Ah, the bright, perfectly clean white T-shirt [1]. A fashion go-to, it's great for wearing with just about anything, anywhere. But besides being simple and convenient, it also, unfortunately, has one not-so-wonderful quality — it stains extremely easily [2].
No matter how careful I am, I always manage to stain my white T-shirts. And probably the most frustrating stains [3], by far, are the dreaded yellow ones. You probably know the ones I'm talking about. They kind of just appear, maybe from wearing your trusted white T-shirt too much, or maybe after you wear it during a particularly hot day. Either way, those yellow stains show up uninvited and seem to never leave. By laundry day, you have two faded yellow rings near your armpits and sometimes even around the collar and back of your shirt. What exactly are these yellow stains and how do they manage to ruin every white T-shirt you own?
Well, there are a few causes of yellow stains on clothing, but one of the most common is actually from — drumroll please — deodorant mixed with sweat. I know, how is something that's supposed to keep you feeling clean actually wreaking havoc on your wardrobe?! According to Degree, the aluminum in the deodorant and the salt found in sweat combine [4] to produce those annoying yellow stains that are a nightmare to wash out. Thankfully though, I've found two awesome hacks that can make yellow stains a thing of the past.
1. Make Your Own Recipe
The first hack I learned from Michael Dimopoulos, Thumbtack House Cleaner [5] and founder of Lazy Susan's Cleaning. While you can try the well-known method of using bleach and hydrogen peroxide (make sure you test a small, inconspicuous spot on the fabric first), Dimopoulos's stain-fighting recipe really does the trick. Just mix 1/2 cup of hydrogen peroxide with five teaspoons of baking soda and a quarter cup of water. Apply the mixture right to the stain and scrub, letting it sit afterwards for at least two hours. After the two hours are up, wash the shirt on a cold cycle. If the stain is still visible, repeat the process again before throwing it in the dryer.
2. Stop It Before It Starts
The other hack I've learned doesn't have to do so much with removing the stain, but more so with preventing the stain. This tip is to wear a deodorant that's aluminum-free. Since the reaction of your sweat and the aluminum causes the yellow stain, if you remove the aluminum from the equation, you can say goodbye to yellow pits. Two of my favorite aluminum-free deodorants are Urban Outfitters' Ohii Beauty Pure Stick Deodorant [6] ($12) and Curie's Sensitive Skin Deodorant [7] ($12). Both feel great, smell great, and will have your white T-shirts looking great, too!