How to Remove that Ugly Yellow Underarm Stain

Ugly yellow underarm stains can be very embarrassing.

Lifting your arm at work or school to discover an ugly underarm stain on your shirt or dress can be a humiliating experience. When natural proteins in sweat break down, urea is left behind, causing an unpleasant discoloration in the underarm area of clothing. Removing these underarm stains isn't difficult as long as the stains are treated properly. The sooner they're attended to, the less difficult the removal process will be.

Things You'll Need

• Sponge
• Ammonia
• Enzyme-based stain remover
• Heavy duty laundry detergent
• 1 cup white vinegar

Instructions

1. 

   Sponging a stain helps to lift it rather than spread it through the surrounding fibers.

   Place the perspiration-stained garment on a flat work surface with the stained areas facing up. Dampen a sponge with ammonia and blot the underarm stain, starting at the outer area of the stain before moving inward. Continue to sponge the stain for one to two minutes to help remove discoloration caused by urea.

2. Apply an enzyme-based stain remover to the underarm area of the garment. Allow the enzyme product to remain on the fabric for five to 10 minutes to break down proteins in the stain.

3. Wash the garment in warm water. A wash in hot water will cook any remaining protein stains into the fabric. Use heavy duty laundry detergent.

4. Add 1 cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle. The vinegar helps to remove any remaining underarm stains as well as accompanying sweat stain odor. Before drying the garment, make sure all ugly yellow underarm stains have been removed. If not, repeat these steps.

Tips & Warnings

• Soak older underarm stains in undiluted vinegar overnight to remove discoloration.

• Enzymatic pet odor neutralizer used to clean up urine stains works effectively on removing sweat stains, as sweat and urine contain urea.

References

• University of Kentucky; Stain Removal Guide for Washable Fabrics: Stains That Need Special Treatment; Jan Stone
• University of Illinois Extension: Stain Solutions: Perspiration
• Good Housekeeping: Stain Busters: Perspiration
• University of Missouri; Stain Removal for Washable Fabrics: Special Problem Stains; Sharon Stevens; June 2009
• "Reader's Digest": 150+ Household Uses for Vinegar: Soften Fabric, Kill Bacteria, Eliminate Static and More