How to Remove Underarm Stains and Odor from Clothes

By
Mary Marlowe Leverette
Mary Marlowe Leverette 2018
Mary Marlowe Leverette
Mary Marlowe Leverette is one of the industry's most highly-regarded housekeeping and fabric care experts, sharing her knowledge on efficient housekeeping, laundry, and textile conservation. She is also a Master Gardener with over 40 years' experience; writing for over 20 years.
Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process
Updated on 04/07/22
Reviewed by
Katie Berry
Katie Berry
Reviewed by Katie Berry
Katie Berry is a cleaning expert with 30 years of household management experience and 12 years of writing about cleaning methods and routines for Housewife How-Tos. She is the author of several books about homemaking.
Learn more about The Spruce's Review Board
Fact checked by
Emily Estep
Emily Estep
Fact checked by Emily Estep
Emily Estep is a plant biologist and fact-checker focused on environmental sciences. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and a Master of Science in Plant Biology from Ohio University. Emily has been a proofreader and editor at a variety of online media outlets over the past decade.
Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process
Methods to Remove Underarm Stains

The Spruce

Project Overview
  • Working Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 2 hrs
  • Skill Level: Beginner

Underarm sweat stains are obvious and embarrassing. Unfortunately, even if you manage to keep your cool next time, the stains and odor can remain in the fabric if you don't wash shirts correctly. Add just a bit of warmth, and the odor comes right back.

Armpit stains on clothes are caused by a reaction involving antiperspirant ingredients and your sweat. Most antiperspirants contain aluminum compounds to reduce wetness. It is the aluminum that causes the build-up and yellowing on white shirts. The stains don’t appear overnight, but without proper washing after each wear, the stains will start to look yellow on white shirts.

Tips

  • A stain remover or laundry soap bar near the hamper jumpstarts the process of stain removal.
  • Keep a spray bottle with a 50-50 solution of white distilled vinegar and water handy and spray the underarms of white and colored shirts before washing. Let the solution soak in for 10 to 15 minutes before washing.

Preventing Armpit Stains

There are two ways to prevent armpit stains on your shirts, and both have to do with the way you use deodorant. Switching to an aluminum-free deodorant can help. In addition, after applying any type of deodorant or antiperspirant, allow it to dry before dressing to prevent rub-off on fabrics. If pressed for time, use a hairdryer for a couple of seconds (this will also eliminate deodorant marks on the clothes). 

Reducing Armpit Odor

If you notice a lingering odor after washing, baking soda can boost the cleaning power of your laundry detergent. Baking soda helps regulate the pH level in the washer's water and adding one-half cup to each laundry load helps detergent work more effectively and reduces bacteria.

For heavy perspiration odors, use baking soda as a presoak. Dissolve one cup of baking soda in some warm water. Fill the ​washer tub or a large sink with cool water and add the dissolved baking soda. Submerge stinky clothes and allow them to soak overnight and then wash as usual. 

1:08

Watch Now: How to Remove Underarm Stains and Odor From Clothes

What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

For All Methods

  • Soft bristle brush
  • Washing machine
  • Non-metal mixing bowl
  • Rubber gloves

Materials

Baking Soda Method

  • 1/4 cup baking soda
  • 1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide (3% solution)
  • Water
  • Heavy-duty laundry detergent

Oxygen Bleach Method

  • 2 tablespoons oxygen-based bleach powder
  • 2 tablespoons household ammonia
  • Heavy-duty laundry detergent

White Vinegar Method

  • 1 cup distilled white vinegar
  • Water
  • Heavy-duty laundry detergent

For Collar and Cuffs

  • Solvent-based stain remover
  • Laundry soap bar
  • Water
  • Heavy-duty laundry detergent

Instructions

Baking Soda Method for Yellow Stains

Baking soda often works wonders at getting the yellow hue out of shirts and restoring them to their original bright white color.

Be certain that your shirt is washable. If it says dry clean only, believe the tag. Dry clean after each wear to prevent armpit yellowing. If your shirt is white and washable, there are two methods for removing the yellow stains and stiffness. Success will depend upon how old the stains are and the fabric content of your shirt; cotton clothes whiten best.

If you notice the beginnings of yellow stains, stop tossing the shirt in the dryer until you can treat the stains. The heat can set in residual stains making them almost impossible to remove. Dry white shirts in the sun to increase the whiteness. 

  1. Make the Mixture

    Mix one part baking soda, one part hydrogen peroxide, and one part water. (A quarter cup of each for this mixture cleans one shirt.)

    Making a mixture for underarm stains

    The Spruce / Ana-Maria Stanciu

  2. Rub

    Rub the mixture onto the stained area, using a sponge or an old toothbrush. Alternatively, you can sponge the stain with undiluted white vinegar. Allow the item to sit with the solution for up to 30 minutes.

    Rubbing the sweat stain with baking soda mixture

    The Spruce / Ana-Maria Stanciu

  3. Wash

    Wash as usual with heavy-duty laundry detergent in warm or cold water.

    Washing the garment like normal

    The Spruce / Ana-Maria Stanciu

Oxygen Bleach Method for Yellow Stains

Aside from baking soda, a combination of oxygen bleach and ammonia is another great method for removing yellow armpit stains. This should only be used on white fabrics, since it has the same bleaching action as hair bleach. It should also be a last resort, since it can weaken fabrics.

Warning

Never use chlorine bleach with ammonia, as deadly fumes can occur.

  1. Mix Ingredients

    Find a well-ventilated room to mix ingredients. Be sure to put on rubber gloves.

    Mix one part oxygen-based bleach (OxiClean, Nellie's All-Natural Oxygen Brightener, or OXO Brite) and one part household ammonia in a non-metal bowl. (Use about two tablespoons of each ingredient per shirt.)

    Oxygen-based bleach mixed with ammonia in glass bowl

    The Spruce / Nelly Cuanalo

  2. Rub Into Fabric

    Rub the solution into stains with a soft-bristled brush for at least one minute.

    Oxygen-based bleach solution rubbed into underarm stain with old toothbrush

    The Spruce / Nelly Cuanalo

  3. Let Mixture Soak In

    Allow the solution to work for at least 10 minutes before washing away.

    Oxygen-based bleach solution soaking in underarm stain on white shirt

    The Spruce / Nelly Cuanalo

  4. Wash

    Wash as usual with heavy-duty laundry detergent in warm or cold water.

    Oxygen-based bleach shirt placed in washing machine

    The Spruce / Nelly Cuanalo

White Vinegar Method for Colored Shirts

Underarm stains are very evident on white shirts because the fabric turns yellow. While they may not be as apparent on dark-colored shirts, they are there. The underarm stains from deodorant and body soil trap bacteria, cause odor, stiffness, and discoloration of the fabric. If the deodorant build-up has left the fabric stiff and a heavy sweat odor is present, take the following steps.

  1. Pretreat

    Mix a one-to-one solution of white distilled vinegar and water. Use a soft-bristled brush or an old toothbrush to scrub the armpits before soaking.

    White distilled vinegar and water mixed into underarm stained shirt with old toothbrush

    The Spruce / Nelly Cuanalo

  2. Mix Ingredients

    Fill a washing machine or large bucket with cool water. Add one cup of white distilled vinegar.

    Plastic bucket filled with white distilled vinegar

    The Spruce / Nelly Cuanalo

  3. Soak Shirts

    Add the colored shirts. Allow shirts to soak for at least 30 minutes.

    Gray shirt soaking in bucket with white distilled vinegar

    The Spruce / Nelly Cuanalo

  4. Drain

    Drain the vinegar/water solution.

    Plastic bucket pouring out white distilled vinegar in sink

    The Spruce / Nelly Cuanalo

  5. Wash

    Wash as usual in cool water with a heavy-duty detergent.

    Gray shirt with stain placed in washing machine

    The Spruce / Nelly Cuanalo

Method for Collar and Cuff Stains

Similar to armpit stains, stains on collars or cuffs can be difficult to remove thanks to a combination of sweat, body oil, and daily soil. The key to keeping collars clean is to tackle the oily stains after every shirt wearing. 

  1. Pretreat

    Pre-treat stained areas using a solvent-based stain removal product, or a laundry soap bar like Fels-Naptha or Zote, or a bit of heavy-duty liquid detergent like Tide or Persil.

    Heavy-duty liquid detergent pretreating collar on white shirt

    The Spruce / Nelly Cuanalo

  2. Brush in Stain Remover

    Work the stain remover into the fabric with a soft-bristled brush. Allow the stain remover to work at least 10 minutes before washing.

    Heavy-duty liquid detergent working on white shirt collar

    The Spruce / Nelly Cuanalo

  3. Wash

    Wash the shirt as usual in the highest water temperature appropriate for the fabric using the recommended amount of heavy-duty detergent.

    White collared shirt placed in washing machine

    The Spruce / Nelly Cuanalo

  4. Repeat if Necessary

    Inspect the clothes before drying at high heat. If stains remain, do not dry. Repeat treatment if necessary.

    White collar inspected for stains before drying

    The Spruce / Nelly Cuanalo

Article Sources
The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. Facts about Chlorine. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.