Sweat or perspiration can cause quite the problem stains, particularly on silk and wool garments. Perspiration left in a silk garment can eventually cause deterioration of the silk fibers. This invisible stain becomes quite visible after aging or from the heat during the dry cleaning process.

Repeated exposure of a garment to perspiration and body oils can create a permanent yellow discoloration on the fabric (not to mention an objectionable odor). In addition, perspiration can react with the dye or sizing in the fabric, making it even more difficult to remove the stain.

People who perspire heavily should have their clothes cleaned more frequently and should consider using perspiration shields. Clothing frequently worn or heavily stained also requires frequent cleaning. Lots of everyday situations cause people to work up a sweat. The stain removal tips below will make sure unsightly underarm circles and other sweat stains remain your little secret.

Basic Stain Removal

• Any liquid bleach should be sufficient for removing sweat stains from clothes. Generally, one teaspoon of liquid bleach solution in ten liters of water (preferably with about twenty-five to thirty grams of detergent in it) should do. Liquid Bleach cannot be used for silk, dyed and wool clothes, though.
• For a more specific method in using bleach, try a simple spot treatment, like those made by Clorox. You’ll want to do this immediately after you’ve come home from either a long day or work or a sweaty day at the gym. Just dab a little on both pits—even if you don’t see a stain forming yet—and let it sit for a few minutes.
• Instead of using just borax, why not use it with washing soda for better laundry results? A cup of borax and washing soda (sodium bicarbonate) make good stain removers (because boric acid, sold in a convenient little box under the brand 20 Mule Team Borax, is an eco-friendly alternative to bleach) as well as odor removers (which is what the washing soda is for) to boot.
• Everyone knows that chlorine bleach is bad for the environment, so if you want to get rid of sweat stains without killing fish, try hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide is sometimes sold as "non-chlorine bleach" and its uses are profound.

Home Remedies for Sweat Stains

These are suggestions offered by mothers and fathers who have little else than anecdotal evidence to support their claims. This article will attempt to inject each suggestion with a little bit of science so they might make more sense:

• A vinegar ’sprinkle’ should be fairly effective in stain removal. As close to the time after taking off the garment, sprinkle or rub white vinegar into the affected areas. The acid from the vinegar seems to react in favor of stain removal from the garment. You can let it dry and wash at a later time or wash immediately, it doesn’t seem to matter which.
• Use hair shampoo on yellowing stains on collars and underarms. Scrub it in with an old toothbrush. Use shampoo made for oily hair, as this helps breakdown the body oil and fat deposits left on the clothing. Just toss it in the washing machine after you scrub it.
• The Palmolive dish detergent should work as well in removing sweat stains. Soak the affected area with the liquid, let sit for at least an hour and then wash as usual. You can also use it for the ring around the collar as well. You could also try the new anti-bacterial dish detergent from the very same brand.



• Spray the underarm area with a "clear" mouthwash (Dr. Tichenor’s, for example) before laundering. It is even safe to let it sit on there for a few days before washing without it causing the clothing to fade. Don’t use it on delicate fabrics; for the most part, it works well on a lot of "workday" and "play" clothes.
• To remove odors from clothing when washing the clothes, squeeze in a healthy squirt of toothpaste around the tub of the washer, then add your detergent, water, and clothes into the tub. Just keep a cheap tube of toothpaste in the laundry room handy; its minty goodness isn’t reserved for mouths anymore.

Sweat Stain Removal by Clothes Material

Cover with an absorbent pad moistened with wet spotter. Let the pad remain in place as long as any stain is being removed. Change the pad as it picks up the stain. Keep both the stain and pad moist with wet spotter and ammonia. Flush well with water and allow it to dry thoroughly.

If fabric color has changed, stretch the stained area over a bowl of ammonia so fumes could penetrate it while the spot is moist. Prompt treatment of perspiration stains is necessary, as they can weaken most fibers. Caution: Never iron a garment with perspiration stains—the heat will set them.

Preventing Sweat Stains

This is because sweat usually combines with ascorbic acid and aluminum ingredients like aluminum chloride or aluminum salts to produce the yellowish sweat stain in the first place. Many people who’ve switched from using antiperspirants to plain deodorant have consequently experienced the end of their sweat stain problems.

It’s ironic, but the antiperspirant you’re using to keep from getting sweaty underarms is the very cause of your clothes’ sweat stains.

There you have it; Sweat Stain 101 from Aluminum Chloride to Washing Soda. Hopefully, you’ve found all the necessary solutions for your sweat stain problems in this quaint little piece. Class dismissed.