How To Remove Deodorant Stains From Clothes

Ideally, you want people to know you’re wearing deodorant from your great body smell, not from the conspicuous white and yellow deodorant stains covering your shirt or t-shirt. In the same light, you don’t want your deodorant to destroy shirts, t-shirts, or dresses. Unfortunately, deodorant streaks are seemingly inevitable. As such, you need to learn how to remove these stains from your clothes and be proactive in getting rid of them before becoming a permanent fixture in all of your clothes.

Luckily, being a common issue that many people face, there are plenty of solutions for you to consider. From simple DIY hacks, hiring a professional laundry & dry cleaning company, to an all-encompassing approach to using deodorants to how you wash your clothes, there is a lot you can do.

Prevent Deodorant Stains Instead Of Removing Them

The best way you can deal with deodorant stains is to prevent the stains from arising in the first place. With this in mind, consider wearing clothes after the deodorant has completely dried. Doing this will reduce the transfer of the deodorant material to your clothes, thereby negating white streaks from developing on your clothes.

Closely related to the above tip, consider using your deodorant sparingly. The more you use, the more deodorant materials lurk around on your skin. Inadvertently, the excess material will find its way on your clothes, creating the perfect conditions for deodorant stains to develop.

Another prevention tip to live by is to wash your clothes, especially the light-colored and white ones, as soon as you remove them. Washing our clothes soon after removing the clothes prevents sweat from mixing with the deodorant ingredients, which form the yellow stains we’ve grown to hate.

A change in the type of deodorant you use might also help. All-natural deodorant, especially the aluminum-free variety, will reduce deodorant stains from arising. Alternatively, consider using a spray or gel instead of the typical solid deodorant.

It is also essential to know that deodorant stains do not form right after your first wash. In most cases, the stain you notice is an accumulated deposit of compounds resulting from the reaction between salts and antiperspirant ingredients. With that in mind, you can take a proactive approach to stop the stains from developing by thoroughly cleaning your clothes using the right detergents (bio detergents) in every wash.

Remove Deodorant Stains Using Household Items

1. Lemon Juice And Water

Take equal parts lemon and water and apply on the stain. Leave the garment in the sun to dry for an hour or two. The combination of solar radiation and the acidity of lemon juice fade the stain. After that, wash the item as you would in your laundry machine.

Another way you could use lemon is to squeeze it directly on the stain and then apply enough salt to cover the stain. Rub the stain until it vanishes, and then leave the clothing item in the sun to dry for 30 minutes. After that, throw the garment in your washing machine for a thorough wash.

2. Nylon Stockings

This hack is best used to clean deodorant stains from colored garments. To use this method, rub dry nylon stocking on the stain and then wash the clothing item in your washing machine. During the wash cycle, use a color-safe detergent.

Instead of nylon stocking, you could also use clean socks or even a towel.

3. Hydrogen Peroxide And Dish Soap

A dish soap-hydrogen peroxide concoction is a tough stain remover capable of cleaning red wine, oil, and, importantly, deodorant stains. However, being a potent mixture, you should use the concoction properly.

Mix 6 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide with 3 tablespoons of dish soap. (Alternatively, you can mix hydrogen peroxide with water instead of dish soap.)

Thoroughly mix the liquids to get a consistent mixture. Use a scrub brush or toothbrush to apply the solution to the stain. To this end, dip the brush in the solution and gently scrub the stain.

Scrubbing the stain for a few minutes will remove the stain. However, for an even better effect, leave the garment out to dry for 30 to 60 minutes. After that, throw the garment in the washing machine and clean it as you normally do your laundry.

Keep in mind that hydrogen peroxide has bleaching properties that can discolor colored garments. It is best to use this method with white or light-colored clothes.

4. White Vinegar

White vinegar works in a similar manner as hydrogen peroxide. To use white vinegar, concoct 1 part white vinegar to 4 parts of warm water and then wet or spray the mixture on the stain. Rub the stain with a clean toothbrush to remove the stain. If the stain does not fade away, consider using white vinegar alone. Once the stain fades away, wash your clothes in your washing machine.

You should only use this method of deodorant stain on white garments.

5. Aspirin

The most surprising hack you could use to remove deodorant stains lies in your medicine cabinet – aspirin. Take 4 or 5 tablets of aspirin and crush them in a mortar until you get a fine dust consistency. Add a small amount of hot water to create a paste.

Apply this paste on the stain and let it sit for a few hours, preferably overnight. Wash the garment as you would normally. The paste will dissolve the stain, allowing the washing machine to remove the stain with much more ease.

However, it is essential to note that this method is most effective when removing stains from light and white garments. It can damage darker garments, making the situation worse.

6. Baking Soda And Water

You can use baking soda much the same you can use aspirin to remove deodorant stains. It is an ideal solution for removing yellow deodorant stains. Make a paste using 3 parts baking soda and 1 part water. Rub the paste onto the stain and rub the paste gently with a clean brush. Then cover the stained area with the paste and allow the garment to sit for 2 to 3 hours. Throw the garment in your washing machine and clean it as you would normally do.

7. Neat Laundry Detergent

Bio detergents tend not to use chlorine, which makes the stain more pronounced. Apply a small amount of bio detergent on the stain and rub it using a toothbrush or a stain remover ball. Allow the garment to sit for 30 minutes and wash the garment in a hot wash cycle, obviously minding the care label.

8. Meat Tenderizer Powder

Regular unseasoned tenderizer powder can get the deodorant stains out of garments. To use this method, start by wetting the stain with warm water. Thereafter, sprinkle an ample amount of unseasoned meat tenderizer on the stain. Massage the area, ensuring the entire area is covered with powder. Leave the powder on the stain for an hour or two before laundry washing the garments.

While these hacks are easy to use, you can give your clothes are professional clean to protect them from the pesky deodorant stains. At Valet Laundry, we have the experience, expertise, and equipment to protect your clothes, both colored and white garments, from pesky deodorant stains. Whether you need regular laundry services or occasional services, we are up to the challenge.