White bed sheets can gradually become yellow over time but are far more likely to become stained, dingy and discoloured in the summer.
People naturally leave sweat and body oils on their bedding while sleeping which is what causes sheets to become a dinghy yellow colour and this becomes a bigger problem during the warmer temperatures at night.
However, white sheets can also become stained if not washed properly which is what Claudia, from the Cleaning Tips and Tricks Facebook group, discovered after she took her sheets out of the dryer.
After posting a picture of her yellow bedsheets, Claudia wrote: “Somehow my white cotton bedding went yellow in the dryer today. No idea why but can anyone suggest a tip to get this white again?!”
Many people took to the comment section to say that the reason the sheets likely became yellow was that they had been dried at too high a temperature, but there was a very easy way to whiten them again.
Some of the most popular suggestions to restore the yellow bedsheets were to wash them with a dishwasher tablet and then let them dry in the sun.
One cleaning enthusiast said: “It’s yellow because the heat is too high. Direct sunlight should help with the yellow.”
Another person commented: “It looks like you are drying them at too high a temperature. Wash them again with a dishwasher tablet and hang them outside to dry to sort them out.”
Someone else said: “Wash with a dishwasher tablet” while another person wrote: “I’ve heard a dishwasher tablet in with your normal detergent is great on whites.”
A user wrote: “Lie it flat on the grass outside in the sun. If you have no access to a garden hang it in front of a window over the back of chairs or dyer again in direct sunlight magic.”
Using a dishwasher tablet to wash sheets may be unconventional but it will be effective as it contains enzymes which have been designed to break down grease and will help work on fabric stains from swear, oils and bodily fluids.
It will also help whiten fabric again as it contains mild bleaching agents which will brighten dingy sheets without having to use a harsher alternative such as chlorine bleach.
Drying sheets in the sun is a natural way to whiten fabric as the ultraviolet rats in sunlight have a natural bleaching effect and is also a natural disinfectant which will prevent yellowing caused by stains.
All you have to do is dissolve a dishwasher tablet in a basin or bucket of hot water, then submerge the sheets and leave them to soak for at least an hour but if best left overnight.
After soaking, put the wash sheets in the washing machine on a regular washing cycle with some laundry detergent, then make sure to put them in a rinse cycle to make sure there is no leftover dishwasher tablet residue.
Then hang the sheets in direct sunlight by either laying them flat or hanging them out on a clothesline.
Your bedsheets should be sparkling clean and white once again but you will also feel fresh and crisp to ensure you have a comfortable night’s sleep for the rest of the summer.
