in Home & Garden

It takes only a few tiny, old, and yellowed items to make them brilliantly white.

With the arrival of the winter season and the drop in temperatures, we take our duvets out of the cupboards or chests where we left them during the summer to warm ourselves under our blankets.

However, sometimes when we try to put them back on our beds, we notice annoying yellow stains on our comforters due to their long period of non-use.

DUVETS: HERE’S HOW TO ELIMINATE YELLOW STAINS

So, we try to remove them by washing them frequently, but they don’t seem to want to go away. We are then tempted to replace them with new duvets or resign ourselves to using them as is.

However, there is no need to despair, as there are several methods to remove these annoying stains from our duvets and make them as white and fragrant as new.

To do this, we can use ancient methods passed down from our grandmothers, which often prove more effective than detergents, which are sometimes very aggressive.

One of these methods is to use baking soda. This substance, once dissolved in half a cup of water to obtain a fairly thick paste, must be applied to the stain and left to sit for at least half an hour.

Be careful not to rub the paste vigorously, as the baking soda could damage the duvet and render it unusable by damaging the fabric.

Another method is to use not baking soda, but white vinegar, diluted with water. Spray this mixture on the stain, let it dry for about an hour, then rinse in the washing machine or by hand.

There is also an all-natural ingredient that has a whitening effect: lemon. With its juice you can not only remove stains from the duvet, but also give it a pleasant citrus scent.

In this case, after applying baking soda to the stain, spray lemon juice. After a few minutes of action, gently rub the stain before washing it for maximum effectiveness.

However, this method should only be used for white comforters, as the whitening effect of lemon could discolor patterned or colored comforters.

Other Methods for Removing Stains from Comforters

Another ally against these yellow stains is sodium percarbonate, similar to bicarbonate but more effective, considered a kind of natural bleach.

For it to be effective, dilute it in lukewarm water. Then apply a small amount of this mixture to the stain with a teaspoon of sodium percarbonate and a little warm water. Let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes before washing.

If all these methods fail and the stain seems to resist, you can opt for a last-ditch solution. This involves the use of hydrogen peroxide soaked in a little cotton.

After soaking the cotton, dab it on the stain without rubbing, then allow it to dry until the stain fades considerably.

In this case, it is advisable to use hydrogen peroxide at 10 volumes, equivalent to 3%, as higher volumes could cause serious problems for the skin and not to use it on colored duvets, as this could discolor them.

Regarding washing, the duvet should be washed as a delicate item at a temperature never exceeding 30°C. For an intoxicating scent, simply add a little vinegar and a few drops of essential oil to the detergent compartment.