You might love the color yellow, but not when it shows up in the armpits of your favorite white and off-white dress shirts. This problem frequently happens to both men and women, although men who wear short-sleeve and long-sleeve button-downs tend to have more experience with the issue.
What Causes Yellow Armpit Stains?
Although we frequently refer to these unsightly areas as “sweat stains,” they are not always caused by perspiration itself. Instead, yellow armpit stains can result from aluminum-based deodorant residue clinging to the fabric. Over time, the particles from the sweat-aluminum reaction discolor the shirt’s fibers, leading to dark patches.
Of course, knowing how yellow armpit stains get there is one thing, but you need to know how to remove yellow armpit stains from white shirts. Fortunately, you have several at-home and professional sweat stain remover options to get rid of these eyesores.
Vinegar or Lemon Spot Treatments
You may already have some white vinegar or a bowl of lemons in your kitchen. If your yellow armpit stains have just begun to take shape, a vinegar or lemon juice spot treatment may send them away.
Place up to three tablespoons of vinegar or fresh lemon juice in about a cup of regular tap water. Rub the mixture into the stained area using circular motions. Allow the solution to penetrate the stain for up to an hour.
Wash your shirt using your washing machine’s cold setting. Before popping it into the dryer, check to see if the yellow stain has disappeared. If it has not, try another treatment method before heat-drying.
Baking Soda and Hydrogen Peroxide Paste
Like vinegar, you probably have baking soda and hydrogen peroxide handy. Mix equal parts of these staples to form a thick paste. Then, rub the paste into the underarm areas of your shirt.
After 30 minutes, throw the shirt into the washing machine. In some cases, this method takes the yellow out completely, or at least enough to make the shirt wearable.
Alternating At-Home Yellow Armpit Stain Solutions
For notoriously tough yellow sweat stains, you may need to move from vinegar or lemon spot treatments to baking soda and hydrogen peroxide pastes and back again. Be patient as you slowly work through this process.
At some point, you should begin to see progress. If you do not, resist the urge to just throw them away. After allowing them to air dry — tumbling them in a hot dryer will only set the stains — move on to professional help.
Visiting a Professional Cleaner
When your stain resists your best home-based efforts or your yellowed white shirt is constructed of a delicate material, turn to professionals such as the community-driven team at Classic Drycleaners in one of our eight great locations in Harrisburg, Mechanicsburg, Carlisle, Etters, Lemoyne, and Enola. Or try DIY at one of our full-service attended laundromats!
Removing a few yellow armpit stains may take time, but it can be worth the fuss. Why buy all new white dress shirts just because you don’t know how you get yellow armpit stains out of white dress shirts? Try everything you can to hold onto your favorite items, including bringing them to a place dedicated to foiling life’s little messes and stains such as Classic Drycleaners.
Tags: stain removal, yellow stains