Does Coconut Oil Stain Sheets?

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Coconut oil is amazing stuff. You can cook with it, it is a fantastic natural leave in hair conditioner, and it is hard to beat as a moisturizer for dry skin. Coconut oil can also be used effectively for eczema relief, to help keep dandruff at bay and even as a wound salve. But if you make use of it on your hair and body and head to bed, does coconut oil stain sheets?

Does Coconut Oil Stain Fabric?

The simple answer is in the name, coconut oil. Any oil will stain sheets, including your own natural body oils. Or at least will appear to stain your sheets – and pillowcases if you make use of it on your face and hair.

The good news is that these do not have to be permanent stains. With the right products and techniques – along with a little patience and, in some cases elbow grease, you can keep on taking advantage of all that coconut oil has to offer as a health and beauty treatments and keep your sheets in great shape at the same time.

Here we are going to take a closer look at just how to remove coconut oil from your sheets and cover some ways you can prevent the problem in the first place.

Does Coconut Oil Stain Fabric

How to Remove Coconut Oil Stains from Bed Sheets

Here are several ways you can remove coconut oil from sheets and most of them are quite simple. We should note that the fabric your sheets are made from does make a difference. Oil, of any kind, is easiest to remove from cotton, microfiber, and bamboo, while nylon, silk and stain pose more of a challenge.

Let’s take a look at some of the tried and tested ways you can make use of to remove coconut oil stains from your sheets.

Dishwashing Liquid Spot Clean

Just noticed a coconut oil stain on your sheets after the alarm went off? A little dish soap can help solve the problem fast.

What You’ll Need

  • Gentle dish soap, like Better Life
  • A gentle cold-water laundry detergent
  • Washing machine
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How It’s Done

  1. Rub a small amount of gentle, coloring free dish soap directly on the oil stain and allow to sit for 30 minutes
  2. Remove the sheet from the bed
  3. Toss the sheet in the washer on a cool, or even cold cycle making use of a cold-water detergent. Why a cool wash? Shrunken sheets are no fun, and while you may be tempted to use hot water to remove stains hot washes will damage the fabric’s fibers and shorten their useful life.
  4. If possible, air dry your sheets. Doing so stresses them less and will help them last longer. If that is not possible, tumble dry on the lowest heat setting possible.

Try a Bleach Free Stain Remover

If the dish soap spot clean does not remove all the oil, you can try spot stain removal with a bleach free stain removal stick.

What You’ll Need

  • Bleach free stain removal stick
  • A gentle cold-water laundry detergent
  • Washing machine

How It’s Done

  1. Apply the bleach free stain remover evenly across the entire stain.
  2. Remove from your bed and start a cool or cold cycle on your washing machine.
  3. Add the stained sheet and the cold-water washing detergent
  4. Air dry sheets or tumble dry on very low heat.
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Baking Soda Overnight Soak

Old, large, or very stubborn coconut oil stains on your sheets may need the baking soda treatment. If the previous methods are not working, try making use of one of the most versatile household products ever created good old-fashioned baking soda.

What You’ll Need

  • Baking soda
  • Lukewarm water
  • Cold water laundry detergent
  • Washing machine

How It’s Done

  1. Remove you sheet from the bed, toss it in the washer but do not start a washing cycle.
  2. Mix 1/2 cup of baking soda with two gallons of clean, lukewarm water
  3. Add mixture to sheets in washing machine. Agitate the sheet by hand to ensure it is all soaked in the liquid.
  4. Leave to soak overnight.
  5. In the morning drain dirty water from the machine and then wash the sheet on a cool/cold cycle using a cold-water detergent.
  6. Air dry the sheets or tumble dry on low.

For a very stubborn stain on a delicate material like silk, you can go one step further and add a thicker baking soda paste directly to the stain at the beginning of the process.

How to remove coconut oil from bed sheets using baking soda

Preventing Coconut Oil Bedsheet Stains

The obvious way to prevent coconut oil stains on your sheets is to not make use of it at all in the evening. But as some of its best uses call for an overnight treatment, that is not always possible. There are, however, some things you can do to minimize the chances that coconut oil will stain your sheets without giving up your favorite health and beauty routines that make use of this versatile oil!

Moisturize Earlier

If you use coconut oil to monetize your skin overnight, try to apply it at least 30 minutes before bed. This allows your skin to soak in much of the surface oil and limit the chance that it will stain your sheets and pillowcases.

Try a Silk Sleep Cap

If you rely on an overnight coconut oil deep conditioning treatment to keep your hair in excellent condition, then wear a head covering once you have applied it. Plastic caps are a little too hot, but a soft, silk sleep cap will keep your head cool and even help tame the frizzies and bed head that plague many of us too!

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Wash your sheets at least once a week. Some experts say two, but even if you cannot see visible oil stains – both from coconut oil and other moisturizers you might use and your own body – it is there, and a more regular laundering will help prevent a nasty buildup that can cause odors and even skin breakouts.

Mix the Fabric Softener

Fabric softener can make old, fading stains worse. Try adding a few teaspoons of white vinegar to your laundry in its place. White vinegar softens fabrics nicely and will not cause an allergic reaction, the way some fabric softeners may.

To use the white vinegar simply add it to your washing machine in the same way as you would your regular fabric softener. There is an added bonus to this trick too, as white vinegar will help keep your washing machine cleaner too.

Use a Fabric Brightener

One way you can prevent oil stains from appearing over time is to make use of a fabric brightener. Fabric brighteners lift oil and grime from sheets and other fabrics even before you can see them. There are a growing number of good ones available, but we particularly like Molly’s Suds Natural Oxygen Whitener, as it is bleach free, hypoallergenic, eco-friendly and leaves behind a wonderful crisp lemon scent.

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Implement a Sheet Rotation

To help your sheets stay as clean and comfortable – not to mention stain free – as possible – set up a sheet rotation between two or three sets of superior quality sheet sets. While the initial expenditure may be a little higher, you will save money in the long run, as when you rotate sheet sets, you will wash them less often, they will last longer, and you will save on replacements.

How to get rid of coconut oil stains from bed sheets

Know When It’s Time to Say Goodbye

Even the best bedsheets don’t last forever. And the older sheets are the more prone they are to staining, both from coconut oil and anything else they might come into contact with.

While there is no set lifespan for bedsheets, when they are no longer coming out of the washer looking crisp and clean, or when they start to thin and feel nubby, it is probably time to replace them.

Some fabrics last longer than others of course. A good set of high thread count cotton sheets – especially Egyptian cotton – or, if you want to try something new bamboo sheets, will, if taken care of properly, last for a decade or more. Microfiber is easy to care for but will not last as long, around five years if taken care of well, which is something else to keep in mind the next time you shop for bedsheets.

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