White clothes can turn yellow due to a variety of factors, such as using too much detergent and fabric softener, oxygenation, deodorant stains, washing with well water or long-term storage.
Oxidation is a chemical reaction that happens between substances when they are left on fabrics. (and then exposed to heat or sunlight). Your garments may appear clean when they are put away, but as they sit, these substances react to whatever has been left on the garment and create those obnoxious yellow stains.
Your white sheets naturally turn yellow because of sweat and body oil, and can stain over time if you don't take proper precautions. To prevent yellow stains on white sheets, wash your sheets once a week or more if possible to consistently remove buildup — every four to five days is most ideal.
Yellowing sheets are primarily due to body sweat and oils, including lotions we put on to rejuvenate our skin overnight, according to textile engineer Vikki Martin, vice president of fiber competition for Cotton Incorporated.
Does white vinegar remove yellow stains? It does indeed! Mix it with equal parts water to create a great at-home spray to use on yellowed clothing.
Solution #1: Hydrogen Peroxide, Baking Soda and Salt
When it comes to removing yellow stains from white shirts, two ingredients work best: hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. Both substances have powerful stain-lifting abilities.
Salt and Vinegar
Fill a basin with water, and add ½ cup of table salt and ½ cup of white vinegar. Submerge the stained clothing, letting it sit for 30-60 minutes. Remove the clothing, and wash it according to the care label's instructions. You don't even have to rinse before putting the garment in the washing machine.
Mix equal parts ammonia and water and pour it over the yellowish stain to soak. Let it dry or until the shirt is washed. Without ammonia, hydrogen peroxide can be used instead.
Baking soda whitens, freshens, and softens fabrics. Add 1/2 cup of baking soda along with your regular laundry detergent. For spot stains, make a paste of baking soda and water and apply it directly to the fabric.
It's important to remember that laundry stripping does not remove stains. The purpose of stripping is to remove residue from oils, detergent, minerals, and softeners, not stain removal. Use a stain-removing laundry detergent as part of your regular laundry routine and get stains out before stripping.
Add half a cup of white vinegar to your whites. This may be able to pull the grey or yellow hues that are staining your whites out of the fabric and help renew their original color. Alternatively, you may use a half cup of oxygen bleach to serve the same purpose.
How Do Yellow Pit Stains Happen? Pit stains happen when the aluminum in your antiperspirant or deodorant mixes with your sweat and gets absorbed into your clothes. Over time, more residue builds up on your clothes and yellows the stain.
When to Use Hot Water – For whites, typically dirty clothes and diapers, use hot water (130°F or above). Hot water is best to remove germs and heavy soil. However, hot water can shrink, fade and damage some fabrics, so be sure to read your clothing labels before selecting the hot option.
Mix a half cup of lemon juice (from about four lemons) into one gallon of hot water. Add white laundry to the lemon water and allow it to soak for at least one hour. You can leave it soaking longer, even overnight, to whiten. Then wash as usual.
If you are sick of unsightly yellow stains, it might be worth switching your anti-perspirant to a natural deodorant. These yellow stains are often caused by a chemical reaction between your sweat and the aluminium in your anti-perspirant, which causes your sweat to turn yellow and stick to your clothes.
Place up to three tablespoons of vinegar or fresh lemon juice in about a cup of regular tap water. Rub the mixture into the stained area using circular motions. Allow the solution to penetrate the stain for up to an hour. Wash your shirt using your washing machine's cold setting.
The real cause of these yellowish stains is a mixture of the minerals (especially salt), mostly due to body oils and sweat mixing with the ingredients in antiperspirant or deodorant (primarily aluminum). This is the combo that makes the yellow stains on white clothes and discolors the collar, cuffs and underarm areas.
The citric acid found in lemons helps break down stains and is gentle enough to use on your colored clothes. Add about one cup of lemon juice to your washer to keep whites bright. For an extra boost, add one sliced lemon to a large pot of boiling water, along with the clothing, and let it soak overnight before washing.
To remove discolouration and keep your whites gleaming, add one cup of lemon juice or distilled vinegar to the wash cycle. While both have natural bleaching elements, lemon also helps your clothes smell fresh.
Hydrogen peroxide and baking soda are a 1-2 punch when it comes to yellow stain removal. Peroxide is more gentle on fabrics than bleach, and baking soda quickly gets rid of any odors.
Theoretically, Richardson says, using a couple of cups of baking soda in a load of laundry is an effective way to remove the buildup on your clothes and towels. To prevent the need for stripping altogether, skip the fabric softener and dryer sheets, which only coat the material and make it less absorbent.
Washing soda is not the same as baking soda. They are two different compounds and are used for completely different purposes. Washing soda, aka sodium carbonate (or soda ash), is a natural cleaner and a powerful water softener.