White sheets can look amazing and really brighten up your bedroom, but as anyone who has them will know, they are a nightmare to keep clean.
We should be spending around eight hours sleeping in them every night, so over time they can start to look quite discoloured and yellow from the body's natural oils and sweat. As much as we try to keep on top of cleaning them, it will inevitably stain.
The off-putting discolouration can be difficult to get rid of with normal washing, but luckily a cleaning expert has shared a nifty trick that can whiten bedsheets. What's more, it's more effective than bleach and will only cost you 98p in total.
According to laundry experts at Sleep Foundation, chlorine bleach is an inexpensive way of whitening your sheets, but "not particularly effective".
The bedding experts said: "If the bedding items have traces of body oil on them, the chlorine may react with these substances and cause yellow stains to appear."
Instead, for "best results", they recommend first washing them normally to clean away any oil, sweat and other debris – then you can go in for a second wash to brighten the bedding.
A cheap alternative is using baking soda, which can be picked up in Tesco for 69p, and white vinegar, which can be picked up in the same supermarket for 29p.
The cleaning gurus explained: "Many rely on chlorine bleach to brighten their sheets, but there are actually more effective ways than bleach to keep your sheets looking white and fresh."
Baking soda will help lift the dirt from the sheets and also help eliminate any odours, while the white vinegar also has "natural whitening capabilities" as well as working as an "effective fabric softener".
The cleaning experts recommend adding half a cup of baking soda to your laundry detergent before each load, as well as half a cup of white vinegar.
An alternative method is soaking the sheets and pillowcases in a mixture of vinegar and warm water before they go in for a normal washing cycle.
The experts added: "Use baking soda and white vinegar together for maximum whitening."
Those worried that their bedding will smell like vinegar needn't be concerned, as it will completely wash out, leaving the fresh scent of your detergent.
Elsewhere, fans of the Instagram cleaning sensation Mrs Hinch have shared their own tip for brightening sheets in only one wash.
Taking to the Mrs Hinch Cleaning Tips Facebook page, they recommended either soaking the bedding in Vanish powder before going into the washer, or adding a scoop in with your normal detergent.
Have you got any tips to whiten your bedding? Let us know in the comment section below.
