Are distasteful deodorant stains stopping you from wearing your favourite shirts? Is your blouse plagued by antiperspirant marks? Are yellow spots forming on your beloved shirt dress?
If this is you, keep on reading to find out how to get deodorant stains out of your shirts.
Deodorant Stain Removal Methods
Below you’ll find a list of options to try. Majority of the methods are very simple and most of them use items that can be found in your cupboards at home.
1. Lemon juice, water and sun
Deodorant stains often cause little yellow patches to form on shirts. So, you may be wondering why I’ve told you to use a yellow fruit to clean these patches away.
The answer is simple:
Lemon juice and sunlight are good at bleaching deodorant marks. It works very well for light coloured clothing, I’d like to add. Plus, it’s an extremely cheap option for you to try out at home.
What you need:
- Lemon
- Dish
- Water
- Shirt
- Sun
- Washing machine/hand wash
Steps to take:
- Squeeze a lemon’s juice into a dish.
- Pop an equal amount of water into the dish.
- Test this mixture out before you start using it properly – you don’t want any ruined clothes.
- Rub this mixture into your deodorant-stained shirt – this is usually the yellow part.
- Go outside and rest your shirt on a flat surface.
- Allow the sun’s heat to dry the mixture on your shirt.
- Bring your shirt indoors about an hour or so later.
- Wash your shirt in your washing machine/hand wash as you would normally.
2. Aspirin
Not only can aspirin reduce pain and inflammation, but it can also remove the deodorant stains on your shirts. I must add that this method will only work on white shirts, so don’t try this method if your shirt is colourful!
What you need:
- Aspirin
- Bowl
- Water
- Towel
- Flat surface
- Washing machine/hand wash
- Shirt
Steps to take:
- Keep kids and pets out of the room when you work with this method.
- Wear gloves, if you wish.
- In a bowl crush up 3 to 4 Aspirin tablets.
- Add water slowly to the bowl.
- You want to create a paste-like consistency – so don’t go overboard with the water.
- Pop a towel down on a surface that you intend to use – spread the shirt on the flat towel.
- Test this mix out before you dive right into removing the stain.
- Apply the paste you created to the deodorant stains.
- Leave the shirt alone for a few hours.
- Rinse the shirt with hot water from the tap.
- Pop the shirt into the washing machine and start a hot cycle as you usually would/hand wash your clothes.
3. White vinegar
The acidic nature of white vinegar is what makes it good at removing peculiar stains from shirts – this includes the dreaded deodorant stain!
What you need:
- Sink
- Cup/bowl
- White vinegar
- Clean toothbrush
- Washing machine/hand wash
- Shirt
Steps to take:
- Pour a generous amount of white vinegar into a cup.
- Go to the sink.
- Pop your shirt into the sink but make sure you can see the deodorant stains.
- Check that the white vinegar isn’t going to damage your clothing – test first.
- Soak the deodorant stained areas in the cup of white vinegar.
- Leave the shirt to rest in the sink.
- Get an old but very clean toothbrush.
- Start rubbing at the stains with this toothbrush – helps to dislodge the marks.
- Put the shirt in the washing machine and wash it with a bio detergent/hand wash.
4. Water and bicarbonate of soda
If you’ve got a very dry deodorant stain on your shirt, you need to use bicarbonate of soda and water to remove it. Not only will bicarb get rid of the mark but it will also take out the unpleasant odour too.
What you need:
- Bowl
- Bicarbonate of soda
- Water
- Towel
- Flat surface
- Shirt
- Washing machine/hand wash
Steps to take:
- Get a bowl.
- Add 3 parts of bicarbonate of soda into the bowl.
- Add 1 part of water to the bowl.
- Mix the water and the bicarb around until you get a paste-like consistency.
- Pop a towel down on the surface you intend to use.
- Spread out your shirt on the flat towel.
- Test out the mix on a concealed piece of the shirt.
- Spread the paste you’ve created onto the deodorant stains.
- Leave the shirt alone for a few hours.
- Rinse the shirt with water from the tap.
- Pop the shirt into the washing machine and start a hot cycle/hand wash as usual.
5. Liquid detergent
Laundry detergent can be used both in the washing machine, and before clothes go into the wash.
Detergent is good at working through tough stains, particularly when it is applied to an item of clothing in its neat state.
What you need:
- Flat surface
- Towel
- Liquid detergent
- Washing machine/hand wash
- Shirt
Steps to take:
- Find a flat surface to work on.
- Pop a towel on the surface.
- Lay out your deodorant-stained shirt on this towel.
- Pour a small amount of liquid detergent directly onto the stained area.
- Rub the detergent into the mark very softly.
- Leave the shirt to sit like this for a few minutes.
- Pop the shirt in the washing machine/hand wash and wash it as usual.
6. Hydrogen peroxide and bicarbonate of soda
Bicarb is a pretty tough cleaning agent on its own, but if you need that added sting, you need to add some hydrogen peroxide to the mix. This will shift your stubborn deodorant stains away in no time at all.
What you need:
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Bowl
- Concentrated cleaner
- Bicarbonate of soda
- Water
- Tea towel
- Shirt
Steps to take:
- Put half a cup of hydrogen peroxide (the 3% version) in a bowl.
- Add in a teaspoon of concentrated cleaner of your choice.
- Add in 2 tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda to the bowl.
- Pop in a quarter of a cup of water.
- Mix well.
- Lay out your deodorant-stained shirt on a flat surface, pop a tea towel underneath it.
- Test this mix out before you start cleaning the stained areas – find a hidden part of the shirt and try it out.
- Grab some of the mixture and spread it over the deodorant stained areas.
- Gently rub at the stains.
- Leave the shirt alone for a few hours.
- Rinse the shirt under cold water.
- Wash the shirt as you normally would.
Products for Removing Deodorant Stains
Not sure on the remedies above? That’s okay because there are products you can buy from most supermarkets to deal with this problem. We recommend Dr Beckmann Stain Devils Antiperspirant & Sweat Mark Remover Spray as it is specially designed for this purpose.
Always read the label on the packaging of your chosen product, and stick to the amount it tells you to use on the box!
Keep in mind that products, like the ones listed above, will have mixed results.
Preventing Deodorant Stains
Deodorant stains on shirts, and on clothes in general, stick out, and let’s face it they aren’t nice to look at. So, here are a few tips to prevent, or at best, minimise the chances of you getting a deodorant stain on your shirt/clothes.
- Spray before you get dressed – don’t put your clothes in the spraying line.
- Wait for the deodorant to try before getting dressed – this stops deodorant from rubbing into your clothes.
- Wash your clothes as soon as you get home, so you limit the amount of sweaty bacteria that mixes with the deodorant.
Bethan has a passion for exploring, reading, cooking and gardening! When she’s not creating culinary delights for her family, she’s concocting potions to keep her house clean!
