by Wan Norizan Abdul Hamid

Created on: November 14, 2009   Last Updated: November 15, 2009

Sweat stains are not only an eye sore, but can also be embarrassing. Sweat stains are one of the hardest stains to get rid of from dress shirts. These stains can show up on even the dark color of shirts and can be impossible to eliminate.

You may think to apply the bleach first to get rid of stubborn stains, especially for white dress shirts. However, you may not aware that chlorine bleach is one of the worst things to treat sweat stains, even on white dress shirts. The chlorine in bleach will react with the proteins contained in the sweat and cause the stains to darken. Laundry detergents are believed to clean our dress shirts effectively, but not many of them will remove sweat stains.

Sweat stains can weaken the fabric as well. Although we have all battled sweat stains at one time or another, but sometimes these sweat stains are so difficult that no amount of soaking or washing will remove them. Before you throw away you dress shirts, try to find out other alternatives that really work and save your shirts from becoming garbage.

Try any of these effective solutions to remove sweat stains from dress shirts:

1) Hydrogen Peroxide

This treatment is only recommended for white clothes. Hydrogen peroxide breaks down the protein contained in sweat stains. Use hydrogen peroxide directly or diluted with water. Soak your white dress shirts in a half-half mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water for half an hour. Then rinse it thoroughly with clean water and hang dry. If the sweat stains are still visible, then retreat the dress shirts again with higher concentration. Doing this treatment frequently on white dress shirts will keep the clothes from discoloring over time especially at the armpit and collar area.

2) Oxygenated Laundry Detergent

Treat the sweat stains with liquid laundry detergent that contained with oxygenated ingredients that able to remove protein-based stains. Apply a little amount of the detergent straight to the stains and gently rub to cover the whole stains. Then soak it in cold water for half an hour. Wash the dress shirts afterwards according to the instruction on the label of the product and hang dry.


3. Baking Soda

Baking soda really works to remove sweat stains. Make a thick paste by combining one tablespoon of baking soda with some water. Apply the paste to the sweat stains using a toothbrush. Let the paste work on for about half an hour and rinse. Then wash as usual.

4. Cream of tartar

Same as baking soda, cream of tartar is also good to remove sweat stains. Combine one tablespoon cream of tartar with three crushed white aspirin and one cup of warm water. Mix them well to make paste. Apply the paste to the sweat stains using a toothbrush. Let the paste on for about half an hour and rinse with warm water to remove the paste. Then wash as usual.

5. White Vinegar Solution

White vinegar is a good solution to get rid of sweat stains especially on colored dress shirts. Make a mixture of two tablespoons of white vinegar with one cup of water. Apply this mixture directly to the sweat stains and let it works for about half an hour. Then rinse the dress shirts thoroughly and wash as usual.

In the end you will see the sweat stains in your dress shirts disappeared. Your dress shirts should now return to its new look.

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