Happy New Year! It’s time to head back to work, wearing all of those neatly pressed shirts that you received over the holidays. Unfortunately, one of the stains that plague our work shirts are deodorant stains, caused by the reaction of the aluminum salts in the deodorant with your sweat.
One way to minimize this staining is to treat the underarms of your shirts every week; once the staining has built up, it becomes more difficult to remove. For weekly treating, make a 50/50 solution of vinegar and water and use a soft bristled toothbrush to rub in the solution to the area. The vinegar can work to soften the stain.
Once treated, gently scrape any flakes off of the clothing and run water through the stain to rinse away as much of the stain as possible. Then pour a small amount of your favourite
detergent (perhaps Purex Mountain Breeze liquid detergent) and gently rub into the stained area. Let the detergent sit for approximately five minutes and then launder as usual with a dose of detergent.
Treating the underarms of your shirts every week will help to prevent the build up that turns into the yellow, hard stain that can be seen on older, untreated items. Do remember that bleaching these stains might remove some of the yellowing, but it will leave behind the crunchy feeling that tends to come over time.
Hope everyone has a wonderful 2020 – and as always, happy stain fighting!
