Sweat Stains on Shirts, Treated With a Detergent-First Method

Read the care label, and know when to stop

The University of Georgia Extension puts the rule this way on its perspiration page. “Always read the care label before trying any stain removal method. Do not use any products or procedures prohibited by the care label.”

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension makes the same point and adds a hard limit. Its procedures do not apply to fabrics labelled “dry clean”, which should go to the cleaner as soon as possible after being stained, with the fibre content and the type of stain identified for the cleaner.

Pretest every product

The University of Georgia’s instruction is “Always pretest each cleaning agent on an inconspicuous area first to determine colorfastness.”

Texas A&M describes how to run that pretest. Apply the amount the package recommends to a hidden area of the garment, let it stand two to five minutes, then rinse, and if the colour or the texture is affected, do not use that product on the stain.

One product at a time

Texas A&M’s rule is the one that matters most on this page, and it reads “Never mix stain removers, especially ammonia and bleach. If more than one remover is needed, rinse thoroughly between the treatments.” The American Cleaning Institute carries the same caution, that mixing chlorine bleach and ammonia produces hazardous fumes.

Both extension guides also say to read and follow the package directions for any product used, and to work in a well-ventilated area.

No dryer, no iron, until the mark has gone

Texas A&M’s warning is “Heat sets stains. Do not dry a stained fabric in the dryer or press it until you are sure all of the stain has been removed.” The American Cleaning Institute repeats it in its general rules, “Do not put it in the dryer until the stain is removed.” The University of Georgia is absolute for deodorant marks, saying “Never iron or apply heat to a material with a deodorant stain.”

What it is

Antiperspirant and deodorant are different products

An American Academy of Dermatology news release, giving tips from Dr Shoshana Marmon and the AAD, puts the distinction this way, “Antiperspirant helps reduce sweating by plugging your sweat glands when you start to sweat, while deodorant only masks or stops body odor.” The AAD’s hyperhidrosis advice says the same in fewer words, “Antiperspirants help reduce sweating. Deodorants don’t”, and notes that some products contain both, so check the label on the one you use.

The laundry guides describe what an antiperspirant leaves behind. In its deodorant entry, Texas A&M says, “Residues of aluminum or zinc salts may be impossible to remove.” The University of Georgia adds, “Deodorants and antiperspirants containing substances such as aluminum chloride are acidic and may change the color of some dyes.”

Removal

If you apply an antiperspirant or deodorant under that arm

Texas A&M’s deodorant entry reads “Apply liquid detergent to stains. Launder in warm water using recommended amount of detergent.” It adds the warning that residues of aluminium or zinc salts may be impossible to remove.

Note the temperature, since this entry says warm water rather than hot, and the University of Georgia’s ban on heat for a deodorant mark makes the dryer and the iron off limits afterwards until the mark has gone.

If you apply nothing under that arm

Texas A&M’s perspiration entry says “Work liquid detergent into stain or soak in warm water with enzyme product 20 to 30 minutes. Launder in hottest water safe for the fabric using the recommended amount of detergent.”

Hottest water safe for the fabric means what the care label allows, which is the limit that governs the whole method.

Check the shirt, dry it without heat, then check again

Check the shirt after washing. If the mark looks gone, let the shirt dry without the dryer or the iron and check it again before any tumble drying or pressing, since the guides keep heat off a stained shirt until the stain has gone.

If the mark is still there, repeat the same procedure rather than reaching for a different product. Texas A&M says its methods may need to be repeated several times to be successful, and the American Cleaning Institute says to repeat the stain removal process if necessary before the shirt goes in the dryer.

Use the antiperspirant as its label and your clinician direct

The AAD’s hyperhidrosis advice is to use an antiperspirant rather than a deodorant where the aim is less sweat, because “Antiperspirants help reduce sweating. Deodorants don’t”, and a man who wants both can choose a product that contains an antiperspirant and a deodorant together.

On timing, the AAD’s two pages speak to different situations. Its hyperhidrosis self-care page ties the bedtime application to an antiperspirant your dermatologist prescribed, and tells you to follow that dermatologist’s directions. Its news article on excessive sweating, written for a general reader who sweats heavily, says of an antiperspirant that “You may need to apply it at bedtime to dry skin, then again in the morning.”

Both statements are conditional, and both sit inside advice for heavy sweating rather than for everyone, so follow the directions on your own product and those of any clinician who prescribed it. If heavy sweating persists despite an antiperspirant, the AAD’s advice is to see a board-certified dermatologist.

Put a barrier between the skin and the shirt

The AAD’s clothing advice for heavy sweating includes “Consider wearing underarm shields or dress shields, which help protect your clothing from sweat.”

Choose fabrics that cope

The AAD’s advice for heavy sweating is to “Wear breathable fabrics like cotton”, and to carry a spare set of clothes so you can change into something dry if needed.

Our oxford cloth button-down guide covers one widely worn cotton shirting.

Treat it sooner

The American Cleaning Institute’s first rule is to deal with a stain as early as possible, because the less time a stain has to soak in the easier it will be to remove, and Texas A&M says to treat stains as soon as possible and that old stains may be impossible to remove.

Questions

Is it the sweat or the antiperspirant?

You cannot tell them apart from the look or feel of the mark, so work from what you apply under that arm and follow the matching Texas A&M entry, as the method above sets out.

Can I use hot water or not?

It depends on which entry you are following. Texas A&M’s perspiration entry says the hottest water safe for the fabric, its deodorant entry says warm water, and the care label sets the ceiling in both cases. Dry heat is different from wash water, so keep the shirt out of the dryer and away from the iron until the mark has gone.

What about vinegar, ammonia or bleach?

Each appears in one or another guide, either for colour change rather than for the mark itself or as a later step inside that guide’s own procedure. This page keeps you on one detergent-first method instead, because the guides do not tell you to chain their procedures together, and Texas A&M’s standing rule is never to mix stain removers and to rinse thoroughly between any two products.

Will bleach fix an old yellow mark?

There is no guarantee in any of the guides, and antiperspirant residues may not come out at all. Any bleach step belongs inside one guide’s own procedure, within what the care label allows and after a pretest, never mixed with ammonia or another remover. For an old mark that has resisted a repeated detergent wash, a professional cleaner is the better next call.

Does switching from an antiperspirant to a deodorant help?

The AAD says deodorants mask or stop odour and do not reduce sweating, so a switch does not reduce the perspiration side of the mark, and the laundry guides list deodorant residue as its own stain in any case.

Is a dry cleaner the answer?

Texas A&M’s advice is to leave it to a professional dry cleaner when in doubt, pointing out the location and the type of stain, while remembering that not all stains can be removed, by you or by the cleaner. Tell the cleaner what has been applied to the mark and whether the shirt has been dried or ironed since.

Why do white shirts go yellow there?

The laundry and dermatology guides used here do not explain the yellow colour. What matters for the shirt is that antiperspirant residues of aluminium or zinc salts can be impossible to remove, and that heat sets stains, so a mark that has been through the dryer may not come out.