How to remove sweat stains and deodorant marks from clothes

Step by step: how to remove sweat stains and deodorant marks from clothes

Safety first. Never mix chlorine bleach with vinegar, ammonia or hydrogen peroxide; rinse the fabric well between products. Wear gloves for long oxygen bleach soaks, and do not use oxygen bleach on silk, wool or leather.

1. 1

   Read the care label and sort by fiber

   Check the label before you treat anything. White and colored cotton, polyester and blends can take detergent, oxygen bleach and warm water. Silk, wool and anything marked dry clean only should go to a dry cleaner, and spandex blends should never see chlorine bleach.

2. 2

   Brush off fresh deodorant residue

   If you see white chalky streaks, rub them off while dry with a soft brush or by rubbing the fabric against itself. Then run cold water through the back of the fabric. Removing the solid residue first keeps it from smearing into a bigger stain when wet.

3. 3

   Work in undiluted detergent or dish soap

   Pour liquid laundry detergent or hand dishwashing liquid straight onto both underarms, inside and out. Work it in with a soft toothbrush for about 30 seconds per side, then leave it for 5 to 10 minutes. The surfactant loosens the waxy, oily layer that holds the yellow in place.

4. 4

   Soak in oxygen bleach

   Dissolve oxygen bleach powder in a gallon of the warmest water the label allows, using the dose on the tub for tough stains. Submerge the shirt and leave it for 1 to 6 hours, checking the underarms and collar every hour or so. You should see the yellow fade and the stiff patches soften.

5. 5

   Spot-treat stubborn yellow on white cotton

   If a faint yellow ring remains on white cotton, dab on 3% hydrogen peroxide after testing a seam, and leave it 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse well before washing. Skip this step on colors, which peroxide can lighten.

6. 6

   Wash in the warmest water the label allows

   Wash the shirt without rinsing out the pretreatment, using your usual detergent and a scoop of oxygen bleach in the drum. Warm or hot water helps dissolve body oils and the deodorant waxes that trap the stain.

7. 7

   Air dry and inspect

   Hang the shirt to dry and look at the underarms in daylight. Do not put it in the dryer or iron it until the stain is gone; heat on deodorant residue can fix the yellow and stiffen the fabric for good.

8. 8

   Repeat for old buildup

   Shirts that yellowed over months often need two or three rounds of detergent, soak and wash. If the color is still off after three rounds, the dye or fiber itself has changed and more scrubbing will only wear the fabric thin.

Why do sweat stains turn yellow and stiff?

Sweat stains turn yellow when sweat, body oils and the aluminum compounds in antiperspirant build up together in the fabric, wash after wash. Sweat on its own is mostly water and salt with a little protein and oil, so it usually washes out. The trouble starts when antiperspirant salts bind with those residues and get set by dryer heat.

The University of Georgia Extension notes that antiperspirants containing aluminum chloride are acidic and can change the color of some dyes, and warns never to iron or apply heat to a deodorant stain. The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension stain guide adds that residues of aluminum or zinc salts can be impossible to remove, which is why acting early and avoiding the dryer matter so much.

Deodorant and antiperspirant are not the same thing. Deodorant targets odor; antiperspirant contains aluminum compounds that reduce sweating. If yellow pits keep coming back, the antiperspirant is usually the cause, not your sweat.

How to treat sweat stains by fabric

Match the treatment to the fiber: cotton and polyester tolerate soaking and warm water, while silk, wool and spandex need gentler handling or a professional.

OxiClean’s directions for sweat stains call for a soak of 1 to 6 hours and say not to use its powders on silk, wool, leather or dry clean only items.

How to get white deodorant marks off dark clothes

White deodorant streaks on black shirts and other dark clothes are residue sitting on the surface, so they usually brush off dry. Rub the mark with a clean, dry sock or a soft brush, then dab with a damp cloth.

If a chalky haze stays in the weave after washing, Tide suggests mixing a quarter scoop of oxygen powder detergent with three quarters of a scoop of warm water, working the paste in with a soft toothbrush, leaving it 5 minutes, then washing as usual. Turn dark clothes inside out for the wash to protect the color.

• Let antiperspirant dry fully before you get dressed.
• Use a thin layer; more product does not mean more protection, just more residue.
• Clear gels and sprays leave fewer white marks than solid white sticks.

How to stop sweat stains from coming back

Wash shirts after every wear and pretreat the underarms each time; yellowing is a buildup problem, so small habits prevent it.

• Do not let sweaty shirts sit in a hamper for days. Rinse the underarms in cold water if you cannot wash them right away.
• Add oxygen bleach to every load of white shirts and undershirts.
• For lingering odor, the UGA Extension suggests an overnight soak in warm water with 3 to 4 tablespoons of salt per quart, then a rinse and a normal wash.
• Hats collect sweat too; see our guide on how to clean a hat for the band and brim.

Mistakes to avoid

• Putting a shirt in the dryer or ironing it while the yellow is still there, which bakes the residue in.
• Pouring chlorine bleach on spandex blends or colored shirts, which ruins the fiber or the dye.
• Mixing vinegar or peroxide with chlorine bleach in the same soak.
• Scrubbing knit underarms with a stiff brush, which pills and thins the fabric before the stain lifts.
• Treating only the outside of the shirt; the residue builds up on the inside, against your skin.