These unsightly sweat stains can eventually ruin your favorite shirts.

Here’s how to remove armpit stains and odors from shirts.

Intense heat sets in stains, making them almost impossible to remove.

Methods to Remove Underarm Stains

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Instead, line-dry the shirt until you have time to treat the stains.

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This should only be used on white fabrics.

Rubbing the sweat stain with baking soda mixture

The Spruce / Ana-Maria Stanciu

Warning

Never usechlorine bleachwith ammonia, as deadly fumes can occur.

This method calls for oxygen bleach.

Armpit stains on colored shirts create odor, stiffen the fabric, and eventually cause discoloration.

Oxygen-based bleach solution rubbed into underarm stain with old toothbrush

The Spruce / Nelly Cuanalo

This method works on manycommon clothing stains.

Pre-treating with baking soda or white vinegar can break down these components that cause odors.

The sooner you’re able to get the sweat out, the less time it has to stain.

Gray shirt soaking in bucket with white distilled vinegar

The Spruce / Nelly Cuanalo

Alternatively, soak the affected areas in white vinegar for an hour before washing.

The best sweat stain remover is a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and water.

Use warm or hot water on protein-based stains like sweat.

However, hold off drying the item on high heat until the stain or odor is gone.

Facts about Chlorine.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.