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Housekeeping

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Original poster

Pillows...DH...stains...blee

38 replies

GretaGroovy · 04/10/2013 15:30

DH stains pillows. As far as I can see, he washes his hair daily, he's clean enough, he goes to sleep like normal people, doesn't seem to dribble, and yet his pillows end up with this browny, vile set of stains that really defy categorisation.

Pillow protectors go a little way towards keeping them cleaner but his foul ichor will soak through eventually.

My question is: how the offing jeff do I get my nice white pillowcases clean again? I have tried whiteners and 90 deg washes. Are they just...done?

OP posts:
YDdraigGoch · 04/10/2013 15:34

Have you tried bleach?

Could it be something he's using on his skin or hair - moisturiser/fake tan/something else which turns brown over time?

Original poster
GretaGroovy · 04/10/2013 15:36

Fake tan?
No he's refreshingly free of all that. Manwash and a daily shower, that is it.

I haven't actually tried bleach Confused How do you do that in a washing machine, or do you soak in a bucket?

OP posts:
SnakeyMcBadass · 04/10/2013 15:39

My DH is the same. He drools in his sleep (sexy) and sweats copiously. There is a yellow outline on his side of the bed on the mattress. I wash pillows regularly and just make sure I never get the pissy yellow ones

Original poster
GretaGroovy · 04/10/2013 15:49

It's so utterly gross, isn't it?
If it were me, I would be falling over myself to change the sheets twice a week and simply not let it affect my partner's life.

DH just goes 'oh...' and moves his brain elsewhere. He appears to think it's beyond his control therefore of no relevance to him.

OP posts:
Matildathecat · 04/10/2013 15:58

Don't let him sleep on the nice ones, put it on for display when you make the bed but make him actually use the underneath pillow. Suppose this only works if you have two pillows each in the first place! Anyway, works for me. Men are just a bit gross really...

PottyLotty · 04/10/2013 22:35

My DH does the same. Its very much a 'man thing'. My pillows dont get in such a state. Grin

To bleach them place a capfull of bleach into your washing drawer in the machine instead of liquid/powder and do a normal wash then put them through a 2nd wash with your normal powder/liquid. You shouldnt need to rinse them as the 2nd wash should remove any bleach. If you find they still smell of bleach after the 2nd wash then rinse them again.

Selks · 04/10/2013 22:40

It's not just a man thing Blush

But I do wash my pillows and buy new ones frequently...

GemmaTeller · 04/10/2013 22:48

We have three pillows each and I rotate them when I change the bedding every week (so the same one isn't always the top one).

I boil wash the pillows once or twice a year with a dollop of beach and they come out a lovely fresh white colour.

Original poster
GretaGroovy · 04/10/2013 22:51

Thank you so much for the bleach related advice Grin
I can't ask this stuff in real life, my freinds would nut me

OP posts:
RibenaFiend · 04/10/2013 22:52

SNAP!!!

DP is just a hot bod. Wink God love him, he's clean, deodorised, antiperspirised, baby powdered and sleeps near an open window but STILL manages to create these divine stains on the pillows THROUGH the protectors Shock

We sleep on dark pillows. (His sweat and my hair dye!) if a bed set has light pillows then they're displayed when the bed is made and I always ensure I have a contrasting darker coloured bottom sheet and second pillow.

Wash in hot. Regularly. I SWEAR by vanish oxy but I'm tempted and terrified by bleach! Smile

treaclesoda · 04/10/2013 23:06

oh, I'm so glad to read this. My DH is like this too, despite being clean. Will try the bleach.

Onesleeptillwembley · 04/10/2013 23:10

Is he a filthy smoker? If so it could be some of the shit he's breathing in coming out. Urgh.

Madratlady · 04/10/2013 23:13

I was about to ask if he smoked as well, smokers turn pillows yucky looking.

CheapBread · 04/10/2013 23:15

I think it's sweat, we've got it too. Thanks for the bleach tip and making me look up the word ichor. How do you pronounce it? I want to use it Grin

Original poster
GretaGroovy · 05/10/2013 07:36

EYE-caw? I think!

Not a smoker, thank goodness, so it must just be head sweat. [blee]

I didn't realise there was a pillow thread as well, seems lots of head sweat problems around Grin

OP posts:
schnockles · 05/10/2013 07:48

Omg I feel a bit sick. My DH is a smoker (urgh) and his pillows are always more manky than mine. I always thought it was more sweat and drool but stuff he breathes out?!?!
shudders
checks bleach stocks and plans a pillow wash

Fluffycloudland77 · 05/10/2013 09:04

You need a hot bio wash, 50 is ideal, and don't press the rapid wash button.

Use a third more powder than usual, if you don't use enough the dirt isn't lifted.

bigwellylittlewelly · 05/10/2013 12:50

Now this is interesting, DH and I are currently sleeping separately because I'm in the nursery with baby every night. Granted it doesn't work for everyone but works for us - precious little sleep around here as it is.

Anyway YY to the pillows but also our bedroom has a 'man' smell to it since he has started sleeping alone. He is washed and not smelly at all, and the window is always open but by heck the pheromones are a bit strong.

Never noticed it before.

misscph1973 · 05/10/2013 17:26

My DH is bald (shaved), and his pillow cases and protectors get a little oily, probably becaue he has no hair to collect the natural skin oil. Could it be because I don't want to give him the nice Egyption cotton pillow covers? He's got horrible polycotton ones, but he doesn't mind.

And the bedroom smellls of "people"! He used to say it wasn't that made it smell, but that it was me farting ;) But I was away over the summer with the kids for 5 weeks,and when I came home, the bedroom still smelled, so I was quite relieved personally that it wasn't me making the bedroom smell ;) The odd thing is, he never has any BO, even if he skips a bath, he just smells clean, so I was quite convinced that it was me farting at night, but no! Any tips on the bedroom smell? Just a kind of people smell, not horrible, but certainly not that nice either. I am not a fan of "house perfumes" and I use vinegar instead of fabric softener.

gobbin · 05/10/2013 17:59

My husband has a bald sweaty head. I make sure he always has the same pillowcase (turn mine inside out in the wash so I know) and chuck them away and buy new ones about three times a year. His pillow gets binned about twice a year. Glad it's not just mine!

BigBrassBand · 05/10/2013 18:05

No advice I'm afraid but brown or yellow sweat stains might be caused by en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromhidrosis.

Original poster
GretaGroovy · 05/10/2013 20:12

No idea about man smell, but just to report that the bleaching then normal wash worked a treat and my pillowcases are now white again.
(And I gave dh another lecture about wifework. But that's another thread.)

OP posts:
PottyLotty · 05/10/2013 21:47

Glad the bleaching worked GretaGroovy.

As for the 'people/man smell' the best I can come up with it to fold back your bedding every day and open the window to let the air get to the bed.
It wont get rid of the smell completely but it should help reduce it.
Also dont forget to vacuum your mattress and if its really bad maybe try febreeze or bicarbonate of soda sprinkled on the bed, leave it for an hour then vacuum it up.

Its probably a bit much to vacuum your bed every day though so maybe make a bed up in the garden shed for your man if its really bad ? Wink

MotherOfSoupDragon · 05/10/2013 22:43

Watching with interest. Dh is the same, sweats a lot and his pillows, pillowcases and mattress protector on his side are horrid, stained and look dirty.

We have white pillowcases and I regularly have to replace them, because bleach, sun etc doesn't seem to remove the stains.

ThePearShapedToad · 06/10/2013 00:10

I add a scoop of ecover laundry bleach to every white wash I do, and it makes every sparkling pristine white. May possibly work on removing the stains too?