How to Get Rid of Deodorant Stains?

There’s nothing worse than putting on your favorite shirt and realizing you’ve got a unsightly stain from your deodorant on it.

So, if you’re tired of ruining your shirts, check out these quick tips on how to get rid of deodorant stains on all types of clothing.

Prevention Tips

Preventing the stains from happening can help you avoid hours of scrubbing on your favorite shirts. It’s also one of the best ways to learn how to get rid of deodorant stains since there’s no stain to scrub. Follow these tips to lower the risk of having to deal with deodorant stains on your clothes.

First, ensure your deodorant is completely dry before you get dressed. Slapping on your deodorant and then pulling your shirt on might lead to those cringe-inducing white stains that can be seen on dark clothing. Give yourself an extra five minutes in the bathroom to let your deodorant dry.

To prevent those nasty yellow stains that form underneath the armpit area on light-colored clothing, you should wash those clothes immediately after you wear them. That yellow color is produced when underarm bacteria mixes with the sweat in your clothing and releases a byproduct that colors the shirt yellow.

Removing Stains With Household Items

Before you run to the store and buy one of those expensive stain removing sticks, there are a few home remedies you can try first.

Here are the items you’ll most likely have in your home and won’t have to buy in your quest to learn how to get rid of deodorant stains.

1. Nylon Stockings

To get rid of deodorant stains from dark colored clothing, try using a nylon stocking to rub over the stain before throwing it into the washer. Use your normal detergent. When you remove the shirt from the washer, the stain should be gone.

2. Water and Lemon Juice

The natural acid in lemon juice is great for lightening the yellow stains left behind on light-colored clothing. Try mixing equal parts water and lemon juice and spritzing it on the stained area. Leave the shirt in the sun to dry for an hour or two before throwing it into the washer. You should see a noticeable decrease in any yellow stains on the garment.

3. White Vinegar

This home remedy works great for both light and dark clothing. Simply soak the garment in white vinegar for about an hour before you wash it normally. Then throw it into the washer and use a biological detergent to wash the shirt. This technique is one of the most effective DIY solutions for deodorant stains.

4. Baking Soda and Water

If you have severe yellow staining around the armpits of a light garment, make a baking soda paste. Mix three parts baking soda and one part water to get a thick paste.

Spread this paste over the stained area and let it sit for a few hours or even overnight. Wash the garment in a hot water cycle, and you should see a noticeable reduction in yellow stains. Baking soda is one of the most effective tools in your arsenal for learning how to get rid of deodorant stains.

5. Meat Tenderizer

This one may sound a little odd, but it works well on yellowish stains that have sat for a while. Get any meat tenderizer from your spice aisle and sprinkle it liberally on the stain. Rub it in good and let it sit for a few hours before you wash the shirt as you would normally.

When it comes out, the stains should be almost gone. When I started researching how to get rid of deodorant stains, I never thought meat tenderizer would be on the list, but plenty of people swear by this technique.

Products To Try

When doing research on how to get rid of deodorant stains, you’ll notice a common theme in the home remedies category is time. Most of the solutions ask you to wait a few hours before washing the shirt. What if you don’t have time to wait around for vinegar or baking soda to do its job? Check out these products, which claim to remove both white and yellowish deodorant stains completely.

1. Hollywood Fashion Secrets Deodorant Removing Sponge

This sponge operates on the same principle as using a nylon stocking to remove a fresh white deodorant stain from clothing. It’s small enough to keep in your purse if you need to reapply your deodorant throughout the day, so it may be worth adding to your morning prep if you’re always battling deodorant stains. Keep in mind that this product is intended to for use on fresh stains that have just occurred and will not remove old stains or build-up.

2. Deo-Go

Deo-Go is a biological spray that is designed to remove set-in and yellowed deodorant and antiperspirant stains. It can also help address any lingering smell that may be present in the garment due to heavy sweat staining. You’ll need a small, short-haired brush with firm bristles to use this product to its full effect. We recommend a product like this laundry cube brush with multiple surfaces. Just fifteen minutes after application and brushing, you can wash the shirt.

3. Enzyme Stain Remover

For those people looking for a natural way to remove stains without harsh chemicals, this enzyme stain remover is the perfect tool. When researching how to get rid of deodorant stains, this product came up in numerous discussions online. The product can remove stains from deodorant, sweat, blood, and oil on both light and dark colored clothing without any harsh chemicals.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are a variety of ways to learn how to get rid of deodorant stains which involve both home treatments and products that address the problem.

For fresh white deodorant stains, it’s probably fine to get an old set of nylons to remove them.

For built-up stains and yellowing around the armpits, you’ll want to try one of the enzyme or biological products we linked to help you get rid of those stains.

What’s your favorite deodorant stain-removal strategy? You you have any ideas feel free to share them with us!

Best Deodorant Reviews
Logo