How can I get rid of stubborn underarm stains on a tee shirt that's already been washed many times?

Answer 1

If you are sure you want to keep it...I know several methods you can try.

1. Moisten the stain, then get some Fels Naptha Heavy Duty Laundry Bar Soap, work it into a good lather and use it on the stain. In case you've never heard of Fels Naptha (it's been around for over 100 years), it's a bar soap, but larger than a normal bar of soap and meant to use on clothes. You can usually find it in the laundry detergents section of the grocery stores. If you can't find it in your local grocery, check here: http://www.dialcorp.com/storelocator/storeloc2.cfm and be sure to select "laundry care." BTW, Fels Naptha is good for treating poison ivy, so you might want to get a bar of this and keep it handy....

2. Combine equal parts ammonia, liquid dishwashing soap and water, shake well and then work the solution into the stain. Let stand for 5 minutes or so, then flush the stain with water.

3. Wet the stain, then work in Biz Activated Non Chlorine Bleach into the stain before laundering.

4. Dampen the stain with warm water, and work in a mixture of laundry detergent and Biz. Let it soak for about 30 minutes, then launder.

5. Heat white vinegar, spray it on the stain, then work in Twenty Mule Team Borax.

6. Soak the shirt in Brilliant Bleach from Soapworks.

Please bear in mind that yellowed or discolored fabric may be damaged and there may be no way to salvage the shirt. I highly recommend getting a copy of the book "Talking Dirty Laundry with the Queen of Clean" by Linda Cobb. All my suggestions come from her book. She has a entire chapter in the book devoted to preventing and treating perspiration stains.

Answer 2

I had this problem on a couple of my t-shirts. Soaking the underarms in vinegar overnight (pour some vinegar in a bowl and drape the t-shirt across, just pushing the underarms in) helped. It didn't totally get rid of the stains, but it did reduce them enough that they weren't obvious.

Answer 3

Yeh, throw it away. The stains are not so much from sweat as from anti-perspirant. Don't use anti-perspirant, and your tee-shirts will last much longer.

You can also hand wash, putting your tee-shirts into a rubber bucket of warm water with a little detergent in it. This doesn't hurt the fabric's fibers nearly as much as machine washing does.

Answer 4

i have the same problem except not only do i have stains but over time the underarms get stiff and crusty... no lie....these shirts i turn into sleeveless tees for the summer or i use them for rags

Answer 5

Use insect repellent! It works a charm...
There is some chemical in the repellent that clean every stain imaginable

Answer 6

I'm wondering what it is about that particular tee shirt that you'd want to save it, if it's so damaged already. You should toss it.

Answer 7

dab on white spirit to not lots. with a comfortable fabric you will desire to "final hotel make a diluted bleech and water blend and soak the completed genuine" yet be carefull because of the fact it is going to break the blouse if left too long. asprin and or my technique is vast yet rinse throughly. fantastically in the event that they av comfortable epidermis!

Answer 8

yeah. i'm also boarded with dis prolems. you can use bleach(for white) or high power stains remover

Answer 9

Throw it away, if you bleach it too much, it will probably fall apart.

Answer 10

Buy a new one