The idea here is to allow the shirts to experience prolonged exposure (anywhere from an hour to overnight) to laundry products that machine washing can't offer. Never fear, this is a fairly hands-off endeavor. Which means it's time for some serious triage efforts, in the form of soaking the shirts in oxygenated bleach for an extended period of time. Of course, our Letter Writer's shirts are well past the point where regular laundering, even with the inclusion of boosters, is going to make a dent in the problem. Using a scoop of one of those products as part of your regular laundry routine is going to go a long way in keeping your shirts from getting to the point where they're permanently stained and suffering from that cardboard-y stiffness. Borax is a great one, as are oxygenated bleaches like Clorox Oxi Magic, which have a different chemical structure from chlorine bleach and are highly effective when it comes to treating protein stains. The umbrella term for these types of products is "laundry boosters" and, in the case of pit stains, you want a booster that will help to remove stains (there are boosters for odors, for keeping darks dark, for whitening whites, and so on eventually we'll talk about those but we already have a TON to cover today). When it comes time to get those shirts into the washer, there are some add-ons you may want to consider using in addition to your regular detergent. That way it's right there and you can grab, spritz, and toss the shirt in the laundry bin. One thing I personally find helpful, that I share with you in the event you're like, "Oh my God, I have to spray my shirts with stain remover every night? What kind of monster are you?" is to leave the bottle right next to the hamper. When it comes to using pre-treatment sprays, they'll be more effective if you apply them to the shirt right after you take it off. Two brands to look out for are Zout and Seventh Generation Stain Remover. In terms of your product choices, look for something enzymatic, which is going to be the ticket to combat protein stains. The first possibility is that the product isn't the right one for the job, and the other is that it's not being used in a way that maximizes its efficacy. However, they weren't working for him, which I suspect is happening for one of two reasons (or both!). Our Letter Writer mentioned that he was using "sprays"-laundry pre-treatment products used to eliminate stains-on his shirts, which is a good thing to do. Keeping Pit Stains at Bay with Better Laundering Practices Whenever you're dealing with a protein stain of any kind, always avoid the use of bleach, which can make protein stains appear more yellow than they were to begin with. There's a chemical reaction that happens between sweat, aluminum, and the fabric of your shirts that results in not only those ugly yellow stains, but also that sort of crusty stiffness that so often plagues the underarms of our shirts.Īnother important thing to understand about the science behind pit stains is that the sweat itself is protein. A way to cut back on the trauma visited upon your shirts is to change the type of deodorant you're using-opting for a formula that doesn't contain aluminum will help matters greatly. One of the reasons that pit stains are so tricky is that they're not actually one single thing they're caused by your sweat, yes, but also by the ingredients in the antiperspirants we use to curb our sweat. Before we do that, however, let's back up and talk about why pit stains happen and what you can do to stave them off before they turn the arm holes of your shirts into cardboard. But we shall try to save them, because there is hope yet. Oh yes, I have suggestions, indeed I do! The shirts in question are fairly far gone, and-real talk time-may be beyond salvage.
I've tried sprays and hot water but no luck. Some of them have actually developed a hard surface. I have quite a few T-shirts that have gross stains in the armpits. She'll be here every week helping to answer your filthiest questions. Jolie Kerr is a cleaning expert and advice columnist.
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