Have you tried a water and bleach solution to soak them in? I would start with 2/3 water to 1/3 bleach and soak in cold water.

Bleach would not work, the embroidery is colored.

Previously there was a post conserning using Auto dish detergent disolved in hot water to soak yellowed cotton items in. I've used an Oxy-clean soak that works well. I'm not sure about the color fastness of the embroidery though.

Hopefully someone else will chime in here and give you some more ideas.

We do white sheers twice a year soaking them first in cold water with Twenty Mule Team Borax overnight then washing them in warm water with woolite. They come out snow white and no shrinkage.

A little peroxide in the water may help, just do them by hand in the bathroom sink so you can prevent the water from touching the embroidery.

The Borax/woolite method has worked for me, too. I inherited linen sheets that had yellowed, and soaking in Borax and then a warm, gentle wash in Woolite followed by line drying on a sunny day made them white again.
Good luck with your precious pillowcases. How nice that you have such a tangible memory of your great-grandmother.

I had bedding, not embroidered, not vintage, that I just hung out in the sunlight for some period of time and it got remarkably whiter. (We rarely have clouds here and I forgot the experiment. The items may have been in full winter sun for a couple of weeks.)

This may sound like a silly question, but where can I find borax? I wouldn't even know what the container looked like.

Marlingardner: Yes it is nice that I have them to remember her by, I only met her once as a child, she lived in Texas and I lived in NY. But I was very close to my grandmother, and she did not have a lot of money, but I cherish those pillow cases and some other embroidered doilies that she gave me before she passed more than anything I could simply buy in a store.

Polly,
Borax should be available in the detergent/soap aisle of almost any grocery store.
Your vintage fabrics will last a long time with good care, which I am sure you will give them. Most people put these things away--use them and keep the memory of your grandmother and great-grandmother fresh and in front of you!

NO BLEACH! Not only will it remove the color....but seriously weaken the fabric and lessen it's life.
I would try soaking them in a very VERY strong solution of an enzyme laundry detergent...like Biz. Dilute some biz with 4 times the amount of water...like 1/2 cup biz to2 cups water and soak in that for 24 hours.....rinse and see what has happened....and you might try several days in oxyclean.
I suspect there is some residue of hair oil or something in them.
Linda C

I collect old linens, and I use a wonderful product called "Restoration" from Engleside Products (no, I have no affiliation with them). It is as close to a miracle product as I have ever found. I used to use an overnight soak of Snowy bleach in solution, which works pretty well on newer stains...things like red wine in the good damask napkins... but this is much better, and takes away years of yellowing without damaging fragile old things. With colors, it's a good idea to test a small area on the back for colorfastness, of course.
Here's a link.

Here is a link that might be useful: Restoration fabric wash

My Mother used to whiten old linens using two methods-she'd soak them in a solution of warm (not hot) water and lemon juice. I don't recall the proportions. She also hung them outside in the sun or laid them on the grass in the sun and left them for several hours. Good luck with yours-they sound like a real heirloom.

Thanks for all the tips! I think I will try the restoration fabric wash that brownysmom suggested. I'll let you all know how it works out.

If it doesn't work, soak your items in warmish water with a generous squirt of shampoo and a cup of lemon juice. Lay them outside on a shrub or hedge overnight and turn them over and let them remain in the sun the next day. Wash again in warmish water with any good laundry detergent.

I was once told by a local antique dealer to soak yellowed linens in denture cleaner. The effervescent kind. I've not tried it, but if an antique dealer recommended it, it might be worth a try. I have no idea how it would affect the colored embroidery, nor do I remember if she said how strong to mix it. Perhaps a Google search might help on this?
Rusty

Just because someone is "an antique dealer" meaning that they buy and sell old stuff, doesn't mean that they know how to care for old things.
I do know from experience that "Efferdent" is pretty good for cleaning old vases, but would hesitate to use it on old fabric.
I guess I am more tolerant of a little yellow stain than of something that falls apart after a few washings.
I have bought a few things from dealers that were pure and without stains, but which developed holes after a washing.
Linda C

I ordered both granular Borax and a box of 20 Mule Team Borax through www.soapgoods.com, and they are at 1824 Willow Trail Parkway, Set 200, Norcross, GA, 30093, email questions here: wecare@soapgoods.com….…good prices and the Borax comes in different sizes/amounts. I used it to soften the water when washing silk scarves by hand, And I shall try using it to soak vintage bedsheets and pillowcases into pristine whiteness. By the way, I learned that the best product to get mildew out of vintage embroidered linens was to use Tilex, yep that product for bathroom tiles to remove mildew. It worked almost immediately removing all black mildew and did not damage the fabric.

Be careful, as the main ingredient in Tylex is clorox. I used to use clorox a lot on hand-me-down, all cotton, baby clothes stains. I would dab it on with a cu-tip or even pour it on full strength, and leave it on for only a few seconds and rinse thoroughly. It was fun to watch it turn purple then white almost instantly. Never got a hole, and it saved many an outfit destined for the rag bag, but I wouldn't use it on precious things, it was more of a last resort for items that were hopeless.

No stain is hopeless, but many of them do weaken the fabric considerably, which is why I would NEVER use Clorox, Tilex, or any product made to clean anything other than delicate vintage linens. Here's a really good site with tons of information on caring for vintage fabrics: myplacetoyours.com