How to remove deodorant and sweat stains

White marks and yellow stains are different problems

White marks are simply product. When a deodorant or antiperspirant touches fabric before it has dried, it leaves a whitish deposit of its ingredients, often the aluminum salts that reduce sweating. A patent filing from Beiersdorf, the skin care maker, describes these marks as removable by drying, brushing or washing. They show up most on black and navy clothes, and over time they can build into a stiff, dull patch in the armpit.

Yellow stains form differently. The same filing explains that they appear after washing, from an interaction between antiperspirant, skin oil, sweat and detergent, with the aluminum salts in most antiperspirants as one cause. Because they build up wash after wash, they are stubborn, and the filing notes they can be difficult or impossible to remove completely. Sweat on its own adds protein to the mix, which is why Iowa State University Extension groups it with blood as a stain that should not meet hot water before it is treated.

How to remove deodorant stains on black shirts

For a fresh white streak, let it dry for a minute, then brush it off with a dry, clean cloth, a soft clothes brush or a clean sock. Work lightly across the mark rather than pressing it in. A slightly damp cloth takes off whatever is left. This is the quick fix when you are already dressed and running late.

Buildup that has hardened over several wears needs detergent. The American Cleaning Institute suggests pretreating light deodorant stains with liquid detergent before washing; the University of Georgia Extension uses undiluted hand dishwashing liquid rubbed into the stain. Turn the shirt inside out, rub a few drops into the underarm, leave it for ten minutes and wash as the care label allows. Skip bleach of any kind on dark colors, and do not iron over residue, because the Georgia guide warns that heat on deodorant stains damages most fabrics.

How to remove yellow sweat stains from white clothes

Expect to work in rounds. A stain that took a year to form will not always vanish in one wash, but each pass should look lighter. Start with the gentlest step and only move on if the yellow remains. Check the care label first; everything here assumes a washable white cotton or cotton blend shirt.

1. 01

   Pretreat with liquid detergent

   Rub undiluted liquid laundry detergent or dish soap into both sides of the underarm and leave it for ten minutes or so. For heavy stains, the American Cleaning Institute suggests a stain remover left on for five to ten minutes before washing.

2. 02

   Soak in oxygen bleach

   Dissolve an oxygen bleach powder in warm water according to its label and soak the underarms. The University of Georgia Extension suggests 15 to 30 minutes for perspiration stains. The yellow should soften toward cream.

3. 03

   Try hydrogen peroxide on what remains

   On white or colorfast fabric, the Georgia guide allows 3 percent hydrogen peroxide, the drugstore antiseptic, applied to the stain for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse it out completely before using any other product.

4. 04

   Wash as warm as the label allows

   The American Cleaning Institute recommends laundering perspiration stains in the hottest water safe for the fabric, with an enzyme detergent or oxygen bleach for stubborn cases.

5. 05

   Air dry and look again

   Check the underarms in daylight before drying. If yellow remains, repeat the soak rather than putting the shirt in the dryer, where heat makes the stain harder to shift.

Dark armpit stains and faded color on colored shirts

On colored clothes, sweat sometimes changes the dye itself, leaving a patch that looks darker, lighter or a slightly different shade. Both the American Cleaning Institute and the University of Georgia Extension suggest the same small correction: a few drops of household ammonia on a fresh stain, or white vinegar on an old one, then a thorough rinse. Test either one on a hidden seam first. Some color changes are permanent, and no product can put back dye that has gone.

Ammonia and vinegar are useful here only because they are used on their own and rinsed out. Neither should ever meet chlorine bleach. The Washington State Department of Health warns that bleach and ammonia produce toxic chloramine gases and that bleach with an acid such as vinegar releases chlorine gas. Rinse the shirt well and let it dry before trying any bleach step.

Silk, wool and dry clean only clothes

The Georgia guide is explicit that its deodorant methods apply only to washable items, not to garments marked dry clean only. Silk blouses, wool suiting and structured jackets should go to a cleaner, and it helps to say that the stain is sweat and antiperspirant, because a cleaner treats it differently from an ordinary soil. If a silk or wool piece is labeled washable, follow our guides to washing silk and hand washing clothes, and use only mild detergent on the underarm; skip peroxide, ammonia and bleach.

How to prevent armpit stains

Most prevention comes down to keeping product off the fabric. Apply a thin layer of deodorant or antiperspirant and give it a few minutes to dry before you dress; much of the white transfer happens when a shirt goes on over a still damp underarm. Tops that pull over the head drag across the underarm on the way down and pick up the most product, so give them the longest drying time.

Since yellowing builds up wash after wash, the next best habit is to deal with sweat early. Rinse or pretreat the underarms of white shirts before they go in the hamper on hot days, and wash them sooner rather than letting them sit. A thin cotton undershirt takes the brunt of it for shirts you want to keep pristine. If yellowing keeps coming back, it may be worth trying a deodorant without aluminum, since the aluminum salts in antiperspirants are one known cause, though deodorant alone will not reduce sweating. For lingering odor in the fibers, see our guide to getting smells out of clothes, and for keeping whites bright, our guide to washing white clothes.