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Rubbing the spot with a pair of panty hose can easily help remove deodorant stains and residue from clothing. This is a guide about use panty hose to remove deodorant marks from clothing.
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How do I remove underarm deodorant stains on black cotton poly blend undershirts. I really don't want to get rid of them. They still have wear to them.
I never had that problem with my husbands undershirts. But I always put a very little clorox type bleach in the wash water. Of course that load has to be only whites or towels or bedding with the whites.
Bleach keeps whites looking white, but if you use too much it eats holes in the fabric over time. The first time you might want to put more bleach in the wash and let the shirts soak.
Another thought I had was maybe you need to use warm or hot water for the undershirts. I always used cold water, but have noticed that for some things hot is better. Good luck
Hi Susan,
When doing a white wash use hot water, add your regular detergent & 1 cup of bleach & 1/4 cup of BOROX. I have been using this method for years & always have the whitest laundry you can imagine. Prior to that my husbands white t-shirts used to have yellow areas under the arms. Oh, & weather permitting I also hang my clothes outdoors. I'm sure the sun helps bleach them a tad more & oh my, the laundry smells so good. Best of luck.
Try soaking them in peroxide & water or baking & water. Then wash as usual.
How do I get deodorant stains out?
By Tracy
White deodorant on your clothes? Use a nylon stocking to rub it out!
Are the blouses made of any kind of synthetic fabric or a blend of synthetic and natural-if yes, you are stuck, nothing gets that yellow out. Ask me how I know (sniffle), I've lost a few lovely blouses over the years to underarm protection.
I ended up switching to a powder deodorant and haven't used antiperspirants in years because I got tired of finding the perfect blouse only to have the chemicals in the antiperspirants react to the synthetic fibers and leave a very unattractive stain-seems the combination of the chemicals in the antiperspirant react to the chemicals in laundry soaps and that causes a reaction in the make-up of the synthetic fibers which in turn causes the unremovable garment stain.
How can I remove the hard deodorant stains in my husbands cotton t-shirts? It also started happening in his colored t-shirts as well. The stain is yellow but the worst part is that it ends up getting hard. Its a little difficult to wear something like that.
By Cindy from Grand Beach, MI
I have the same problem; however, I have tried virtually all of the suggestions that I have ever found and none work. I have come to the conclusion that it isn't so much the protein- or oil-based components that I am not getting out, it's the wax-based ingredients that are in some of the deodorants and antiperspirants, especially in the solid ones. I haven't found anything that breaks down wax. If anyone has ideas for that, I'll take 'em.
I have no idea what to do about the stains, but to keep from getting stains in the first place, I would recommend changing deodorant. I use Crystal Deodorant that I can buy at Walgreens, grocery stores, and sometimes Big Lots. It costs around $5.00 or so, depending on where you buy it. It has no real scent and can be used by men or women. It gets rid of body odor by neutralizing the bacteria. It has no aluminum chlorohydrate and leaves no stains whatsoever on clothes.
I have a dress which is lace with a black underlay and the armpits have gone blue? Help please.
By Michelle
How do I remove deodorant stains on shirts? They are underarm stains on cotton and polyester blends.
By Gail from United Arab Emirates
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How do you get hardened deodorant stains from underarms off of t-shirts?
By Mrobinson from Titusville, FL
Soak in a solution of vinegar and water. If that doesn't work, try some Oxi Clean that can be purchased from Dollar General or Family Dollar. (05/16/2009)
By MCW
I've used Mean Green on armpit areas where the deodorant prevented the water and detergent from washing out the sweat odor and white flakes. I had no idea Mean Green could be used for a laundry pre-treatment until I was bored and reading the back of the bottle one day! I'd give this a try for yellowed crusty areas, too, but I'm betting it will require some soaking and scraping.
Once I read online that you can prevent armpit stains by dropping a couple of plain aspirin into the wash with new shirts. I don't think this tip works for shirts that are already stained, though. (05/22/2009)
By sigma28
What can I use to remove grease stains and deodorant stains off clothing? I've tried Shout and other spray cleaners, but none work.
By Susan from Madera, CA
Do you mean you want to wash the clothes? If yes, I've been using the original Dawn dish washing liquid with great success. It got black spray paint off of a pair of my jeans and I'm having good luck with stains too. Rub a little on the stain, let it sit a bit and wash. No stains. You might also try regular, clear shampoo. It's made to dissolve body oils, so you might have good luck before washing.
Good luck! (06/30/2010)
By metroplex
Use water softener, let it stay for couple hours, then wash your clothing. (06/30/2010)
By yellow-hawk
I have had good results using Palmolive Oxiclean dish soap, in the blue bottle. It works getting out old mustard stains, black marker stains, etc. Just squeeze some on and work it in and wash as normal. (06/30/2010)
By arizonamafia
I too use the original blue Dawn dish detergent, it will remove just about anything. (07/01/2010)
By mary1day
What is a safe way to remove the white residue left by deodorant from a bra?
By Linda Rose from CA
Have you tried taking the cap full of liquid laundry soap you are going to add to your wash-load and pouring it directly on to the stain and using an old toothbrush to scrub it a bit, then washing as usual? You can also use "Goop," the creamy hand cleaner made for mechanics. You buy Goop at the $1 store.
That tip is for antiperspirant stains, but for perspiration stains, use peroxide. Let it sit and fizz for 5 minutes before laundering.
I also bleach my white and light colored bras and I switched to a deodorant, I quit using antiperspirants. Deodorants leave no residue. My favorite brand is called "Tom's." It's available at Health Food Stores. For people who perspire heavily, you can also use a crystal-rock natural antiperspirant before your deodorant. (Ask about it at the Health Food Store.) The crystal-rock doesn't leave any residue, but they stop you from sweating (it's made from a natural salt, I think it's potassium salt) and it really works!
OOPS! I just read that you live in California! Do you add a water softener when you wash your clothes (like Calgon)? If not, adding it will make a huge difference! I remember how hard the water in California was when I lived there back in the 1970s and how nothing came clean without a water softener. (05/05/2010)
By Cyinda
How could I remove hard stains on armpits of white t-shirts caused by deodorant? The fabric actually turns hard.
Diane from Merrillville, Indiana
My late husband had the same problem. I never did get the hard crusty part out, but I started pouring ammonia on the underarms of the shirts before I put them in the washer and that helped by not getting stains to start with. (11/14/2008)
By Reniesue
Talk about deodorant stains! I had the weirdest thing happen after I got my new GE front load washer. I was washing a load of colored clothes and I had used my usual Tide he, which is recommended for that washer and a brand of fabric softener I had used before, but it was a new scent. When I took the clothes out of the dryer, my husband's colored T-shirts were all wrinkled under the arms and the wrinkles were stiff like plastic. It hadn't happened until I used that new scent of fabric softener. I've washed and washed and it will not come out. It's still stiff and wrinkled. I'm supposing it was a reaction between his deodorant and the fabric softener. (03/20/2007)
By auntieM39
I had a problem with a deodorant stain on my favorite black t-shirt. It was thin and could be seen on the outside of the shirt. I had great success with Oxy clean. I rubbed it into the shirt and then threw it in the washer and it came out! (07/16/2007)
By Jake
My daughter nearly freaked out. She ran through a dress rehearsal and her deodorant left large orange stains on her green spandex dance outfit. It was very traumatic. After several tries we discovered that ammonia dripped onto a paper towel would remove the stains. We also washed the garment in warm Woolite under the delicate cycle afterward. The disaster was averted...whew. These things always happen when my wife is out of town on vacation. (09/06/2007)
By Dance Daddy
Thank you everyone for your advice! Keep it coming! (09/07/2007)
By Costumemiss
I used to get those yellow stains in the armpits of my white shirts. Then my husband told me to quit using deodorant and just use anti-perspirant (I use his old spice sport stuff). It stopped the issue and I think that it works just as good, and I'm not stinky :-) (09/28/2007)
By Becky
I would always get this thick crusty yellowish residue on my p.e. shirts back in high school. Even after I washed it, it still smelt like sweat and deodorant. I put about 2 tablespoons of laundry soap in a small tub of warm water in the sink. Then I went to work. Just keep scrubbing and rinsing. Keep smelling it while you're at it. After about 15 minutes of scrubbing, I put it in the washer, and it was like a brand new shirt. (01/15/2008)
By Clara
AMMONIA - someone mentioned it in one of the earlier posts. Ammonia is the best way to get deodorant stains. (03/12/2008)
By junebug
I tried mixing vinegar, lemon juice and meat tenderizer all together, and applied to the armpit area. To my surprise after leaving it overnight, it created a big hole at the area. There goes my favorite shirt! (05/11/2008)
By akim
I had no success with lemon juice, but I tried the meat tenderizer paste. It didn't work just leaving it on there overnight. What I eventually figured out works great: Wet the armpit of the shirt, add the meat tenderizer mixture. Let it set for a few hours (2-4 works) and then scrape at it with a metal spoon against a hard surface. Once it starts to come up, add a very small amount of liquid detergent and scrape again. Be careful not to scrape too hard or you'll damage the shirt... only a little pressure should be needed. Wash as you normally would. (06/11/2008)
By Halz
How many great white tops are ruined from underarm yellowing? Isn't it just gross? I wonder if it is just my body chemistry or the deodorant/anti-perspirant I'm using that creates these unsightly stains. Here's something that worked, and I didn't believe it would, as I have tried (and gave up on) stain sticks, soap scrubbing, etc. for these stains.
My mother has an allergy to scented products, so she switched to using baking soda for deodorant (wet a few fingers and touch them to the baking powder, then spread it over underarm area - it's non-toxic, clean feeling and surprisingly effective!). She said after using it a while, she noticed the yellowish armpit stains in her clothing were disappearing. Could it be so easy? So I smeared some soda right from the box on those little spots on a favorite white cotton peasant blouse (wet the stained area first) and left it sitting for a couple of days. Then I threw the blouse in the front loader washing machine with the rest of the light wash I had, and couldn't believe when the blouse came out clean with no underarm staining. Now it's not perfectly white-white, but it's pretty darn close.
I don't know how it would work on colors or synthetics (poly, poly-blends, etc.) - haven't tried it, so test first. By the way, for stains on clothing in general, I use Spray 'n Wash Stain Stick (bright green and red packaging) and it works 99% of the time. Treat stains ASAP, and wash in cold water. Spread the word.
(07/08/2008)By Valerie
I have used a product called "De-Solv-It" that worked fairly well. It didn't get rid of the stains, but it did well for drastically reducing the stiffness. I sprayed it on, left it for an hour, scrubbed it with a clean bath brush, then sent it through the wash. But beware, De-solv-it is an orange based solvent, and it will leave a light orange color on whites. (07/26/2008)
By Gerald
On whites, I soaked the stain in vinegar and then sprinkled on some baking soda and rubbed it in really well. Then I let it sit for about an hour and washed as usual, the stains were pretty much gone. I just don't know what to do with the darks because I think what I did on the whites might remove the color. If I test it I will let you know. (10/04/2008)
By hyperskygirl
