How to Remove Deodorant Stains from White Clothing

It’s great to get outside and enjoy nice, hot weather, but what’s not so great is the stains. Deodorant stain, white shirt… they don’t work so well together, do they? Deodorant can leave your shirts with ugly yellow marks on the underarms, but don’t panic – here’s everything you need to know about how to remove deodorant stains from white shirts.

Pre-treat deodorant stains to loosen them using a good quality laundry detergent like Breeze. Breeze with ActivBleach can be especially beneficial for white clothing, helping to restore the original colour. Always test your item is color-fast on an inconspicuous area before saturating the garment – ideally on an inside seam where discoloration will not be noticeable.

Key Steps for Removing Deodorant Stains on White Shirts

Think it’s difficult to get rid of deodorant stains? Think again. Deodorant removal from clothes is actually very easy when you know how. There’s only 3 steps separating you from fresh, clean, crisp-looking clothing:

• Step 1: Pre-Treat the Stain

Deodorant stains on white shirts respond very well to pre-treatments before being cleaned in the washing machine. Vinegar is an effective cleaning treatment – not only can it help to break up stains, but it can also help to neutralise any not-so-fresh odors that are still lingering after that hot, sweaty run you went on. On white clothing, always use white vinegar – if you use darker coloured vinegar, you’ll be left with even more stains to deal with.

• Step 2: Soak the Clothing

After neutralising the stains with vinegar, you can help to break down the stains even further by soaking the clothing overnight in a detergent such as Breeze. If you lead a busy life, you’ll love how easy this is – simply mix together warm water and Breeze like you were hand washing, and leave your clothing to soak. That’s it – there’s nothing more to it. The water and detergent will work together to help draw the stain out of the material. Simple!

• Step 3: Wash as Normal

The final step is perhaps the easiest of all – simply pop your stained clothing into the washing machine with a bit more Breeze. There’s no need to wash at very hot temperatures – 30 degrees should remove the stain effectively, but always check your care labels first to see what temperatures the manufacturer recommends. You should find that your white clothing looks fresh and clean, but if some discoloration remains, simply repeat steps 1 to 3.

Now that you know how to remove deodorant stain marks quickly and easily, there’s no need to worry when those warmer months roll around each year. No longer do you need to make a choice between having fresh-smelling underarms or fresh-looking clothing. You really can have both, and all you need is a bit of white vinegar and a great detergent like Breeze that’s powerful on stains, yet gentle on your clothing.

Do you want to learn which household cleaning tasks cause the most stress?  Then read our Heated Household data analysis.