How many times have you thrown away perfectly good, lightly colored shirts because of unsightly armpit stains? That gets time consuming and expensive very quickly. There are few things more aggravating than yellow armpit stains and they are surprisingly easy to remove. The intensity of the stains may require several treatments but once you have removed them, keeping your shirts armpit stain-free will be a snap and will save you time and money. I think we all like the sound of that.
Preparation:
You will have to assemble a few items before you begin. Many of them you probably already have. You will need a powdered enzyme detergent, a stiff toothbrush (depending upon the size of the stain), the hottest water you can safely handle, white vinegar, liquid bleach (optionally-for whites only), and good lighting.
Procedure:
To begin take the item(s) you are treating over to your sink. Pour the hot water onto the stain, followed by a tablespoon or so of white vinegar. Make sure you cover the entire stain. Let the saturated stains sit for a minute or two allowing the vinegar and water to penetrate the stains fully. Vinegar is a good degreaser and helps to break down the antiperspirant/deodorant build up which is the real armpit-staining culprit. Over time, antiperspirants and deodorants build up on our clothing. Because they are designed to resist water, they are difficult to treat and remove.
Once you are satisfied, that the stain is saturated, add a spoonful of your powdered enzyme detergent directly over the stain and with your toothbrush begin brushing the detergent into the stain. If you are working on a white shirt, you can add just a splash of diluted liquid bleach at this time too. That will speed you along. If you are the hands on type of person, you can scrub your stains between your hands the old-fashioned way but I would not recommend this if you have used bleach. Bleach is very powerful and can cause painful burns to your skin. Stick to the toothbrush method for scrubbing if you have used bleach.
At this time, pour enough hot water over the stains again to cover them and scrub a little more. You want to keep your detergent the consistency of a paste so if you have used too much water add a bit more detergent. Now let this sit for about 30 minutes or so and rinse thoroughly and inspect. If any of the stain remains repeat this entire procedure then launder the item as usual.
That is all there is too it. I use this method for treating armpit stains and it works every time without fail even on the most stubborn of armpit stains. If you are working on very old and stubborn stains do not put the shirt into the dryer until you have removed all of the stain. That will set the stain making it even harder to remove. The key is, once you start the removal process keep with it until the stain is gone and then you can launder as usual.
