Whiten stained bed sheets with baking soda and one other item that's not bleach or vinegar

After a while white bedding can start to look grey and dingy and can even gather a few stains. To restore them for a "crisp hotel" feel, experts have suggested pairing baking soda with another non-toxic product.

By Angela Patrone, Lifestyle Reporter

Woman unloading bed sheet from the washing machine

Whiten bed sheets with baking soda and one other natural item that not vinegar or lemons (Image: Getty)

Bedding can be a pain to wash and dry - especially when it comes to white bed sheets.

It's normal for bedding to become slightly dingy as sweat and body oils accumulate over time. Unfortunately, white fabrics tend to discolour quicker than others.

Beyond affecting the aesthetic of your perfectly layered bed, this can be an issue when you don't have any clean-looking bed linens for overnight guests.

Sharing their secrets to creating the perfect “hotel feel” at home, the bedding pros at Village Hotels have given an insight into mastering the laundry process.

To get those “crisp hotel sheets”, using sheets with a high thread count and long staple cotton is key – this will mean they’ll pile and pull less. 

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Closeup of brown stains on white bed sheet

White bedding stains the quickest (Image: Getty)

After that, it all comes down to how you wash the sheets and make up your bed. 

Hotels use precise industrial methods, but “you can get a similar effect” by using hydrogen peroxide and treating any stains beforehand with baking soda to maintain whiteness, according to the experts.

Hydrogen peroxide is best used in conjunction with another cleaning agent like baking soda.

Hydrogen peroxide is a multi-use product that works surprisingly well at whitening sheets.

How to use baking soda for cleaning

How to use baking soda for cleaning (Image: EXPRESS)

Baking soda can help to whiten laundry too and also helps control and eliminate odour.

Pour about a cup of hydrogen peroxide into your washing machine, along with half a cup of baking soda.

Place your sheets in the drum, select a normal cycle with warm water and wash as usual.

Though hydrogen peroxide is considered a bleaching agent, you can even use it in small amounts to brighten coloured fabrics.

Hydrogen peroxide is gentler and less dangerous than chlorine bleach and doesn’t leave behind yellow stains like regular bleach can.

Maintaining pristine white sheets is a balancing act. You want to clean these items regularly to keep them fresh, but washing them too frequently will lead to increased wear and tear as the materials break down.

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