How to remove sweat stains under the arms: removing yellow marks

Even expensive modern deodorant can leave a visible mark on clothes. You can remove traces with your own hands in different ways.

We invite you to explore all the available options on how to remove deodorant stains under your arms. We will describe a list of products that will help you remove deodorant marks and the smell of sweat from things.

How to remove sweat stains from underarms

Sweat stains can appear on clothes of different colors. It all depends on how much a person sweats, what components are contained in his sweat, and how brightly they manifest themselves on the fabric. The main problem with such stains is that they are corrosive. It is impossible to remove them either with high-quality washing in an automatic machine or with the help of bleaches. You don’t want to throw away the thing at all, so you need to choose the best option that will solve the problem.

Before using one or another version of the product on different types of fabric, it should be applied to a small area of the fabric from the inside, where it will not be noticeable. This way, it will be possible to evaluate the result and not spoil the thing.

Fresh spots

The easiest way to deal with fresh stains. While they have just appeared, are not yet so contrasting in color and have not yet become completely ingrained, it is necessary to launch heavy artillery against them in the form of various improvised means.

Old stains

With old stains it will be more difficult. You will have to tinker with them longer and it is not a fact that they will be completely cleaned.

It must be remembered that there are a number of means that one’s hand is reaching out to, but they cannot be used. These are chlorine-containing preparations, because due to the reaction that occurs when exposed to proteins in sweat and chlorine, the fabric begins to darken. In addition, you cannot wash such an item in hot water (the water temperature during washing is allowed no more than 30 degrees).

Stain removers can also help

If you don't know how to remove sweat stains, just use any stain remover. It can be the advertised “Fairy” or “Persol”, but “Whiteness” or soap will also do. To successfully remove underarm stains, apply or pour a little detergent onto the area. Leave the clothes to sit and then simply wash them in the washing machine.

Advice
Use "White" only for the most severe cases and do not forget to wear gloves, because it is a very strong chemical that can even dissolve fabric. So use it as a last resort and be careful.

Removing stains from different fabrics

To choose a tactic for cleaning fabric, you should pay special and primary attention to the fabric from which the item is made. After all, what is suitable for processing cotton will not work with synthetics.

Cotton and linen

Cotton, as well as linen, is an unpretentious fabric. Therefore, here you can afford more than with delicate synthetic, silk or woolen options. At home, you can clean a cotton item in the following ways:

Using ammonia and salt: prepare the mixture by diluting 1 tsp. salt and the same amount of ammonia in a glass of water, then thoroughly treat the damaged area on the clothing with this mixture, leave for 15 minutes
Using citric acid: dilute a teaspoon of the product in a glass of water, then treat the stains and leave for 2 hours (alternatively, you can use vinegar)
Using vodka or vinegar: you should collect a proportion of one part vodka (vinegar) and water, and then treat the stains

After each of these options, clothes should be thoroughly washed and rinsed.

Silk

Silk is a noble and delicate fabric, so you need to act carefully. The following 2 options are suitable:

Rub the dirty area with laundry soap. Then you should prepare a solution of hydrogen peroxide, which is applied to the stain on top. Next, all that remains is to rinse the fabric well in water, the result will not be long in coming: the stain will lighten.
Another option is to use a sodium hyposulfate solution. It needs to be dissolved in the amount of 1 tbsp. per glass of water. The stain is treated with this solution, after which the clothes are put aside for 20 minutes. Afterwards, you need to rinse it thoroughly and more than once.

It is worth understanding that silk items cannot be treated with options such as vinegar and acetone.

Wool

Coat spots can also be very noticeable. But you have to work with it very carefully. If the need arises, regular salt should be used. To prepare the solution you will need:

5 tablespoons salt
Glass of water

They are mixed and then applied to the stain. Next, all that remains is to let the clothes dry and then apply alcohol or vodka. After subsequent washing, the stains should disappear.

Synthetics

Synthetics allow you to cope with the problem quite quickly - it is easily amenable to various manipulations. As a rule, laundry soap is enough to rub all dirty areas to get rid of stains. After rubbing with soap, the item should be left for 15 minutes and then washed.

Useful tips

Following simple recommendations will help you remove yellow marks. Wash the product immediately after soiling. The longer a dirty item sits, the more sweat eats into the fibers of the fabric and the more difficult it will be to remove them.

Use cool water to wash items. High temperature “seals” the marks and makes them difficult to remove.

Choose the right detergent. It must be not only effective, but also safe. To do this, take into account the composition of the fabric and the degree of contamination. To make sure your detergent is safe, test it on an inconspicuous area before using it on a large scale.

Do not use chlorine-containing products to wash sweaty white clothes. Bleach, reacting with sweat particles, makes the stains even darker and more noticeable.

Dry white items made from natural cotton and linen in the sun. Ultraviolet light whitens fabric and helps remove yellowness. However, this method is not suitable for silk and synthetics, as it can lead to the product losing its original appearance.

Dry cotton and linen items in the sun. Ultraviolet light promotes whitening and helps remove yellow sweat marks under the arms

Removing sweat stains using improvised means

You can remove sweat stains using various preparations that you may have on hand. Some of them are kept in first aid kits, others in the refrigerator, and others in kitchen cabinets. So, the list of suitable cleansers includes:

Aspirin;
Salt;
Ammonia;
Lemon and citric acid;
Vinegar;
Vodka;
Boiling;
Soda, etc.

Each of them shows its own effect.

Aspirin and methenamine

Aspirin tablets take a little longer to act than peroxide, but the effect is noticeable. You need to crush several pieces into crumbs and apply them to a pre-moistened stain. It will turn out to be a paste. Leave it like this for 4 hours, then wash the item as usual.

Another pharmaceutical drug that helps cope with the problem is methenamine. It needs to be added directly to the machine before washing, but you should understand that its effect is immediate.

Salt and ammonia

Table salt together with ammonia perfectly relieves the problem. To do this, you need to combine a glass of water and a teaspoon of salt with the same amount of ammonia. Moisten the stain with the resulting product. At the end of the procedure, clothes should be rinsed.

You can also deal with sweat stains using ammonia in combination with alcohol. They must be mixed in equal proportions and applied to the stain, left for 15 minutes. If the solution evaporates quickly, it should be processed again. The clothes are then washed in cold water.

Lemon (citric acid) and vinegar

Lemon juice, due to its concentration, copes well with the problem of spots under the arms. So, with the help of lemon, you can clean stains by mixing the juice of the fruit with water in equal proportions. Alternatively, you can make a mixture of half a glass of baking soda and the juice of half a lemon. It remains to be applied to the stains and rubbed with your hands until completely absorbed. Then leave for an hour and wash.

Using vinegar, you can treat sweat marks with a cotton pad. Leave the clothes for an hour, then wash. To wash synthetic colored clothes, you need to prepare a solution from vinegar, and not use pure acid.

Vodka

You can clean clothes with vodka. This method works when there are whitish marks on black. Soak a cotton pad in vodka and wipe the stain, then wash it.

Laundry soap and dishwashing liquid

One of the popular methods is the use of laundry soap. You can make a soap solution by grating soap and diluting it with water, or you can simply rub the stain. Apply soap to the armpit area and let it sit for half an hour; after treatment, wash the item.

Using the same scheme, you can use regular dishwashing liquid.

Soda

Another option that is widely used is baking soda. It works great on whites and can be used on a variety of fabrics. Baking soda additionally removes the smell of sweat from clothes. Prepare the cleaning agent as follows:

Take half a glass of water.
4 tablespoons of soda are mixed in it.
Then you need to treat the stains and leave it like that for a couple of hours.

Gasoline or ammonia

You should not use boiling water, gasoline or ammonia to clean sweat stains on clothes. After all, you can ruin the fabric irrevocably. Plus, such methods are not the safest, because... You may be scalded or experience dermatological irritation.

Denatured alcohol + yolk

This combination helps clean any colored fabrics. But you should work with it more carefully. Mix the two products together and apply to the fabric, leave for a while, then wash.

What products can be used for colored items?

With colored and black clothes the situation is more complicated; not many products are suitable for such things. However, it is possible to remove stains; for this they use:

laundry soap;
a combination of ammonia and white spirit;
salt and soda (solution in a 1:1 ratio);

You can also use acetylsalicylic acid, but you cannot keep it on colored fabric for as long as on white fabric. Limit yourself to 2-3 minutes, as this medication has a whitening effect.

Preventing stains

It is worth taking preventive measures. To do this you need to follow a simple list:

Be sure to follow the rules of personal hygiene - you should wash more often and use deodorants.
Using special pads for the armpits. They work on the principle of panty liners, absorbing all the secretions. They should be attached to clothing. You can buy these at any pharmacies.
Refusal of synthetics - it is better to give preference to linen and cotton.
Nutrition correction: to reduce sweat production, you need to exclude spicy foods, alcohol, strong drinks, such as tea and coffee, from your diet.
Daily change of clothes.
Wash stained clothes immediately rather than later.

It is quite possible to deal with sweat stains on clothes. The main thing is to approach the process wisely and not delay it. And then the thing will serve for a long time and will look like new.

Why are these stains so noticeable and ingrained?

Sweat is created to remove unnecessary salts and substances from our body. In vain many people think that it consists of water, at most a little salt. In fact, a full 15% is fat, protein, and a long list of minerals. It is they, and not water or salt, that color the fabric.

The reason why these stains are so difficult to remove (especially under the arms) is because of their chemical composition. When sweat hits fabric fibers, it begins to interact with them and penetrates deeply into them. It does not lie on top like regular dirt, it is much nastier.

Urotropin

If there are a couple of marks that cannot be washed off due to the fluid secreted by the subcutaneous glands, Urotropin will cope with this problem perfectly. It is necessary to start getting rid of marks immediately after they appear.

How to remove sweat from clothes:

Initially, you need to thoroughly wash the armpit area with laundry soap.
After which you can lubricate the contaminated area with a cotton swab dipped in the prepared solution.
In the morning they carefully wash the item.

Formidone is used similarly to Hexamine.

White vinegar

Vinegar is an acid and therefore can corrode tissue. Use it for things made of strong and thick white cotton, only then there will be no problems. Take 8-10 ml of vinegar (a tablespoon or one and a half) and mix it with a small cup of water. Soak a washcloth or rag (preferably microfiber) in this mixture and wipe the stain under your arms. The marks should disappear within 10-25 minutes; in any case, they will be gone after washing with powder.

What should you absolutely not use?

Many substances that we use in everyday life can help cope with the problem described. However, not all of them can be effective and efficient. Some of them absolutely cannot be used in the fight against sweat marks.

Hot water. It is recommended to wash clothes at a water temperature of no more than 30 degrees C. Otherwise, the dirt may set in.
Chlorine. All chlorine-containing substances are not suitable for working with colored fabrics. Chlorine can only be used on perfectly white material. But with people of color, he can only complicate everything. Chlorine will remove the stain, but it will ruin the color, resulting in the material becoming lighter at the site of contamination, which will only ruin the item.
It is also prohibited to use strong acids (nitric and hydrochloric) and alkali.
Acetone. This substance may cause color loss. Therefore, it is strictly forbidden to use it.
Do not use solvents such as gasoline and benzene. They can damage the texture of the fabric and cause a loss of presentable appearance.

Using white spirit

If contaminants were found on silk clothes or wool, then white spirit would be the ideal option in this situation, especially if it is combined with ammonia.

The remedy against sweat marks on things should consist of white spirit and ammonia in a ratio of 4:2. If you do not maintain the ratio and use a larger percentage of ammonia, you can only provoke an increase in the area of contamination. In addition, excessive concentrations of these components provoke loss of color in clothing or damage to fabric fibers.

After preparing the composition, it must be applied with extreme caution to the area of contamination. Intense rubbing should be avoided, as the sweat will become absorbed even more. After applying the product, leave it for a period of several hours, after which it is rinsed 2-3 times in cold water.

RESULT

Removing stains is an eternal problem for humanity. Each specific product found on the surface of the fabric requires an individual approach. Sweating and the use of deodorants also cause problem areas to appear on clothing. To prevent them, follow the rules of personal hygiene and treat fresh stains.

To eliminate old complex traces, you can use a whole arsenal of industrial products or recipes using various household components that any housewife has at her disposal.

Depending on the characteristics of the fabric, everyone will be able to choose the rational composition of the cleaning product. To do this, our effective tips will help you, which will speed up the process of removing and washing your favorite things.