Regular laundering can't always remove stubborn yellow underarm spots on your clothing. Careful application of antiperspirant before getting dressed can help prevent stains from forming. Cleaning strategies, such as rinsing in cool water, avoiding bleach and dryer heat, pre-treating with detergent and even using the power of the sun, can help remove perspiration stains on clothing.
Cause
Antiperspirant rather than sweat can cause those yellow stains under the arms of your clothing, according to the Sweat Solutions website. The ingredients in antiperspirant that help prevent sweating are acidic, and exposure to acidity can cause the color of fabric to change. Roll-on and gel antiperspirants are the worst offenders, since they have a more liquid formulation and get onto clothing more easily.
Prevention
To help prevent antiperspirant from yellowing or changing the color of your clothing, allow plenty of time for your deodorant-antiperspirant to dry before you get dressed. Avoid applying antiperspirant thickly, since it will take longer to dry and be more likely to get on your clothes. Thin, even and uniform application will give the best results.
Laundry Treatment
No matter how carefully you apply antiperspirant, some is likely to rub off on your clothes, particularly with close-fitting shirts or knit tops. Before attempting to remove perspiration stains from clothing, always check the care label. Stains on delicate silks or on dry-clean-only fabrics, such as wool, are best left to professionals.
If the fabric is washable, start by rinsing the stain-affected areas with cool water before laundering. This will prevent a warm laundering from setting the stain. You can also try pre-treating stains with an enzyme-based laundry product. After laundering, allow the clothing to air dry until you are sure the stains are gone. Placing perspiration-stained clothing in the dryer will only heat-set the stain, according to Home Life Weekly.
Avoid Bleach
Avoid using bleach when you launder perspiration-stained clothing. Although highly effective at removing many other kinds of stains, bleach can make sweat stains worse, even when used on white cotton. The chlorine in bleach reacts with proteins in perspiration, causing fabric stains to become even darker, according to the Mrs. Clean website.
Solar Treatment
You can also try a simple, natural treatment for removing perspiration stains from clothing, requiring only the power of the sun. After dampening affected areas of clothing, apply laundry detergent to cover stains. Place the clothing in the sun, periodically misting the treated areas with water to keep them from drying out. Leave the clothing in the sun for several hours, and launder it as usual in cool water and allow it to air dry.
