The active ingredients in antiperspirants will build up over time, getting harder and harder to remove. Fortunately, deodorant washes out easily in any one of these ten easy ways.
How to recognize antiperspirant deodorant stains
Don’t confuse fresh antiperspirant stains with the more yellow perspiration stains – those build up over time and can be more difficult to remove. Marks left by antiperspirant are white and, normally, wash out quite readily if dealt with quickly.
General directions for removing antiperspirant deodorant stains
Before washing the garment, the best thing you can do is to rinse the affected area under cool water. This will prevent chemicals in the antiperspirant from being ‘fixed’ by hot water in the washing machine and causing a permanent stain.
Tip: Doing this to the underarm area of all clothing before washing will also help to stop long-term perspiration stains from developing.
Launder the garment according to fabric type. Using a biological detergent will also help to remove sweat stains but isn’t necessary just for deodorant stains, these should come out fairly easily unless they’re old.
How to remove old or heavy antiperspirant deodorant stains
1. Ammonia rinses
For fresh antiperspirant stains, soak the clothing in cold water and ammonia. The ammonia will actively neutralize the acids found in the antiperspirant and will remove antiperspirant stains from the cloth.
2. Vinegar scrubs
White vinegar is an effective way to remove antiperspirant stains from the cloth. Pour its full strength directly onto the stain, allowing it to soak in fully. You can use as much white vinegar as you need. After the stain has soaked, scrub it until the stain has lightened. Reapply the vinegar, leave the shirt out overnight, and the next day throw it in the laundry as usual. The stain should be gone, but if not, repeat these steps.
3. Salt
This method helps to remove old stains that are set in the fabric. It is safe for both white and colored clothes.
Take a bit of salt, wet the part of the fabric which is stained, and scatter the salt on it. Leave it there for 8-12 hours or overnight. Then wet it once again, and add some more salt. Slightly rub the fabric. After such “peeling,” put the clothes inside the washing machine, and choose the necessary washing cycle.
4. Vinegar machine washes
Washing cloth with vinegar can remove antiperspirant stains. You can add vinegar directly to your load of clothes, from one to four cups, if you are washing several stained pieces at once.
5. Oxygen-based stain removers
Make a paste of an oxygenized detergent, bleach, or cleaner such as Oxiclean. Rub it in, let it sit for a few hours, then wash as normal. Now, enjoy your cloth without any antiperspirant stains on them
6. Lemons
Create a 50/50 mixture of lemon juice and water and pour it over the stain. Let the clothing sit for about fifteen minutes, then sprinkle salt onto the stain and scrub it in. After that, just toss it in the wash.
7. Dishwashing liquid
Dishwashing liquid can remove very stubborn stains, including stains from antiperspirants.
Put some dishwashing liquid onto the stain, rub slightly, and leave it there for 30 minutes. Then rinse the clothes.
8. Vodka
Vodka is really good at removing whitish stains from dark clothes.
To remove the stain, put some vodka on it and wait for a few minutes. The effect will be seen almost immediately. Sometimes it is worth keeping the vodka on the fabric for a longer period of time but not more than an hour. Finish by washing the item.
9. Make your own presoak
Using liquid laundry detergent and water can help you to remove antiperspirant stains. For that, you need to make a presoak mixture with detergent powder and water. Pour it over the stain and rub it in, letting it soak for at least a half-hour before washing it as you normally would.
10. Instant Remedy
If you’ve noticed deodorant marks on your top but there’s no time to change, try using a baby wipe to get rid of them. Alternatively, rubbing over the marks with a clean cloth will sometimes do the trick and, for tougher marks, a damp cloth usually works quite quickly, but you might have to rub.
How to prevent antiperspirant deodorant stains
To remove older antiperspirant marks, we highly recommend Deo-Go. It’s formulated specifically to tackle these stains and it’s easy to use – simply spray directly onto both sides of the stain and leave for at least 30 minutes before washing as normal.
Marks and stains from sweat and underarm products are inevitable, but these ten simple ways to remove antiperspirant stains can save your favorite shirt. Just remember, it’s important to treat the stains as soon as you notice them for your best shot at removing them completely.