Do you know how to whiten a yellowed down comforter correctly?
Multiple factors cause a yellowed-tone comforter. It could be due to sunlight exposure, sweat from frequent usage, or even detergent residue.
Even if you take the best care of it, the duvet cover might discolor. With one turning yellow, you can freely apply budget-friendly tips to whiten it on the spot. Lucky you, here are instructions for washing a down comforter and restoring its natural color. Off we go!
Ways to whiten a yellowed-toned comforter. Source: Pexels
Why Is My Comforter Turning Yellow?
List the main reasons causing the yellow tint. Source: Pexels
Detergent Residue
If you place the comforter above the sheets and see it still turning yellow, the issue may stem from the laundry detergent.
Many brands use heavy scents, and harsh chemicals can wreak havoc on your comforter, making it yellowed. You may only spot the issue after some time. Perhaps, the washing machine can’t rinse the detergents entirely.
Sweat And Bodily Oils
As for the root causes of yellowed-turn comforters, we can’t ignore the build-up of body oils and sweat on the bedding fabric. Sleepers produce sweat while sleeping to maintain their skin’s health, which is natural and inevitable.
Still, body oils and sweat can directly affect your comforter. Soap residue, lotion, and other skin-care products you use daily also degrade your comforter when blending with sweat.
Not to mention, our bodies shed dead skin cells constantly, contributing to yellowing development.
How To Whiten A Yellowed Down Comforter: A Step-by-step Guide
Things You Need
For the cleaning procedure, please refer to the following list of needed items:
- 1/2 cup baking soda
- 1 cup of dish soap
- Lemon/vinegar (or both) or a half cup of Borax.
- 1 cup of a gentle washing detergent
You should use a decent-sized washer and dryer for your white comforter. If you have no large washing machines available, visit a laundromat.
A Step-by-step Guide
Once you have enough required items, get started washing your down comforter (or duvet) with one of these great options:
Step 1
Find a decent-sized bucket that fits your comforter and fill it halfway with warm water. Do not use too cold or hot water as it can damage the filling.
Step 2
Add Borax or lemon and vinegar with baking soda to the water bucket. Ensure the mixture is dissolved entirely.
Step 3
Throw the comforter into a bucket and leave it soaked for roughly 3-5 hours. If your home has no bucket, use a bathtub or laundry sink for alternatives.
A bathtub can substitute for a bucket. Source: Pexels
If you’re too occupied, pour the contents of your bucket into the large-size washing machine with good air circulation to help the soap and detergent clean the duvet/comforter more thoroughly.
Step 4
Pour gentle laundry detergent, dish soap, and put the comforter into the washing machine. Fill up any empty areas with water.
Step 5
Clean your down comforter on a gentle cycle to eliminate detergent and soap better without leaving residues. Otherwise, the residual soap can destroy the fluff.
Step 6
After washing, dry the comforter with a dryer. Go for tumble drying as it can kill dust mites and re-fluff the comforter. It is best to use a low-temperature setting to minimize filling damage. Beyond that, throw in a few dryer balls or tennis balls to render your comforter fluffy.
Step 7
Tossing your comforter in between wash cycles multiple times will make your down comforter dry evenly. You can also remove all lingering moisture in the item that can lead to mildew and an unpleasant odor.
Once it's dried, put your bright white down comforter back on your bed.
Can I Bleach The White Down Comforter?
The general bleaching method may somewhat whiten your yellow duvet, but not completely.
Bleaching makes the fabrics, in general, brighter and cleaner by removing the stains and converting dirt into soluble and colorless particles. It tackles the rest of the cleaning work for water and detergents.
However, bleaching can’t restore the intact white color from a yellowed down comforter, as it can’t cope with sweat and body oils entirely.
More than that, if you bleach incorrectly, you can worsen the stains. From there, your bedding items even get yellower than ever.
Instead, it’s viable if you go with some hand-made and safe options with lemon, baking soda, and white vinegar that are shared below.
Bleaching can’t whiten your comforter as expected. Source: Pexels
Related posts:
How Do I Keep My Down Comforter White Without Harsh Chemicals?
Lemon
Lemon has more benefits than you assume. Source: Pexels
Pour a little lemon juice into the wash cycle to make your folded fitted sheets whiter and brighter. It also smells heavenly at large!
Sunshine
No wonder sunbathing comes up with multiple benefits: it bleaches your clothes without the unpleasant odor or bleach’s health hazards! After washing, hang your comforter on a solid clothesline and dry it under the sun. Still, do not let it be outside under scorching weather.
White Vinegar
The acetic acid in white vinegar is an epic cleaner, but its pungent odor is off-putting.
How to bleach a down comforter with white vinegar? Add a dose of vinegar to the wash water to get excellent results. This product softens textiles, making them bright and comfortable once again.
Interestingly, the white vinegar and baking soda duo also work wonders in whitening other bedding items.
Baking Soda
You can whiten the duvet quickly by mixing water and baking soda. It does the trick with many kinds of fabrics, including organic down comforters.
Drop the comforter in 4 liters of water and 1 baking soda cup. Let them soak for a while till they look clean and fresh.
Baking soda is a versatile household item. Source: Pexels
Aspirin
Do not look down on the Aspirin. It does not just do wonders to cope with headaches but also prevent the gunk from yellowing your whites.
To do this, you should dissolve 5 aspirin pills in water and soak the comforter in the blend. After that, toss the item into the washing machine to clean it.
Use white instead of colored aspirin. Otherwise, your whites will emerge with other tints.
How Do You Whiten A Goose-Down Comforter?
Goose-down comforters. Source: Pexels
Most goose-down comforters state "dry clean only," so you can clean them at home using a front-loading, sizable washing machine and dryer. Start with gentle soap (down soap is preferable).
Put soap and your comforter in a washer. Run a warm-water and delicate cycle and an additional rinse to remove soap residue later.
After the cycle, place the comforter in the large dryer; put tennis balls in two white socks and throw them into the machine to avoid clump. Set your dryer to low heat.
Wrapping Up!
The comforter in your bedroom is probably the coziest spot when you’re home. It keeps your space updated on style and comfort.
However, what makes you feel downbeat is the growing dirtiness and yellow colors inside the duvet over time, especially if you have pets or kids who like crawling into bed.
Thankfully, you’ve known how to whiten a yellowed down comforter. These tips give your bedroom a fresh look for minimal cost and effort. Forward the post to other homemakers as well!