How to Get Yellow Sweat Stains Out of White Shirts

Step by step

1. 1

   Wet the underarms

   Turn the shirt inside out. Run cool or warm water over the yellow areas until the fabric is damp all the way through.

2. 2

   Rub in dish soap

   Squeeze a little plain dish soap straight onto each yellow patch, without water mixed in. Rub it in with your fingers, then work it gently with a soft old toothbrush.

   The University of Georgia (UGA) Extension’s first method for deodorant stains is exactly this: undiluted hand dishwashing liquid, rubbed in, then laundered.

   What it looks like: the soap covers every bit of the yellow. Scrub gently, because you are working the soap in, not sanding the fabric.

3. 3

   Mix the soak

   Put on gloves. Fill a sink, tub or bucket with the warmest water the care label allows, but never boiling, because the OxiClean label says not to heat or boil it. Fill the scoop to line 3 for each gallon of water and stir until it is fully dissolved.

1. 4

   Soak 1 to 6 hours

   Push the shirt under, soap and all, so it is wet all the way through. Leave it at least 1 hour, and up to 6 for an old or dark stain. That is the soak range on the OxiClean Versatile label.

2. 5

   Wash it hot

   Move the shirt to the washer without rinsing. Add oxygen bleach powder to the drum before the clothes (the label says fill to the bottom of line B for a regular load).

   Then wash with your usual detergent in the hottest water the care label allows. UGA’s guide for sweat stains also says to launder in the hottest water, with a bleach that is safe for the garment.

3. 6

   Air dry and check it

   Hang the shirt to dry instead of using the dryer. Look at the underarms in daylight once it is dry. If you can still see yellow, repeat Steps 1 to 5.

   Do not iron it or put it in the dryer until the stain is gone. UGA says never to iron or heat a deodorant stain, and that heat on top of the chemicals can ruin most fabrics.

   What it looks like when it worked: the underarm fabric matches the rest of the shirt, with no yellow ring left in daylight.

When it will not work, and what to do instead

Old sweat stains can be stubborn. Here is what to try when the first round falls short.

• The stain is old. UGA says prompt treatment of sweat stains is necessary, because they can weaken most fibers. Repeat the soak and wash for an old stain, and handle the fabric gently while you do.
• You are tempted to use chlorine bleach. The American Cleaning Institute (ACI) says chlorine bleach turns silk, wool and spandex yellow for good, and many stretchy shirts have spandex. That is why this page sticks with oxygen bleach.
• Silk, wool or dry clean only. Skip this method entirely and take it to a dry cleaner.
• The whole shirt is dingy, not just the underarms. That is a different problem. See How to whiten yellowed white clothes without bleach.

How to keep new stains from forming

Arm & Hammer, which makes deodorant and laundry products, gives the first four tips. The last one comes from UGA. Every one costs nothing.

1. Use less. Two or three swipes, rolls or sprays per underarm is enough.
2. Let it dry. Wait until your deodorant is dry before you put your shirt on.
3. Try it at night. Arm & Hammer says antiperspirant is generally recommended at night, when your skin is dry.
4. Skip fabric softener on these shirts. The maker says softener can trap residue in the fibers and make stains harder to remove.
5. Wash sweaty shirts soon. UGA says prompt treatment of sweat stains is necessary.

Why it works

That yellow ring is not just sweat. Arm & Hammer explains that the yellow comes from a reaction between sweat, deodorant ingredients and the fabric itself. UGA adds that antiperspirants made with aluminum chloride are acidic and may change the color of some dyes.

So you are dealing with a sticky mix that has soaked into the fibers. Dish soap is made to grab onto grease and oily residue, so it loosens that mix first.

Then oxygen bleach does the brightening. The OxiClean label lists sodium carbonate peroxide, and the ACI calls this kind of ingredient a non-chlorine bleach that releases oxygen in water.

Heat is the enemy until the very end, the same way a hot pan sets an egg to the bottom. That is why the shirt air dries until you are sure.