Disgusting truth behind ‘the yellow pillow’ after man sparked debate showing it to girlfriend

Lads, it's time to have a chat about the 'yellow pillow'.

It may sound weird but what's weirder is that almost all of us have got one.

Somehow, someway, the pillow helps us get the best night's sleep despite being almost as flat as our bed with little to no support at all.

What is the yellow pillow?

The sacred pillow is where we all lay our heads at night and forget about all our problems but there's one rule - don't look too closely at the pillow when you're changing cases.

Nothing good can come of it, and more importantly, don't show your significant other.

You either get it or you don't, as one lad went viral for all the wrong reasons after showing his girlfriend his own yellow pillow, and it's fair to say that she wasn't best pleased after he asked others to explain the 'magic' of it all.

Yellow pillows reign supreme among the majority of men (Getty Stock Image)

Several other users soon followed suit by sharing some snaps online of their own yellow pillows, which don't exactly look clean.

A lot of people were then discovering what a yellow pillow was, and became bit grossed out by the prospect of sleeping on a pillow that looked like that, even if there was a layer between it and their face.

While it can give you the best night's sleep, the reality is that it doesn't really look clean.

Why does it go yellow?

You may continue to use their worn out pillows until the end of time, but here's how and why the pillow got so dirty in the first place.

Well firstly, that yellow colour is caused by sweat, which takes place overnight and soaks into your pillow, eventually changing its colour permanently.

If you drool in your sleep, I'm sorry to break it to you but saliva also alters the pillow's colour, though so does natural oils from your skin and hair.

And if you're thinking that a regimented night-time skin care routine will help, the opposite is true.

Mattress Clarity Writer Celeste Parker explained that the yellowness of the pillow actually doesn't make it less safe to sleep on.

“If your pillow has minimal yellow stains, keeps your head and neck aligned and feels comfortable, it is probably still fine to sleep on,” she revealed.

Should you throw your pillow out if it looks like this? (Getty Stock Image)

When should you ditch your yellow pillow?

It sounds like good news so far but here's the answer to the big question.

Parker added: “Over time, pillows flatten, collect bacteria and dust and become stained.

“When your pillow cannot fully support your head, smells like sweat or mildew after being cleaned or mostly loses its original colour, it’s time to replace your pillow.”

The expert said that as long as it's not 'gone overboard with the yellowing', it could actually be washed out via spot-treating or the washing machine.

There is a way around it all though, as she suggested: “Use a pillow protector, use a good pillowcase and wash your pillow regularly.”

Sounds easy enough. Long live the yellow pillow.