Have Underarm Stains On Your Shirts?

 

Underarm sweat stains on your clothing are obvious and quite embarrassing, especially in the summertime. Unfortunately, the stains remain on your garments, unless they are cleaned correctly. Let’s take a closer look at understanding underarm damage to shirts and how they can be prevented.

Main Problem With Underarm Stains?

Underarm stains on clothes are caused by a reaction involving antiperspirant ingredients along with your sweat. Armpit stains occur when the proteins in your sweat react with the aluminum and other chemicals in your antiperspirant. Most antiperspirants contain aluminum compounds to reduce wetness. It is the aluminum that causes the build-up and yellowing stain on white t-shirts. The stains don’t appear overnight. However, without proper washing after each wear, the stains will start to look yellow on white shirts.

Weak areas and tears show up in the underarm areas of shirts made of cellulose, such as cotton, rayon, ramie or linen.

Preventing Underarm Stains 

By understanding the basic science behind underarm stains and knowing how they form, you can resolve the problem of the stain developing on your garments. In most instances, this chemical damage cannot become reversed and mending the affecting area is usually not a satisfactory option.

Vinegar, baking soda & hydrogen peroxide:

Mix one cup of white vinegar, half-cup of baking soda, one tablespoon of salt and one tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide into a paste. Use a brush to scrub the paste into the stain and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Then, machine wash per the shirt’s instructions written on the care label.

Along with this, there are two ways to prevent underarm stains on your shirts. Both methods have to do with the way you use deodorant. Switching to an aluminum-free deodorant can help tremendously. In addition, after applying any type of deodorant or antiperspirant, allow it to dry before dressing to prevent rub-off on fabrics.

In addition to this, only the shirt owner can prevent this type of chemical damage. You can wash your shirt or bring it to your reputable cleaners thus removing the antiperspirant from the fabric, as soon after contact as possible. For people that have continuous problems, it may become more beneficial to switch to a neutral pH type deodorant rather than acid antiperspirants.

Reducing Underarm Odor

If you notice a lingering odor after washing your stained garment, baking soda can boost the cleaning power of your laundry detergent. Baking soda helps regulate the pH level in the washer’s water. And, adding one-half cup to each laundry load helps detergent work more effectively and reduces bacteria levels.

Feel free to take a look at our published blog post to learn more about how to deal with summertime stains. And, contact Red Hanger today with any questions you may have in regards to caring for underarm stains on your shirts.

Red Hanger is here to help!

Need assistance when it comes to underarm stains on your garments? Red Hanger is here to help. Find a location near you today and bring your garments in for professional cleaning.