If you've ever become engrossed in CleanTok, that TikTok community dedicated to strangely-satisfying cleaning videos, you've probably watched influencers dunk their old, yellowed pillows into a bathtub full of household items to make them sparkly clean.
So compelling are these videos that I sometimes forget that the people who confidently guide me through their hacks are not professional cleaners but simply TikTok account holders with a bathtub and some grubby pillows. In fact, many CleanTok videos go against expert-approved cleaning advice on how to wash a pillow.
"I would be cautious because these household products were not formulated or tested as complete fabric cleaners," says Shamsa Kanwal, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist and medical writer at MyPsoriasisTeam. "Standard laundering methods are more reliable because they are designed to lift sweat, skin oil, saliva, cosmetics, and other residue from fabric and rinse them away."
That's why I took bunch of old, grubby pillows with deep set stains to test five CleanTok hacks and to see how they compare against three gold-standard pillow cleaning techniques used by specialists and in hotels. Here's how it all went...
Key takeaways: At a glance
- Viral TikTok pillow cleaning trends (like shaving foam and vodka) are mostly visually-pleasing, clout-chasing quick-fixes that fail to completely remove deep-set, stubborn stains.
- Spritzing a 3% hydrogen peroxide and water mixture, scrubbing it in, and running the pillow through a standard wash cycle outperformed all other methods, lifting tough stains and restoring brightness.
- While soaking pillows in a bath of soda crystals yielded weak results, adding them directly to the washing machine drum proved far more effective for fading severe discoloration.
- However, the safest expert-recommended approach is to follow the pillow's care label and make sure its dried completely before using.
The pillow stains I needed to remove
To begin my experiment, co-workers (not going to name and shame!) kindly sent me their old, grubby yellow-stained pillows.
These yellow stains (usually caused by a build-up of sweat, body oils, and drool) are the most common type of pillow stain.
However, I know that plenty of people eat and drink in bed, so I decided to kick it up a notch by staining each pillow further with tea, coffee, and smoothies.
I then allowed each stain to set, making them mega-tough to remove so I could see how effective each pillow-cleaning method really is.
Putting each viral hack to the test — see my results and how I scored them
Hack 1: Shaving foam | Test score: 0 out of 5
We all love a medicine cabinet staple that can double as a multipurpose cleaner, which is why CleanTok is full of shaving foam cleaning hacks. It seems simple, right? Just apply a dollop of foam to a stain, leave for 15 minutes up to 1-2 hours, and wipe away with a damp microfibre cloth.
However, when I gave this hack a go on a prominent yellow pillow stain, it did nothing but make the pillow smell nice. I had an inkling that this quick fix seemed a little too good to be true, plus health experts advise against it.
"Shaving foam may leave fragrance and surfactant residue, which can cause irritation," warns Dr Kanwal.
If you do want to give this no-harm, no-foul hack a try, make sure to use a white shaving foam (the kind that's already foamed up as soon as it's squeezed out of the can) rather than a shaving gel with added dyes.
Hack 2: Vodka | Test score: 1 out of 5
Next up is vodka, which seems a little counter-intuitive as a drink is usually what causes stains. However, plenty of CleanTok videos herald vodka as a stain remover for grubbiness. So, I chose a feather pillow (the yellowest of the pack) to see if a vodka spritz could remove the build-up of body oils and grease.
I spritzed the pillow with a cheap bottle of vodka poured into a spray bottle, and then I rubbed the pillow with a cloth dunked soaked with hot water. Did it remove any stains? No. Did it de-odorize the pillow and give it a little refresh? Yes. As Dr Kanwal puts it: "Vodka does not replace the oil and dirt removing action of laundry detergent".
Hack 3. Soda crystals | Test score: 2 out of 5
Now, this is the hack I had high hopes for, as soda crystals seemed the most legitimate of cleaning tips. These magic crystals are not only used to remove detergent build-up in washing machines but they also help remove stains and soften water.
So, I added 1 cup of soda crystals to a half-filled bathtub of warm water, swished the crystals around, and left them to soak for 1 hour. When I returned, I found that the stains were removed slightly, but I feel that the soda crystals didn't live up to their stain-removing hype. However, I wouldn't skip the soda crystal treatment altogether (as you'll find out later).
Hack 4: Baking soda and vinegar | Test score: 3.5 out of 5
Ah, the baking soda volcano. I don't think any other kitchen ingredients have been used in DIY cleaners more frequently than baking soda and white vinegar. However, I was a little sceptical.
I've been told by cleaning experts to avoid using baking soda on certain mattresses due to its fine particle. "Baking soda may help with odour, but using too much can leave residue that may irritate sensitive, acne prone, or eczema prone skin when the face rests against the pillow for several hours," Dr Kanwal tells me.
However, a vinegar and baking soda mixture can be a cleaning wonder when baking soda is used properly. So, here's how I preceded: I put a stained pillow in the bathtub and sprinkled a generous amount of baking soda on the stains and rubbed it into the fabric. Next I filled the bathtub with warm water and added 2 cups of white vinegar. I then left the pillow to soak for a couple of hours.
Unsurprisingly, the mixture did fade the stains significantly, but definitely not completely or quickly. While a couple of hours is a slog, I will admit that these are stubborn, deep-set stains that faded with low effort and minimal scrubbing. My verdict? Worth a shot.
Hack 5: Lemon slice soak | Test score: 4 out of 5
Out of all the pillow hacks I've seen grace CleanTok, this one is probably the most talked about. Lemons are kind of seen as nature's cleansers, so soaking your pillow in a bath filled with citrusy goodness seems like a good idea.
However, this hack has become controversial because research shows that citrus acid degrades fabric. That doesn't stop it from remaining one of the most popular TikTok cleaning hacks out there, so I figured it would be pretty remiss of me not to give it a try.
In the video above, the TikToker soaks a child's pillow in a bathtub full of piping hot water, baking soda, detergent, and sliced lemons. Naturally I did the same.
As I scraped the last of the lemon slices from a chopping board and into the bath, I noticed the bathwater had already begun to discolor. Surely just the lemon juice?
Then, I started to squeeze and press the pillow, and as I was doing so, I began to see the tea and coffee stains spurt out of the fabric. With my hands massaging the fabric and the lemons floating on the surface, I felt like I was giving the pillow a luxury spa treatment rather than a good clean.
Out of all the cleaning hacks I tried, this was honestly the most fun to do and the most TikTok-worthy to look at. Watching the bath water fill with lemon zest and filth was oddly satisfying and made me realize why the original video was such as hit.
So, it was fun and hypnotizingly gross, but does this method help remove stains? I hate to admit it, but...yes. It didn't remove stains completely, but it did noticeably lighten them.
Overall, a fun cleaning hack to try, even if the addition of lemons is a little dubious.
Bottom line
All the CleanTok pillow cleaning hacks I tried above may seem like miracle solutions, but trying them for myself reminded me that most of these "hacks" are made for visually-pleasing quick-fix social media content and won’t actually remove deep-set pillow stains. Most will leave you either disappointed...or low on shaving foam.
If you want to know more about how to clean pillows from experts rather than cleanfluencers, then visit our guide on how to wash a pillow, how to wash a memory foam pillow, or read on to see how I got on using the specialist pillow cleaning techniques used by experts and luxury hotels.
3 gold standard pillow cleaning methods that actually work
According to Dr Kanwal, the best way to clean a pillow is to follow what its care label permits.
"The safest approach is the warmest suitable water setting, an appropriate laundry detergent, a complete rinse, and thorough drying so the pillow is not left damp," she advises.
However, some pillow stains need extra help to budge, so I've tried the ultra stain-removing methods that health experts, cleaning specialists, and luxury five-star hotels approve of. Here's what happened and why they actually work...
Method 1: Hotel hot wash | Test score: 3.5 out of 5
Hotels get their bedding crip and white by using a hot wash of 140 °F for a minimum of 90 minutes, to remove germs and stains. I was a bit apprehensive at first as none of the pillows' cleaning labels advise a hot cycle, plus it's not very environmentally friendly.
"A hot water cycle can improve cleaning and reduce some allergens or microorganisms, but only when the pillow’s care label permits it," says Dr Kanwal.
After putting a stained pillow in the machine for two hours, I wasn't at all surprised to see that the high temperature faded most of the tea and coffee stains.
It definitely didn't get the pillow clean enough for a five-star hotel bed, but most five-star hotels don't have pillows this stained.
Method 2: Soda crystal + washing machine | Test score: 4.5 out of 5
Now we're back to the soda crystals. While this versatile powder didn't impress me during the TikTok method, I thought maybe the power of the washing machine would bring out the soda crystal magic.
"Soda crystals can support detergent by helping loosen greasy buildup, but it should be rinsed thoroughly because it can irritate skin or damage certain fabrics if misused," says Dr Kanwal.
Turns out, the detergent really did bring out the soda crystal magic. After applying half a cup of soda crystals to the drum of my washing machine and following the laundry instructions on the pillow label.
I was pleased to see that the pillow stains had faded almost to nothing (though a few stubborn stains did linger).
Method 3: Hydrogen peroxide | Test score: 5 out of 5
I've written quite a few cleaning articles in my time, and every time I interview a cleaning specialist about the best ways to remove stubborn stains, they always bring up hydrogen peroxide. "Three percent hydrogen peroxide can help break down some organic stains, but rinse thoroughly to avoid skin irritation," says Dr Kanwal.
So, I followed this guide on how to hydrogen peroxide as a safe cleaner, and then grabbed some gloves, a spray bottle and 3% concentration of hydrogen peroxide.
I spritzed a mixture of equal parts hydrogen peroxide and water all over the stained pillow and let it sit. After 30 minutes, I worked the solution into the pillow with an electric toothbrush.
As I scrubbed, I was surprised to see the stains start rub and flake off. I then popped the pillow into the washing machine (following the label's cleaning instructions) for an hour.
When I took the pillow out of the drum, I was shocked. Not only had it removed even the toughest of stains, it had also made the pillow whiter and brighter — something that the other methods failed to do.
So, the best pillow cleaning method in my opinion? Hydrogen peroxide all the way.
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