Looking at the old shirts you’re still using, you might notice a yellow stain on the armpit area and an odor that can’t be easily removed no matter how many times you wash them. These kinds of stains and odors can’t always be solved by laundry cleaning services in Beverly Hills, CA, but if they can, they might charge a little extra for the service.
If you want to save your clothes and money from extra costs at the laundry shop, you should try the methods below that you can easily do at home. Not only are they easy, but the materials you’re about to use are things you can usually find in households.
3 Home Remedies to Remove Yellow Stains and Odors
There are different kinds of ways to remove armpit stains and odors without purchasing formulated products.
- Baking Soda
We can use baking soda in all possible ways. We can use it for cooking, whitening, cleaning, neutralizing odors, and more. All you have to do is create a paste by adding a bit of water to the baking soda, and then rub the paste on the stain. You can also use dishwashing liquid instead of water. Do a color fastness test first to prevent the color of your clothes from fading or transferring color to other clothes.
- White Vinegar
If baking soda doesn’t work on neutralizing odors, use white vinegar instead. Vinegar is an effective liquid for odor neutralization and stain prevention on clothing and other surfaces. Distilled vinegar is preferred when using it for clothes, but you can also use apple cider vinegar if that’s what you have at home.
- Oxygen Bleach
Can’t remove tough yellow stains? Use non-chlorine oxygen bleach and ammonia to remove yellow underarm stains. Use gloves when mixing the two ingredients until you make a paste. Rub the mixture on the stained area with a soft brush and leave it on for about 10 minutes before rinsing. Only use this on white shirts as it removes colors from dyed clothes and as a last resort as it weakens fabrics.
4 Tips to Prevent Stains and Odor on Clothes
Now that you know how to remove stains and odors, you should now take note of the tips below on how you can prevent them on your clothes.
- Deodorant Cause Stains on Clothes
Deodorants are the main cause of underarm stains on clothes. When using deodorants, make sure to remove your shirt first and let it dry on your skin before wearing your top again. And if possible, use non-wax deodorants so that it doesn’t stick on your clothes easily.
- Always Wash Your Armpits
Sweating profusely is not only uncomfortable but smelly as well. After spending some time outdoors, wash your armpits at least once a day so that the sweat and bacteria won’t live on your clothes.
- Change your Shirt
After washing your armpits, make sure to also change your shirt to prevent the butyric acid and bacteria from building up on the fabric. Butyric acid is a fatty acid that always produces odorous molecules, which always leave a smell on clothes. The smell is apparent after placing it in a dryer or ironing your clothes.
- Drying Out the Sweat
One of the main reasons why your clothes smell is because the sweat isn’t air dried first before tossing them into the laundry basket. While our sweat doesn’t have any smell, it will attract bacteria that cause odor if not dried immediately. If you want to prevent your shirts from getting smelly, make sure to air dry them first before adding them to your dirty laundry. You can also wash your sweat-soaked clothes right away to remove the sweat and bacteria.
If you need help from professionals who can thoroughly clean your clothes, VIP Cleaners is the name to call. We provide quality laundry cleaning services in Beverly Hills, CA, and treat all of our customers’ clothes like VIPs. You can reach us at (310) 271-3088 or by filling out our contact form on our website.