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Cleaning sweat/armpit stains on dress shirts

An Acute Style

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What do you do when your shirts get armpit stains?

I have a process to get rid of them, but I’m curious what other people suggest.

Buying a new shirt is not always the right answer. It can be cost prohibitive and the same/a similar shirt may not be available.

I follow the advice given by the Art of Manliness/OxyClean.

Steps
1. Fill a bathroom sink with water and add a scoop or two of OxyClean. Dip the armpits of the shirts into the mixture. Use an old toothbrush or something to scrub the stained area.

2. Soak the shirts in a water OxyClean mixture: one scoop of OxyClean per gallon. I usually soak for at least six hours.

3. Rinse the shirts off with water then wash as usual. I do a cold wash and hang to dry.

I’m always astonished at how well this works. For the record, I’ve not done a control experiment to see if soaking alone is equally effective.

I was wondering if anyone else has strategies or recommendations to remove armpit stains. My process is more involved than I’d like it to be.

Lastly, it’s not my deodorant. I’ve been wearing non aluminum based deodorant for years. I still get stains. I just really sweat a lot while I’m teaching. I don’t sweat much otherwise.
 

coldsalmon

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What do you do when your shirts get armpit stains?

I have a process to get rid of them, but I’m curious what other people suggest.

Buying a new shirt is not always the right answer. It can be cost prohibitive and the same/a similar shirt may not be available.

I follow the advice given by the Art of Manliness/OxyClean.

Steps
1. Fill a bathroom sink with water and add a scoop or two of OxyClean. Dip the armpits of the shirts into the mixture. Use an old toothbrush or something to scrub the stained area.

2. Soak the shirts in a water OxyClean mixture: one scoop of OxyClean per gallon. I usually soak for at least six hours.

3. Rinse the shirts off with water then wash as usual. I do a cold wash and hang to dry.

I’m always astonished at how well this works. For the record, I’ve not done a control experiment to see if soaking alone is equally effective.

I was wondering if anyone else has strategies or recommendations to remove armpit stains. My process is more involved than I’d like it to be.

Lastly, it’s not my deodorant. I’ve been wearing non aluminum based deodorant for years. I still get stains. I just really sweat a lot while I’m teaching. I don’t sweat much otherwise.
I have more of a problem with stained collars and cuffs, but I also use Oxyclean for this. It seems to restore the shirts to like-new condition - at least in terms of stains.
 

Pete E

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I seem to recall mum rubbing block laundry soap direct onto the collars and cuffs of my white school shirts and then putting them through a white only wash as normal. If she wasn't happy with the results, the shirt would get a soak in a whitening product designed for white net curtains, and then washed on a very hot setting....The rub with laundry soap definitely seemed to help..
 

An Acute Style

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I have more of a problem with stained collars and cuffs, but I also use Oxyclean for this. It seems to restore the shirts to like-new condition - at least in terms of stains.
Agreed. That’s a bonus when I clean the armpits.
 

FlyingHorker

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Came here to say OxiClean.

I only use that method if there is too much build up on my shirts.

Usually I just throw in a couple of scoops of OxiClean in the pre-wash basin of my washer, and make sure my shirts are inside out.
 

7_rocket

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What deodorant are you using? I used to have armpit yellowing but since I changed my diet and used a natural deodorant, I don't have those. The down side to using something natural, is that I have to re-apply when i get home before I hit the gym
 

An Acute Style

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What deodorant are you using? I used to have armpit yellowing but since I changed my diet and used a natural deodorant, I don't have those. The down side to using something natural, is that I have to re-apply when i get home before I hit the gym
Arm & Hammer Essentials Natural Deodorant.
 

greenhouse

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I wear undershirts as well.
Hmm. Perhaps you could try shirts with fuller armscyes? Not sure if that would be compatible with your style, but it may not require much adjustment. Less contact with the armpit should prevent or marsupial staining far better than other methods.
 

An Acute Style

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Hmm. Perhaps you could try shirts with fuller armscyes? Not sure if that would be compatible with your style, but it may not require much adjustment. Less contact with the armpit should prevent or marsupial staining far better than other methods.
Yeah not inline with my aesthetic. I wear B.B. Regents fit. They’re not tight in the armscyes at all, but I still sweat. I’m resigned to sweating on my shirts st this point. I just wished they dried with no stain.

I think the optimal solution for me would be a concoction I could put on the shirts before washing that would eliminate build up so I don’t have to do my more complicated procedure every year.
 

Pete E

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I think the optimal solution for me would be a concoction I could put on the shirts before washing that would eliminate build up so I don’t have to do my more complicated procedure every year.

As I said earlier, simply rub the pit areas with bar laundry soap before washing...It might be advantageous to rub them with soap when you take them off so the soap is on there as they sit in the laundry basket...Pick a white laundry soap if you can get one and just dampened the pit area before rubbing...
 

Answrme2000

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Those stains are actually oxidization of aluminum not only from your deodorant but also aluminum you already have in your body. RAISE armpit stain remover will remove sweat stains from your clothes as well as ring around the collar. It is a pre treatment wash that bonds to the stain turnning it into a salt so it can be washed away in your laundry. It's sold on amazon.
 

7_rocket

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Switch to another deodorant that is natural and see how you like it.

When I get home I'll get the brand.
 

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