Perspiration stains and sweat, in general, can make you feel embarrassed, especially if you wear light coloured clothes. And the worst of all is that even if you use an effective antiperspirant, you will still have to deal with the challenge of removing the residual stains as well as the unpleasant odour that lingers even after you wash your clothes. The bad smell comes back as soon as you expose yourself to high temperatures again.
Even if you are among those people who cannot stand hot weather and they cannot help sweating, you should not give up on your battle to remove those unpleasant yellow underarm stains from both white and dark-coloured T-shirts. Here are a bundle of tricks you can try in order to keep your clothes fresh-smelling.
- Do you know what actually causes those armpit stains? The reaction between the salts the sweat contains and some of the ingredients the antiperspirant contains. As the time passes, the yellow stains become more saturated because of the aluminium, so don’t get surprised if you do not wash your white shirts properly and find yellow stains after some time.
- The removal of armpit stains and bad odours can sometimes be quite challenging. If the label of your shirt says that it can only be dry cleaned, you’d better do not toss it in the washing machine – there are some efficient dry compounds that will eliminate the smell and stains so don`t risk ruining your clothes because of negligence. However, you should know that the most powerful ones contain a lot of chemicals so you are recommended to hang them dry outside of your house in order not to spoil the air quality.
- In case you have to deal with yellow stains and bad odour on a white, washable piece of clothing, you can use a solution of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. If you have a pet, you must have heard about that solution. It is suitable for cleaning your sofa and neutralising pet odours. It`s not that it can fully replace the professional upholstery cleaning but this method does miracles when you should deal with pet odours. It works well on white cotton T-shirts, too. Make a mixture of equal parts baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and water. Apply the solution to the affected areas, scrub with an old, soft toothbrush and let it sit for half an hour or so.
- The mixture of ammonia and bleach also does a good job when it comes to the removal of yellow stains. However, it is important to use oxygen-based bleach only. Opting for the chlorine bleach will result in deadly fumes. Mix equal parts of the ingredients in a non-metal container and brush the area. Let it sit for a couple of minutes and proceed with the regular washing procedure.
- What should you do in order to deal with an underarm stain on a dark shirt and remove the bad smell? Have you already heard of the fantastic cleaning properties of the white vinegar? It has numerous applications in house cleaning, carpet cleaning, neutralising food smells and much more. As you have already presumed, it will help you prolong the lifespan of your favourite T-shirt. Pour cold water into a bucket and dissolve a cup of white vinegar. Soak the t-shirt for at least half an hour and rinse with cold water. If the stains are too persistent, repeat the procedure as many times as needed. You are also advised to keep a bottle of distilled white vinegar in your laundry room and treat stains before they get too stubborn. You just have to spray the vinegar onto the underarm areas 15 minutes before the start of the washing cycle.
- Although the high price does not necessarily mean top quality, using the least expensive laundry detergent is not recommended as it is not efficient enough when it comes to the elimination of bacteria that causes a bad smell. If you, for one reason or another stick to a less expensive laundry solution, it is recommended to add half a cup of baking soda to the laundry load with the aim of reducing bacteria.
- In order to remove the unpleasant sweat smell from the cloth, you can soak it in a solution of warm water and 1 cup of baking soda and let it sit for a few hours.
- So, how you can prevent armpit stains? First of all, you should pick an antiperspirant that has as low aluminium content as possible. Second, you should wait until your skin is completely dry before you put your t-shirt on. In case you have perspired a white t-shirt, apply distilled vinegar right away. Once the stain sets in, it will be more difficult to remove, not to mention the bad odour will seem impossible to remove.
- If you notice yellow stains or your t-shirt smells bad half an hour after you put it on, you are advised to start drying it manually instead of using a dryer as the heat sets the stains.
Follow these proven tricks the next time you have to remove a yellow stain from a shirt and you will see they actually work.
