Remove Deodorant Stains

Using antiperspirants and deodorants is a daily routine for many. Although it is wise to smell 'nice' and avoid sweating, deodorants are one of the reasons for causing stains on your favorite garment.

After a couple of days, you may wonder why does the armpit of your white shirt appear yellowish, or why is there an ugly whitish spot on your little black dress. Well, these are the stains caused due to deodorants and antiperspirants.

Most of the commercially produced deodorants and antiperspirants that we use, contain aluminum which is the primary cause of underarm stains on white shirts and colored clothes. The aluminum in these products helps in the prevention of sweat in the body.

However, excess use of these products leads to staining of the clothes. Yellowish stains appear on lighter colored clothes (like your white shirt) and cream or white colored ones appears on dark-colored clothes (like your little black dress). Constant laundering and bleaching may not help in getting rid of these ugly perspiration stains.

In that case, there are several household remedies that can help in deodorant stain removal. Here are some of the most effective ones that you can go for.

• Common salt is one of the most efficient remedies for getting rid of deodorant stains on white as well as colored clothes. You can rub a pinch of common salt on the stain directly and let it stay overnight (or for 10 hours). After the prescribed time, scrub the stain with a soft brush and wash the cloth in a washing machine.

• You can apply denatured alcohol directly on the cloth stains, leave it for 1 hour and rinse off using warm water. Later you can wash off the cloth in a washing machine.

• Using white vinegar is commonly used for stain removal. You can follow the above mentioned method and apply the white vinegar directly on the stain. Leave it overnight and then wash off with warm water.

• Mix ½ cup of ammonia with ½ cup of water and apply this mixture on the stain. After a couple of minutes (1-2 minutes), wash the cloth according to the manufacturer's instructions.

• Vodka proves to be one of the most useful products for stain removal from clothes, specially black-colored clothes. You can dab a few drops of vodka on the affected spot, leave it for a couple of minutes and wash off with water. In case of heavy stains, you can apply vodka and leave it for an hour and then wash it off with water.

• Lastly, you can use soaps and detergents like the original blue Dawn dish detergent. For complete sweat stain removal, just wash the cloth in the regular way using this detergent.

Lastly, one of the effective tips is that one should use good quality perfumes and deodorants to avoid staining of clothes. Secondly, washing clothes as soon as the stains appear will help in getting rid of it quickly.