How To Remove Deodorant & Sweat Stains from Clothes

Tired of deodorant stains ruining your outfits? Find out how to effectively remove sweat & deodorant marks from clothes with NIVEA’s expert stain-removal guide.

How To Remove Deodorant Stains

The key in learning how to remove deodorant stains is choosing the right products. Start with your laundry detergent and try switching to one that doesn’t contain chlorine bleaches. Also, as tempting as it may seem – especially with white clothing – avoid household or chlorine bleaches as they will only make things worse.

WHAT CAUSES SWEAT STAINS & DEODORANT STAINS?

Ever had photos come back and you have embarrassing sweat stains? Or how about your favourite shirt has white or yellow marks on it. Everyone gets them but why? What causes sweat stains and deodorant marks?

PREVENT DEODORANT STAINS

WHAT CAUSES WHITE DEODORANT STAINS ON BLACK CLOTHES?

Deodorant stains are different from sweat stains - these are usually white marks made up of anti-perspirant particles that contain salts and other ingredients designed to help prevent sweating. When you sweat through these ingredients, they can form solid stains that are often hard to remove in the wash.

For an easy fix to your white mark problem, let your deodorant dry before putting on your clothes. This will make it less likely for your deodorant to transfer onto your wardrobe whilst getting dressed.

For a more permanent fix, switch to NIVEA Black & White! With 72hr protection and anti-stain technology, you and your clothes will be protected for longer.

WHAT CAUSES YELLOW SWEAT STAINS ON WHITE CLOTHES?

Yellow sweat stains gradually build up from wash to wash. These stains are caused by a complex interaction between:

Your skin lipids
Sebum
Sweat
Active anti-perspirant ingredients
Laundry detergent
Water

This chemical reaction produces yellow-coloured deposits that remain stuck in the fibres of your clothes. Several factors are involved, including:

Frequency of application and changing clothes
Amount of anti-perspirant used
Your unique sweat composition
Minerals or trace elements in your tap water
Fabric composition

It’s important to note that yellow sweat stains may also occur without any anti-perspirant ingredients. Skin lipids and dirt particles in the air can alone cause persistent yellow stains.

HOW TO REMOVE DEODORANT STAINS FROM CLOTHES

Most of the time, what people refer to as deodorants are actually anti-perspirant that contain aluminium salts.
This active ingredient reduces sweat flow in the underarm areas by constricting the upper part of sweat glands. Anti-perspirants also help to reduce bacteria that cause bad odour.

Whether you use a roll-on or aerosol, find out how to get deodorant stains out of clothes with these quick and easy tips to remove deodorant stains.

The quick method: If you see your deodorant has transferred onto your clothes as you are getting dressed, try dabbing at the stain with a pair of tights before it dries.
The traditional method: If the deodorant stain is a bit more stubborn, try rubbing with your stain remover stick.
The medicine cabinet method: Crush two aspirin tablets in half a cup of boiling water. Rub the mixture into the stain and let it sit for a few hours. But, make sure to try it on a small part of your clothing first to check that the fabric can handle it.

REMOVING DEODORANT STAINS WITH HOUSEHOLD ITEMS

It's a common problem for many, how to get deodorant stains out of clothes. Luckily you can find quality cleaners for getting out deodorant stains in your home now.

When you need a home remedy for armpit stains, the best way to do it is with an acid. Acids actively dissolve the bonds between the proteins, alkali, and aluminium which cause stains.

Finding an acid might sound difficult or expensive, but don’t worry. Many great acidic products can be found around the house, or very cheaply from your local supermarket.

Next time you’re stuck with an inconvenient stain, try one of these 4 simple acidic stain remedies and see which works best for you:

HYDROGEN PEROXIDE: Soak the stain in equal parts hydrogen peroxide and water. Remember that, hydrogen peroxide has bleaching qualities so this method is only suitable for white clothes.
BAKING SODA: Mix baking (or bi-carb) soda into a paste in a 3:1 ratio with water and scrub into the stain with an old toothbrush. You can also add a dash of hydrogen peroxide for an extra boost on white clothes. And, if you don’t have baking soda around, pure plain soda water will do the trick, too.
WHITE VINEGAR: Combine two tablespoons of vinegar with one cup of water and soak clothing.
LEMON JUICE: Simply combine lemon juice with an equal amount of water and scrub it into the stain.

Steps to Remove the Stains

After you’ve applied the liquid or paste to the stain, let the clothes sit for at least an hour before you wash them in hot water.

Washing clothes before you treat stains can set the proteins and make them much harder to get out.

WARNING: Always be careful when working with any acids, especially when treating delicate and colourful fabrics as acid solutions can damage them.

Citric acid is also slightly hazardous in case of skin contact, eye contact, ingestion or inhalation. For this reason, we highly recommend wearing protective gloves when handling citric acid and to not breathe in citric acid dust.

Salt works as an abrasive cleaning agent to scrub the stain out. You'll need to put some elbow grease into it because it doesn't have any natural bleaching effect, but this can be used on clothing of all different colours.

TIPS TO HELP PREVENT DEODORANT STAINS

How to remove deodorant stains from black shirts quickly? See some simple tips below to help you prevent the future formation of deodorant stains on your clothes.

SHAKE IT!

Make sure to shake your product well to ensure that the aluminium chlorohydrate powder is evenly distributed in the can and subsequently on the skin itself. In order to avoid white marks, all anti-perspirants must be fully absorbed or dried sufficiently on the skin before putting on clothes.

CONSIDER OTHER FACTORS

The colour of stains on clothing might be influenced by trace metals in the tap water or whitening agents in your laundry detergent. Moreover, clothing materials might not be sweat-proof and transfer their dye onto lighter-coloured clothes due to bleeding.