The pillow you rest your head on each night is more than just a soft cushion—it’s a repository for months, even years, of accumulated bodily fluids and residues.
Recognizing the importance of hygiene where your face spends a significant amount of time nightly is crucial.
Simply changing your pillowcases once a week might not suffice in maintaining the cleanliness we often overlook.
Even with pillow protectors, the pillows themselves can become yellowed over time, a common yet unpleasant sight for many.
Yellowing of pillows is a widespread issue, often more prevalent than most would like to admit.
As we drift into sleep each night, sweat, hair oils, and even saliva can seep through our pillowcases, embedding themselves into the very fabric of our pillows.
Add to this the products from our nightly skincare routines, and it’s easy to see how pillows can quickly become stained and discolored.
Pretty gross, right?
The thought of resting your face against a pillow stained with a year’s worth of sweat and other bodily fluids is unsettling, to say the least.
However, the silver lining here is that cleaning out this accumulation of “gunk” is not as daunting a task as it might seem.
With just a little bit of effort, you can get some peace of mind.
The first step in addressing this issue is to consult the cleaning instructions on your pillow’s tag, a crucial move before taking any further action.
If the cleaning tag permits, washing your pillow in a machine with a mix of half a cup of bleach and half a cup of borax, along with your regular detergent, can be effective in removing those stubborn stains.
This combination works to tackle the discoloration head-on, restoring your pillow closer to its original state.
It’s important to follow the washing and drying instructions specified on the tag to avoid damaging the pillow.
For pillows that aren’t machine washable, spot cleaning becomes the next best solution.
Applying a baking soda solution or using commercial stain-removal products can be particularly effective for tackling specific areas.
This method requires a bit more patience and elbow grease but can yield significant results in maintaining your pillow’s cleanliness and extending its life.
Despite appearances, it’s essential to wash your pillow periodically, even if it looks clean.
Invisible to the naked eye, hair, bodily fluids, and dead skin cells find their way into the fabric of your pillow.
This accumulation is not only unhygienic but can also affect your health and the quality of your sleep over time, making regular cleaning a necessity rather than an option.
The same principle of cleanliness extends to your mattress, another crucial element of your sleep environment.
While the mattress doesn’t directly contact your face as pillows do, it’s equally susceptible to accumulating sweat, oils, and dead skin cells.
However, cleaning a mattress presents its own set of challenges, given its size and the materials it’s made from.
Cleaning your mattress safely requires a different approach than washing your pillows.
While you can’t toss it into the washing machine, there are several effective methods to keep it clean and fresh.
Regular vacuuming, spot cleaning spills and stains immediately, and using a mattress protector can significantly contribute to maintaining a clean and hygienic sleep surface.
Ultimately, the cleanliness of both your pillows and mattress plays a significant role in ensuring a healthy sleep environment.
By adopting regular cleaning practices and addressing stains and discoloration promptly, you can protect your health, extend the life of your sleep accessories, and enjoy a more restful and rejuvenating sleep experience.
Watch this cleaning expert below on the best way to clean pillows!
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