How To Get Sweat Stains Out Of a Pillow?

Making your bed with fresh linen is a delight. However, revealing the sweat-stained pillowcases is something we all hate to see, and the thought of washing the pillows to no avail is always a disappointing prospect.

But there is a way, and with a little persistence, you can have your pillowcases looking fresh and new again in no time. The key to keeping your pillowcases fresh and clean is to wash them regularly and spot clean if required.

How to Remove Sweat Stains From Your Pillows

First, you need to check the pillows washing instructions. Budget pillows don’t stand up to the rigours of machine washing particularly well. 

It may even destroy the inner pillow material or degrade the out fabric, so care should be taken for commencing the cleaning process.

There are two main methods to cleaning sweat stains from pillows, spot cleaning by hand or machine washing. Both will include some detergents and other items you may not expect but are easily found in your local supermarket or DIY store.

You will need:

  • Regular laundry detergent
  • Baking Soda
  • Distilled White Vinegar
  • Hydrogen Peroxide

The best way is to mix the concoction before washing and add it directly to the drum for front loaders. Top loaders offer a little more flexibility but let’s assume you are using a front loading washing machine.

  • ½ cup of regular detergent powder or liquid
  • 1/ cup of baking soda
  • 2 cups of white vinegar
  • 40 ml of hydrogen peroxide.

Don’t worry if the mix is not accurate. Estimates are a good starting place, and unless your pillows are heavily stained, you will see a marked improvement if not a complete removal of the stains.

Make sure the mixture is mixed well. Baking soda can sometimes feel gritty and require further rinsing if not mixed in the solution.

Place the pillow in the machine, add the mixture, and wash on one hot wash cycle. Leave the pillow to soak in the mixture for two hours.

After two hours, wash on the longest hot wash the machine has programmed.

Rinsing may need to be done multiple times to remove the grime from the pillow. 

Wash again separately after rinsing with ½ cup of white vinegar. Spin on a regular cycle to reduce the water content of the pillow. If the washing machine cannot compensate for the uneven weight of the soaked pillow, remove it from the machine.

If the pillow is wet, remove it carefully so as not to tear the pillow fabric.

Drain the pillow naturally by supporting the pillow across its length. A rotary line is ideal for this process.

Hey presto, you have one stain-free pillowcase smelling fresh and looking like new again.

Final thought

The only pain in the neck with this process is the washing time. If lucky, you can only wash two pillows in one day. However, that’s better than having pillows that look as if they need replacing.