In the laundry industry, different types of tough stains exist that are hard to take off. But expert laundry delivery service providers would always know how to return a spotless set of laundry to your doorsteps. What about sweat stains?

Unlike other stains that come from food, dust, and dirt– sweat stains occur when the salt in your sweat reacts with the compounds in your deodorant or antiperspirant. This chemical reaction results in yellowish stains on the pits of your clothes. Depending on the type of fabric and how soon till you try removing the stains— they may or may not become stubborn stains.

Keeping that in mind— you can either book your laundry delivery service provider as soon as possible, or you can work on removing it yourself as soon as you see sweat stains on your clothes.

Wash, Dry, and Fold: Ways to Remove Sweat Stains

Here are some helpful tips for removing sweat stains from your favorite shirt or tops:

Soak your clothes in distilled vinegar.

Although you want to remove the sweat stain quickly, bleaching it may be too harsh on the clothes. Use distilled vinegar instead. Vinegar has mild bleaching priorities and it can help you remove sweat stains from your clothes.

Mix equal quantities of water and distilled vinegar. Then soak your stained clothes in the mixture for one hour. This method does not only work on sweat stains but also on any other mild stains.

Unlike bleach, vinegar is not harmful to clothes despite being a type of acid (acetic acid). That said, you should NOT mix vinegar and bleach as they can produce chlorine gas, which is harmful to humans. And it can also cause your colored clothes to fade significantly.

Apply stain removal paste on the area.

Stain removers or stain pastes have strong bleaching agents like hydrogen peroxide that work on stubborn stains on clothes. Aside from the bleaching agent, stain removal pastes contain other strong stain-removal ingredients such as baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and salt.

Fortunately, you do not have to break the bank to make your own stain removal paste. All you need to do is to mix a tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide, a tablespoon of salt, and half a cup of baking soda.

Apply the mixture to the sweat-stained area using a brush. Let it soak for up to one hour. After that, you can wash or dry your clothes accordingly. 

Since this method uses strong bleaching agents, stain removal pastes are only recommended for white clothes. Using it on colored clothes can result in discoloration.

Soak your clothes in a soapy solution.

If you feel like the sweat stain on your shirt is not deep-seated, then you may be able to get it off with just a soapy solution. Most soap and detergents in the market will do this method. You just need to pour and mix your soap or detergent of choice in water then soak your stained clothes in it. Leave your clothes in the solution for at least an hour before you wash them normally.

Keep in mind that this method will only work on fresh sweat stains and not on deep-seated stains.

Use lemon juice on the area.

You can use lemon juice to disinfect materials and surfaces. You can also use it as a stain remover for all sorts of things– even your clothes!

All you need to do is to mix 2/3 part water and 1/3 parts lemon juice then apply it to the sweat stain area. Gently rub the lemon-water solution on the pits of your shirt. Leave it for one hour before washing the solution off.

You can also mix half a cup of lemon juice with your everyday detergent and use that mixture in your washing machine.

The Takeaway

Sweat stains can be tough to remove especially when they have been sitting on your clothes for a long time. The sooner you can attend to it the better. If you can book your laundry delivery service provider as soon as possible– then they can take the burden off your shoulder. However, you can always do it by yourself with the help of the tips above.