How to Wash White Sheets to Keep Them White, Bright & Fresh Naturally
Nothing quite compares to the feeling of climbing into a perfectly made bed with luxurious, crisp white sheets. Sinking into the freshly laundered bedding, feeling the smoothness on your skin. There’s nothing better!
The only downside is the maintenance required of white sheets and duvet covers. It can be so difficult to keep your white bedding white. Over time, with daily use, your once bright white sheets can become yellowed and dingy looking. Yuck!
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If you want to revive your white bed sheets and learn the most effective ways to care for white linens, we’re spilling all our best laundry hacks below!
This post will share how to wash white sheets to keep them white & bright naturally without the use of bleach, along with our must-know tips for prolonging the life of your bedding.
Shop all our Laundry Essentials below:
How to Wash White Sheets to Keep Them White
Learn how to wash your white sheets naturally without any harsh chemicals in six simple steps.
Pre-treat any Stains
If you notice any stains on your sheets or bedding, always pre-treat before washing. There are a few natural ways you can do this. We love using Branch Basics’ Oxygen Boost. Its stain-removal powers are INCREDIBLE.
For any stains on our sheets or bedding, I’ll sprinkle a little Oxygen Boost over the stain, and then spray with the Branch Basics All-Purpose spray. I’ll then use a soft-bristle brush to gently agitate the stain. Let it sit for about 10 minutes, and then toss the bedding into the washer.
Make sure your Washing Machine is Clean
Before tossing your white bedding into the washer, make sure your washing machine is actually clean. As a general rule of thumb, you should clean your washing machine once a month.
To do so, start by scrubbing the rubber gasket and removing any hair and grime that is stuck in there. Ours gets SO dirty, so I clean it after almost every laundry cycle. You can spray your gasket with some white vinegar (just pour some into an empty spray bottle) and use a cloth to wipe it down. I’ll also wipe down the inside of the washing machine door.
{RELATED POST: The Best Laundry Detergent Sheets for your Home}
Then, to clean the washing machine drum, I’ll pour two cups of white vinegar into the detergent dispenser and press the self-clean button. If your washer doesn’t have self-clean, just run it on the longest and hottest water temperature setting.
For an extra clean washer, you can run another clean cycle using baking soda. Simply add 1-2 cups of baking soda directly to the inside of your washer and select self-clean again.
Use a Gentle & Eco-Friendly Laundry Detergent
When washing delicate fabrics or bedding it’s crucial to use a gentle and natural laundry detergent. Gentle detergents help preserve the fabric quality and whiteness of your sheets because they use a milder formula that won’t weaken or damage the fabric. They also produce less suds than your regular detergent, which prevents residue build-up.
For the last two years, we’ve been consistently using the Beyond Free and Clear Laundry Detergent Sheets. I can’t even begin to describe how much we love these detergent sheets. They have been an absolute game-changer in our laundry routine.
They’re mess-free and require no measuring or guesswork. You’ll never have to worry about how much detergent you should add for each load. Just toss in one detergent strip with your load and machine wash as normal!
These detergent sheets contain no harsh chemicals, fragrances, or added dyes; and they can be used in all washing machines with either hot or cold water. If you need to hand wash any delicate bedding or pillowcases, you can dissolve a strip in a basin of water and soak the items too.
You can use code CASSIE20 for 20% off your order!
Add 1/2 Cup of White Vinegar to your Load of Laundry
If you didn’t already know, distilled white vinegar offers some pretty impressive benefits in the laundry room. It can be used to naturally whiten and brighten clothes, eliminate odors and mildew smells, remove stains, soften fabrics, and remove lint and pet hair.
{RELATED POST: 15 Simple Ways to Create a Healthy & Sustainable Home}
I like to add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the fabric softener dispenser of my washer when cleaning dingy sheets to whiten, brighten, and soften them up! Adding white vinegar to the rinse cycle also removes any soap residue left on your sheets. Eliminating detergent residue is important, as the build-up can lead your bedding to look yellow and dull over time.
Wash Sheets in the Warmest Setting Allowed (check your care label)
Washing your white sheets in hot water is the most effective way to eliminate bacteria and allergens, dissolve stains, remove odors, and brighten the fabric. However, the high temperatures can also cause damage and shrinkage to the sheets. So, make sure to read the care instructions on your bedding before choosing a temperature setting.
Overall, to reduce damage over time, it’s a good idea to wash your sheets in warm water over hot water.
Add Lemon Juice to your Wash Cycle
If you have lemons lying around, you can use them to help brighten and whiten your sheets! Lemons contain citric acid, which acts as a natural bleaching agent that will aid in stain removal, odor elimination, and brightening white fabrics.
Add about 1/4 cup of lemon juice (1-2 lemons) to the washer drum, and then start your normal wash cycle.
5 Tips for Maintaining White Sheets
Here are five of our best tips for preserving the appearance of your white bedding to prevent yellowing and dullness over time.
Wash your Bedding Every Week
Trust me, I hate the chore of washing our sheets and bedding. Taking everything off our bed, washing, drying, and putting it all back on. It takes FOREVER and I feel like I’m constantly doing it haha!
But, truly the best way to maintain white bedding is to stay consistent with regular washing. After just a few days of regular use, your sheets accumulate so much dirt, sweat, hair, dead skin cells, dust mites, and natural body oils. If you have allergies or sensitive skin, it’s especially important to stay on top of consistent washing.
Shop all our white bedding here. These are the BEST Sheets.
Recently, I’ve been trying to romanticize the whole process though. I’ll light a candle, turn on a relaxing, Spotify playlist, open the windows to let in some fresh air, and do a face mask or eye gels while I wash our bedding. It makes it a little better!
Don’t Wear your Outside Clothes in Bed
Although it’s tempting to come home after a long day of work and lie down in bed and relax, before you do so, change into different clothes! Whether that’s loungewear, pajamas, or leggings.. just put on some clean clothes.
Think about all the dirt, grime, and bacteria that your clothes have picked up throughout the day. You do not want any of that transferring to your clean sheets and pillowcases.
Take off your Makeup Before Bed
Not only is taking off your makeup healthy for your skin to prevent acne, breakouts, and clogged pores, but it’s also important to preserving your white sheets! If you leave foundation or mascara on overnight, it can transfer to your pillowcases or sheets, leaving hard-to-remove stains behind.
Wash your Sheets and Bedding Separately
I know it can be so much easier to wash your sheets with your other clothing, but just take the extra time to wash your bedding on its own. If you toss them in with your other laundry, the dyes from the colored fabrics can bleed into your white sheets, making them dingy-looking and discolored over time.
Treat Stains Immediately
The longer a stain sits, the more difficult it becomes to remove. If you notice make-up, lotion, blood, or food stains on your bedding, treat it immediately. Fresh stains are so much easier to get rid of than set-in stains.
I mentioned previously that we love using Branch Basics’ Oxygen Boost to remove all types of stains – coffee, wine, grease, blood, makeup, and more. It’s a safe and effective laundry booster and stain remover that doesn’t contain any harsh chemicals, fragrances, or dyes. It’s super affordable and long-lasting too!
Extra Laundry Tips
I wanted to include a few more tried and true laundry tips that we regularly use in our home.
- After taking your sheets out of the washing machine, shake them out to ensure even drying
- Dry bedding on a gentle, low heat setting to preserve their quality
- Air-dry your sheets in direct sunlight to help brighten white fabrics and fade stains – I don’t normally air-dry ours because we live in an apartment, but it’s a great hack!
- Do not use chlorine bleach! It can actually cause yellowing over time and contains very harsh chemicals.
- Add wool dryer balls to the dryer to soften and fluff up your sheets. They’ll help reduce drying time too!
- Add Oxygen Boost to a load of laundry to help whiten fabrics
Our Top-Recommended Laundry Products
I’ve mentioned all of these above, but I thought I’d link our favorite products below so that everything is easy to find!
- Beyond Laundry Detergent Sheets – natural, mess-free & lightweight (code CASSIE20 gets you 20% off!
- Branch Basics Oxygen Boost – the BEST stain remover!
- Wool Dryer Balls – to reduce wrinkles and save drying time
- Laundry Stain Brush – this is gentler than using a toothbrush!
- Bamboo Sheets Set – the softest sheets!
- Beyond Natural Dryer Sheets – natural fabric softener
- Wooden Drying Rack – great for small spaces & folds up for easy storage
- Baking Soda – so many uses around the home!
- Distilled White Vinegar – a natural fabric softener
Shop our Laundry Favorites here:
I hope you enjoyed reading and learned some simple laundry hacks on how to wash white sheets to keep them looking white and bright. As always, if you have any questions, let me know!
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- Best Stain-Resistant Washable Rugs for Living Room
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- Affordable Large Wall Art for Your Home
This post shared how to wash white sheets to keep them white without bleach.
