Our laundry tips get out embarrassing sweat stains and BO – a 3-ingredient paste will zap the yellow
LAUNDRY pros have shared tips to get embarrassing sweat stains and BO out of clothes.
Mix up their three-ingredient paste and it will zap the awkward yellow hallmarks of excessive sweat.
Sweat is one of those unmentionables like cut toenails, and excess body hair trapped in the plughole.
It invokes a particular response – but someone’s got to deal with it.
And our cleaning kings and queens from The Laundry Cafe are the people for this job.
These guys really do sweat the small stuff.
Everyone sweats, it’s a natural function. But sometimes it can make our clothes smell too.
This is where it can get embarrassing resulting in unsightly stains and smells that are not fragrant.
“So, how do you get rid of them?” they said in their blog.
But putting your smelly clothes in a hot wash will not be as simple.
This will require a bit more work and you might sweat. At least you will know what to do next time.
REMOVE SWEAT STAINS FROM ARMPITS
We’ve all experienced it, armpit stains on our clothes.
“These happen when proteins in sweat react with the aluminum and other chemicals in antiperspirant,” said the expert.
“Many antiperspirants contain aluminum compounds to reduce wetness, and it’s the aluminum that causes the yellowing on your white shirts.”
Fear not, there is a remedy for this. You will need: baking soda, oxygen bleach, and stain remover or detergent.
Tip to remove unsightly yellow stains
Yellow armpit stains affects everyone, whether people care to admit to it or not. But there is help at hand. To remove yellow stains from your clothing, experts recommend the following methods:
- Baking soda paste – one tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide with one tablespoon of salt, and ½ cup of baking soda. Apply directly to the stain with a toothbrush, rub, and let the mixture sit for at least an hour, then wash as normal
- Oxygen bleach – this method is just as useful for removing yellow stains. Mix one part of oxygen-based bleach with one part of ammonia in a non-metal bowl. Wear gloves during this application. Rub into the fabric with a toothbrush and allow the solution to sit for at least ten minutes before laundering as normal
- Stain remover or detergent – Stains on collars can be stubborn to remove as armpit stains. So pretreat the area using a solvent-based stain-removing agent or detergent. Work the product into the collar with a toothbrush and allow it to sit for at least ten minutes before washing
MORE TIPS TO TREAT & PREVENT ARMPIT STAINS
Stay ahead of the armpit stain curve and treat your clothing before it’s washed.
- Make life easier and keep a stain remover or laundry soap bar near your laundry for the stain removal process
- Pretreat underarm stains with undiluted white vinegar. Keep a spray bottle handy and spray the underarms of your shirts before washing
- Let it soak for ten to fifteen minutes before washing
Consider switching to alumininum-free deodorant to prevent yellowing on favorite light-colored shirts.
The Laundry Cafe
You can add even more to your armory against yellow staining.
- Switch to an aluminum-free deodorant to avoid the reaction with your sweat
- Allow your deodorant to dry before dressing to avoid any product rubbing off on the fabric
HOW TO BANISH SWEAT SMELL FROM CLOTHES
Sometimes, even after washing, bad sweat odors can still linger, said our experts.
All you have to do is give the old detergent a power boost.
- Pre-soaking your whites in a baking soda mixture
- Dissolve one cup of baking soda in warm water
- Fill your washing machine or large bucket with cold water and add the dissolved baking soda
- Submerge your clothes in the solution and allow them to soak overnight
- The next day, wash as usual
- The white vinegar method is great if your clothes are stiff under the arm area
- Pretreat clothes in a one-to-one solution of white distilled vinegar and water
- Use a toothbrush to scrub the underarm area before soaking.
- Fill a large bucket or washing machine with cool water and one cup of white vinegar
- Allow clothes to soak in the mixture for thirty minutes, and then you can launder normally with a heavy-duty detergent
The Laundry Cafe signed off with a cheery reassurance.
“Sweat stains are normal, and with a little bit of extra work, you can treat and avoid these unsightly stains from appearing on your clothes,” they said.