How to Get Deodorant Stains Out of Shirts: 4 Methods Cleaning Experts Trust
Updated: Apr. 18, 2024
If pesky white marks or yellowed, set-in stains are causing you to make a stink, take advice from these laundry pros. They know the simplest, most effective way to get deodorant stains out of shirts.
In my decade-plus career as a cleaning editor in New York City, I often donned the stereotypical black attire. Jeans and a black T-shirt were my go-to uniform. And with it came the inevitable deodorant streaks. Now that I live in Florida, the colors of my wardrobe have broadened a bit, but the fight against deodorant stains remains. So I reached out to a dry-cleaning professional and a fabric-care scientist to determine just how to get deodorant stains out of shirts and other clothing.
Luckily, their immediate solution was the same—and simple to boot. Ahead, the duo explains how to remove telltale deodorant streaks from clothing and even expands on the topic for those of us who may be dealing with set-in deodorant stains as well. As the saying goes, knowledge is power. And when you learn how to remove stains of all kinds, that power feels incredibly liberating.
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About the experts
Reviewed for accuracy by: Mary Marlowe Leverette, a highly regarded fabric-care, stain-removal and housekeeping expert with more than 40 years of experience. |
How to get fresh deodorant stains out of shirts
You swiped on deodorant, waited a couple seconds and then hurried into your shirt before hurrying out the door—only to later realize your black tee is streaked with white. These stains may be a pain, but they’re thankfully easy to handle. To find out exactly how to get deodorant stains out of shirts, I turned to Zachary Pozniak, a fourth-generation dry cleaner and co-owner of New York City’s Jeeves, and Sammy Wang, a fabric-care scientist at Procter and Gamble.
Both cleaning pros agree that the first course of action against pesky deodorant marks is a simple one: Rub away the transfer spots. The great news about this method is that you can use the marked-up garment to clean itself in a pinch.
Supplies you’ll need
All you need is a clean item made from a tight-knit fabric, like a form-fitting shirt or a pair of tights. (Don’t have anything on hand? That’s OK. Below, Wang also explains how to do away with deodorant marks sans supplies.)
Step 1: Rub the mark
Using the tight-knit fabric, “rub the deodorant mark briskly but gently so as not to snag or abrade the fabric,” says Wang. If you are on the go, simply rub the garment against itself over the deodorant mark.
Step 2: Repeat
Continue rubbing until the deodorant mark fades from your clothing. Yes, it’s truly as simple as that.
Here’s what happened when I followed this cleaning method at home
As I said, I’m no stranger to errant deodorant marks and have been known to use the on-the-go method of rubbing the garment against itself to remove the discoloration.
But I’ve never tried remedying the issue with a separate, tight-weave garment. So I grabbed a dark top, intentionally smeared deodorant on it and grabbed a pair of tights. The experts’ cleaning tips worked like a charm!
I held the tights taut around my fingers and used a sweeping movement over the deodorant marks. Since I had a fair amount of deodorant on the shirt, I found that using a new spot on the tights every so often helped remove fresh stains fastest.
How to get set-in deodorant stains out of shirts
Doing away with fresh deodorant stains is a simple task, but the method above won’t cut it when it comes to set-in stains. “Deodorant marks are generally easy to remove because they are just deodorant that’s been transferred to fabrics, whereas deodorant stains accumulate over time as the compounds in deodorant and body oils react to one another and get set in on fabrics,” explains Wang.
You can tell the two apart fairly quickly: Fresh stains will appear white against the fabric, while set-in sweat stains can make the underarm area appear yellowed. If you’re dealing with the latter, there are a few techniques you can try to remove the deodorant stains and revive your clothing.
Pretreat with detergent
First, dilute the stain by rinsing it in warm water. Cover the entire stain with laundry detergent, using it as a pre-treatment. Rub gently, and let it sit for 20 minutes. Toss the garment into the wash, without rinsing, and launder as usual.
Wang also recommends adding a fabric rinse to your washing machine’s fabric softener compartment. (She suggests Tide Clean Boost, part of P&G Fabric Care’s product line, but you have plenty of other options.) The machine will release the liquid during the rinse cycle, helping remove stuck-on residue and buildup.
| ♦ Pro Tip |
| Check that the deodorant stain has been removed before transferring the garment to the dryer, as the heat could set in the stain. |
Soak with vinegar
Want to treat those stains with a natural cleaner? You’re in luck. Instead of pretreating with detergent, soak the stained area of the garment in distilled white vinegar for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight. Rinse before laundering as usual.
No matter how stained your shirt, avoid the one-two combo of soaking in vinegar and washing with bleach—that’s a safety concern. “Never mix vinegar with chlorine bleach, as it can create a dangerous gas,” warns Wang.
Wash with vinegar
Instead of using distilled white vinegar as a stain-busting presoak, you can use it as a fabric rinse in a top-loading machine. Toss the garment into the washing machine with detergent. During the rinse cycle, add five cups of vinegar directly into the drum. (This won’t work for front-loading machines, so if you have one, you’ll need to stick with the vinegar presoak, Wang says.)
Just be sure you’re adding it during rinse cycle. “Vinegar has a low pH, which can negatively impact the cleaning and stain-removal performance of detergent,” says Wang, “so avoid combining vinegar and detergent in the wash cycle.”
Treat with a rust-stain remover
“The white staining from underarm products is caused by aluminum corroding when exposed to our sweat,” says Pozniak. For that reason, he says Carbona Rust & Perspiration stain remover is a good solution. Dab the discoloration with the stain remover and let it sit for at least an hour before laundering as usual.
FAQs
Why do my shirts still have deodorant stains after washing?
“Deodorant stains are especially stubborn,” explains Wang. “They are a result of a reaction of the fats and proteins in sweat with the aluminum zirconium in antiperspirant. Not only do these body oils react with the ingredients in antiperspirant, [but] they also react with the fibers of your clothes, often causing yellowing over time. The longer these residues remain on your fabric and set into the fibers, the harder it becomes to remove these stains.”
That’s why it’s so important to tackle these yellow stains as soon as you notice them. “As with all stains, if they aren’t treated and neutralized correctly, they will remain after washing in a machine” Pozniak adds.
What can you do if at-home cleaning doesn’t remove all set-in deodorant stains?
DIY solutions are inexpensive, easy and likely to get the job done. But if your set-in stains are particularly stubborn, there’s one more tactic to try: Bring the item to a dry cleaner. Pozniak says they have access to more powerful commercial cleaners that could do the trick. Plus, they’re experts in knowing how to get deodorant stains out of shirts.
How do I prevent deodorant stains?
Consider switching to an aluminum-free antiperspirant or wear an undershirt that you don’t mind getting stained instead.
Why trust us
At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field, in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. For this piece on how to get deodorant stains out of shirts, Stephanie Sisco tapped her experience as a longtime home and cleaning editor, and then Mary Marlowe Leverette, a highly regarded fabric-care, stain-removal and housekeeping expert with more than 40 years of experience, gave it a rigorous review to ensure that all information is accurate and offers the best possible advice to readers. We also relied on reputable primary sources, including a professional dry-cleaner and fabric-care scientist. We verified all facts and data and backed them with credible sourcing, and we will revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Zachary Pozniak, professional dry cleaner and co-owner of Jeeves New York who shares his clothing-care advice on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram; email interview, Feb. 15, 2024
- Sammy Wang, senior fabric-care scientist for P&G Fabric Care; email interview, Feb. 19, 2024
Originally Published: March 18, 2021
