How To Remove Sweat Stains From Work Shirts

Mike Murphy how to

Sick of dreaded pit stains making an appearance on your work shirts? It’s annoying enough having them on everyday clothes, nevermind formal shirts.

If you’re searching the net seeking information on how to remove stains, look no further. You’ve found the perfect guide on how to get rid of those yucky colored stains from your white shirts…

We’ve put together an easy to follow step-by-step process for removing sweat stains below. Before you know it, you’ll have a wardrobe full of crisp shirts free from yellow stains!

Remove Sweat Stains From Shirts Easily

There are lots of mixture recipes out there that claim to eliminate armpit stains, but you want one that WORKS, right? With this foolproof mixture, you’ll be able to tackle any stubborn pit stains that you’re faced with.

To remove pit stains you will need to mix a formula consisting of one cup white vinegar, 1/2 cup of baking soda, a tablespoon of salt, and one tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide with some cold water to form a paste.

It is important that you use the ingredients above and don’t swap out the white vinegar for dark vinegar for example. If you do this, the paste will not be effective and you could cause further stains on your dress shirt.

Using a toothbrush, you should apply to stain remover onto the stains on the shirt and leave for some time. We recommend up to 30 minutes for newer set-in stains and a few hours for older underarm stains. The mixture will really need to soak into the stains in order for the shirt to be cleaned effectively!

Once you have scrubbed the areas where the stains are, put the treated clothes into the washing machine on the cycle appropriate for them.

Remove Sweat Stains On Delicate Fabrics

If you’re wondering how to remove sweat stains on a delicate piece of clothing without causing damage, we have you covered. Some fabrics can be damaged by the high acidity of vinegar, therefore it’s handy to know of some alternatives.

If the pit stains you want to remove are mild in color, you can use some household ingredients to help remove them:

Dish soap and hydrogen peroxide mix – mix up one part dish soap with two parts hydrogen peroxide. Apply the dish soap solution to the sweat stains and allow to soak before you wash as usual in the machine.

Salt – try dissolving four parts of t with warm water and applying to the pit stains. Again, wash as usual afterward.

Lemon juice – mix equal parts of lemon juice with warm water and apply to the stained areas on the fabric. Following a long soak, wash the shirt in the washing machine as you normally would.

Crushed up aspirin – if you have any aspiring lying around, crush them up and mix with water. The pills contain acetylsalicylic acid which is acidic like vinegar and great fro removing armpit stains!

When applying the remover of your choice to sweat stains be sure to scrub thoroughly – pit stains can be hard to get out! Allow the shirt to sit in the mixture for up to a few hours where you can as this will help with stain removal.

If you are dealing with getting rid of tougher stains, yous should use a specialist stain remove product and take the shirt for a dry clean afterwards.

Tips For Removing Armpit Sweat Stains

As we’ve demonstrated, there are a number of mixtures that you can use to remove a pit stain from your shirt. However, if you’re looking for techniques on how to remove a sweat stain form clothing successfully, we have the tips for you right HERE.

Scrub hard! – depending on how set in the sweat stain is, you may need to scrub the area extra hard. You should use a toothbrush to apply the mixture to the stained area.

Apply more than once – if the first time you’re unable to remove the stain from the clothing after application and machine washing, try again! Stain removal can often be trial and error.

Try a different mixture – the mixtures above require different ingredients including hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and water. If you can’t get the stain out of the clothing using one type of mixture, apply a different solution and see if it works.

Let it sit in – while you may need the stain out of the clothing asap, it’s important to let the solution sit in and work its magic on said stain.

Consider a laundry brush – you can buy a range of different brushes that may help with difficult to remove stains. Consider using a larger brush instead of a toothbrush if you’re really struggling to remove the sweat stain.

Use quality ingredients – choosing a higher quality vinegar or baking soda may help in removing the stain. Be sure to mix equal parts where indicated aswell as the solution could end up being too weak!

FAQs

What causes sweat stains?

Sweat is meant to be odorless and colorless, but sometimes your sweat proteins can react with aluminum in deodorant. This is why you’ll find sweat stains on your clothing! Some deodorants don’t contain aluminum, however, some do. If you’re prone to sweat stains, it may be time to try a new deodorant.

How Can I Prevent Yellow Pit Stains?

There are a number of ways to prevent sweat stains from occurring on your clothing. First, try a deodorant that does not contain aluminum. There are a number of aluminum-free deodrorants available on the market. Organic ones work best and are as effective!

You may want to try wearing an undershirt as they offer another layer of protection against stains. You can even find anti-sweat undershirts for this exact purpose.

Wash you shirts straight away too as this can help prevent stains from setting in. When you do wash your clothes be sure to use a good quality stain removing laundry detergent. Always be sure to check the care instructions however to avoid damaging your clothing when washing.

How to Remove Dark Armpit Stains

Dark armpit stains are generally the result of oil and dirt from work throughout the day. Those who work in various industries like construction trades or shipbuilding are more likely to experience the problem.

Getting rid of them isn’t too difficult, so long as you know what to do. A good way to eliminate or reduce dark armpit stains is to mix baking soda and enough water to form a paste. Use your fingers to massage the paste and work it into the material until it is soaked through.

Once you have covered every inch of the stain, simply let it sit for half an hour before rinsing it out under cold water. Afterward, feel free to wash and dry your clothes. Fortunately, a lot of methods are just as effective or work even better, depending on the material.

Baking soda and lemon juice paste
Baking soda and hydrogen peroxide paste
Hydrogen peroxide and water 50:50 proportions
Rubbing alcohol/vodka and salt
Purchase an industrial-strength dark armpit stain remover

How to Remove Sweat Stains from a Dress Shirt

There is a difference between an old sweat stain and a new one. Fortunately, there are ways to get rid of both. For new stains, you will need to fill a sink with the following ingredients:

Baking Soda – 1 Cup
White Vinegar – ¾ to a full cup
A teaspoon of salt
Either a regular spoonful or a teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide

Drop the dress in the sink and press it into the water. Let it sit overnight. You can take it out after only 30 minutes but if the stain is large or has penetrated pretty deep, you want to keep the dress in there all night.

For older stains, create a baking soda paste and rub it into the material. Scrub the stain thoroughly with either a toothbrush or something similar. Rinse and start another paste, this time with crushed aspirin and water. Repeat the scrubbing process. Now, create the original soak for the newer stains and soak your dress in it all night.

How to Remove Sweat Stains from White Clothes

One thing is for sure, don’t use bleach—especially not a lot of bleach. It will just turn your white clothing pink. One of the best ways to get sweat stains out of white clothing material is to purchase a bottle of Persil.

Add a small amount of Persil to the stained area and soak it for about 30 minutes and scrub it in with a toothbrush before you let it sit. Wash it in the washing machine like you normally would, however, add a full cup of white vinegar to the laundry on top of a full cup of Persil.

Don’t dry your white clothes like normal but hang them outside to let them dry in the sun. Natural UV light works very well for removing yellow sweat stains.

How to Remove Sweat Stains from Colored Shirts

There is more than one way to get rid of sweat stains in colored clothes. The thing with colored clothes is that you don’t often catch the fact that there’s a stain there until it’s too big or it’s been there too long. There are five methods for getting rid of them, however.

Detergent: Mix a cup of hot water and detergent and scrub it into the stain. Wash normally.
Aspirin: Take water and crushed aspirin and convert it into a paste. Scrub it in with a toothbrush and let it sit for 30 minutes.
Lemon Juice: Lemon Juice and water mixture. Let it soak into the stain for 30 minutes.
White Vinegar, Baking Soda, Salt, and Hydrogen Peroxide: a cup of vinegar and a cup of baking soda combined with a tablespoon each of salt and hydrogen peroxide. 30-minute soak.
Meat Tenderizer: Make a paste out of an unseasoned meat tenderizer and water. Scrub it in and let it soak for half an hour.

How to Get Sweat Stains Out of Shirts Quickly

One of the above, all-in-one methods is the only way to get sweat stains out of clothes quickly. Of course, if you’re just pulling your shirt off and you have been sweating in it extensively, you need to throw it in the wash fast.

Combine 1 cup of white vinegar > ½ cup of baking soda > 1 tablespoon of salt > 1 tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide > 2 cups of hot water. Mix well and soak the shirt for 30 minutes.

How to Prevent Sweat Stains on White Shirts

There are a few good tips out there for preventing sweat stains. If you live in a place like Florida, good luck.

Don’t pack on the deodorant to a large degree
Trim back your armpit hair
Always wash your shirts immediately after you take them off, especially if you’ve been sweaty
Wear shirts that are loose-fitting or sweat-proof shirts
Stick with organic deodorant
Use sweat-reducing supplements
Make sure you are using an antiperspirant rather than an anti-deodorant only

How to Remove Sweat Stains from Clothes Without Washing

All of the methods we listed above are excellent ways to remove stains without a washing machine on hand. Since washing is not an option, in this case, you should probably give your clothing a little more time to soak than usual.

Some of the soak alternatives and pastes call for 30 minutes but are completely safe to use and allow to sit for much longer than 30 minutes. If the sweat stains are relatively light, you may be able to get rid of them by hanging them out in the sun and letting the UV rays attack the stains.

You should do this after using a paste, just be sure to rinse the paste out of the shirt before you hang it up in the sun. All of the following ingredients are safe to use for soaking or pastes without having to wash your shirt:

Sunshine only
Baking Soda
White Vinegar
Lemon Juice
Vodka or Rubbing Alcohol
Unseasoned Meat Tenderizer
Use a freezer to kill the bacteria from sweat