Thank You.Solves a real pet peeve of mine. When I wash the sheets and use the oxiclean and vinegar, what is the ratio? With the new washing machines, HE and just a tad of detergent is recommended. I am assuming the mixture goes into the tub and not the soap dispenser.
Katie Berry says
Yes, it goes into the tub, not the dispenser. For an HE machine, I’d use half the amount described above.
Kenneth says
Finally, pillowcases that aren’t stiff and smelly. That worked out great. Now to do the rest of them. Thanks for the information. Using a washboard made in Ohio made the process go better than hand rubbing the cloth together too.
Katie Berry says
Glad to have helped!
Katie Berry says
I’m sorry it didn’t work for you, Paul. I’ve had great success with this method.
Katie Berry says
That’s one option. Thanks for sharing!