Removing deodorant stains – yellow marks from white shirts
Difficulty: Easy · Time: approx. 2 hours
Yellow stains under the arms aren't just sweat: they form when aluminium from your deodorant reacts with sweat and detergent. That's why a normal wash won't remove them – and each wash tends to set them a little more.
With baking soda, citric acid or oxygen bleach you can get even old, washed-in stains out again. You don't need special products, just some soaking time – and a few tricks so the stains don't come back in the first place.
What you'll need
- Gall soap for fresh stains
- Baking soda or baking powder
- Citric acid (powder) – for white laundry only
- Oxygen bleach (oxi powder)
- Household vinegar for white residue marks on dark clothes
- Soft brush, e.g. an old toothbrush
Step by step
- 1
Treat fresh stains straight away
Dampen the area, massage in gall soap and wash the shirt at 40 to 60 degrees. The sooner you act, the less likely a sweat mark turns into a yellow stain at all.
- 2
Baking soda paste for washed-in stains
Mix baking soda (or baking powder) with a little water into a paste. Apply it to the dampened stain, leave it for 1 to 2 hours, brush it out and then wash the item as usual.
- 3
Citric acid soak for stubborn stains
Dissolve about one tablespoon of citric acid per litre of warm water and soak the shirt for 1 to 2 hours – whites only though, colours can fade. Rinse thoroughly afterwards and wash.
- 4
Alternative: oxygen bleach
Dose oxygen bleach (oxi powder) according to the packet and soak the item in it, or add the bleach to the wash. It removes the yellow tinge reliably and is far gentler on fabric than chlorine.
- 5
White residue marks on dark clothes
The pale marks on dark fabric are deodorant residue. Soak the item for 30 minutes in vinegar water (one part vinegar to four parts water), then wash as usual.
- 6
Prevention
Let your deodorant dry before getting dressed, and switch to an aluminium-free deodorant. Most importantly: never dry shirts hot while the stain is still in – heat sets it.
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Upload a photo →Frequently asked questions
- Why do the stains turn yellow of all things?
- The aluminium salts from the deodorant combine with sweat and detergent residue into a yellowish deposit that lodges in the fibres. It shows most on white fabric – but it's there in coloured laundry too.
- Does washing hotter help against the yellow stains?
- No – quite the opposite. Heat can literally bake the deposit into the fabric. Treat the stain with baking soda, citric acid or oxygen bleach first, then wash at a normal temperature.
- Is switching to an aluminium-free deodorant really worth it?
- Yes, noticeably: without aluminium, the main trigger of the yellow discolouration is gone. You may still get sweat marks, but they wash out much more easily.