What causes sweat stains?
How to remove sweat stains from white shirts? First, it’s important to understand this type of stain in order to remove it. Sweat happens when you’re hot, nervous, or working out, and your body releases sweat to regulate your body’s temperature.
However, when you sweat, you don’t just have salty water getting on your clothes but rather a cocktail of fats, protein, ammonia, salts, and water. So, even when the water component dries out, you are left with an unsightly stain.
And, if you use any deodorant, you can also expect a few chemicals to end up in the mix, which the sweat can react with and may even turn your sweat stain a shade of yellow. This mix of ingredients means you have various stain types embedding into the fabric's fibers, causing odors and stain marks, especially over time, as more sweat molecules join the stain.
How to prevent yellow sweat stains?
When it comes to yellow stains, it’s not sweat alone that causes them. In fact, sweat is pretty sterile, but it does react with the skin and also the ingredients in your deodorant. These are what cause your garments to pick up those unwanted sweat stains and odors. There are a few ways you can prevent these stains from happening in the first place:
If you have a white shirt you want to keep white, perhaps consider wearing an undershirt.
Wash your clothes immediately after each wear.
Apply less deodorant; although this might sound counterintuitive at first, your deodorant might react with your sweat to cause yellow stains.
Change your antiperspirant or deodorant and opt for an aluminum-free type, as aluminum mixed with sweat causes yellow stains.
Spot clean any fresh sweat stains; this can help remove any stains before they are set.
How to remove yellow sweat stains from clothes?
If you already have set in yellow sweat stains, you’ll want to use a powerful detergent, like Ariel with Ultra Oxi Laundry Detergent; here’s your guide on how to get rid of sweat stains with powder detergent:
Prepare the soaking solution
Fill a basin or a bucket with warm water, add a ½ to 1 cup of Ariel with Ultra Oxi Laundry Detergent, and mix well.
Soak
Soak the sweat-stained garment in the soaking solution for 30 minutes. Ensure you wring out any excess water when you remove the soaked item before washing.
Wash
Add your laundry detergent following the instructions on the packaging for dosing, add the soaked garment along with other laundry items (if you are washing a white shirt, ensure you wash with other white or light items to avoid any color transfer), and wash on the highest setting as recommended by the fabric care label.
Repeat
If the stain hasn’t been removed, repeat the above steps.
FAQs
How do you get old sweat stains out of shirts?
If you have stubborn old sweat stains, pre-soak the garment in a soaking solution with laundry detergent powder for at least 30 minutes and then wash as usual. If the stain is still present when you remove the garment from the washer, repeat the above process—do not put it in the dryer, as the heat will set the stain.
How to get rid of armpit stains on your shirt?
Soak the garment in a solution with laundry detergent. You can also use a brush or a sponge to work the detergent into the stained area to try to remove some of the stain before washing at the highest temperature available.
Can sweat stain clothes permanently?
Although sweat stains are not necessarily permanent, they do become harder to remove the longer they are left on the garment. They can set further if the stain is not removed completely in the wash and the item is put in the dryer. If you have a shirt with a stain, and you are unsure the stain has been completely removed, try to air dry rather than use the dryer.
