Removing Sweat Stains

• Getting sweat stains out of white shirt

Getting sweat stains out of white shirt

June 2004

We all have had the problem - perfectly good white shirts with ugly yellow sweat stains under the arms that makes them unbearable. Soaking in bleach doesn't seem to do a thing nor do the commercial products I've tried. I know there must be some trick, household recipe or commercial product, that will take care of it and I'm hoping someone out there has the secret to share.

I have two boys and and an active husband, sweat stains are the norm around my house. There are two things I can suggest. I don't know if you've ever heard of Stanley Home Products? It's the Tupperware of the cleaning world. My mom used to sell Stanely but she was too busy for it after awhile so we buy from her friend just down the street. Anyway, I'm sure you can go on- line for purchase. The product I buy is the Degreaser. It's WONDERFUL. It's biodegradable and it works wonders even on spaghetti sauce! I take my bottle of Degreaser and pour directly onto the stain. I do this before I start the load of laundry. After I've started the washing machine and added all the clothes, I'll put that item in last. It's like the stain was never there. I love it and won't use anything else. It's a multi- use item, you can use it to wash the soap scum off the sink or wash the grease off a casserole. The other thing you may want to try is dew bleaching. Just take a regular bar of soap and rub it on the stain. If you have a clothes line, just hang it up the night before facing the morning sun. Take it down before 9a.m. if you can. Wash the item with the rest of a load. That too has worked for me. It sounds like a wives' tale but it's one that always worked for my mom when she couldn't use bleach (delicates, ran out, etc.). Mariana

I could never find anything that got the stains out -- so I switched deoderants to Naturally Fresh Deoderant Crystal (roll- on). It has a blue top and is sold at Berkeley and EC Natural Grocery among other places. It deals well with odors and I have had the same white t-shirt now for 5 years with just the beginning of staining now -- a first for me. Big Sweater

My desperate moves include: natures' miracle (or mothers little miracle-same stuff w/ a yucky baby powder scent), fels-naptha bar that I scrub into it, and a bit of bleach in the wash, pre- soaking. And dry it in the sun, which tends to get rid of stains also. If that doesn't work after you've done it a few times, yer outta luck anon