THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SWEAT STAINS

Got embarrassing sweat stains on an important garment? The team at Hangers Cleaners can help, but you don’t need a professional dry cleaning facility for this particular stain.

Here are a few things you need to know as you deal with sweat stains during this hot Arkansas summer.

Bleach does not work on sweat stains.

When it comes to white garments our first go-to stain solution is usually bleach. However, bleach won’t help when you are trying to get rid of a sweat stain.

The best whitening agent for the job is hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide might seem like a harsh chemical—never use hydrogen peroxide with bleach when you are doing laundry, but it’s the best whitening agent for the job.

Simple is best.

We’ve heard of some pretty unique sweat stain removal techniques (anyone keep any meat tenderizer in the laundry room?). While these methods could make a fun weekend science experiment for the kids, we prefer to keep our cleaning methods simple and time tested.

Here are a few sweat stain removal techniques:

• Submerge your garment in a luke-warm bucket of water with about 1 cup of vinegar. Let it sit for 30 minutes—or longer if the stain has been there for a few washes. Wring out the garment and lay it on a flat surface. Identify the stain areas and apply a mixture of a 1⁄2 cup of baking soda, 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide. Wash like normal.
• Mix together baking soda, 1 part dish soap—good for fighting the grease residue—and 2 parts hydrogen peroxide. Apply to stains and let the garment sit for 30 minutes. Wash like normal.
• Not excited about working with hydrogen peroxide? Try soaking the stain in a solution of lemon juice and water. The citrus will fight the stain and leave the garment smelling naturally fresh. Wash like normal.
• If the sweat stain is not significant, simply use vinegar. Pour white distilled vinegar on the stain and wash like normal.

All that underarm yellowing is not from perspiration.

It’s from trying to prevent it. Certain anti-perspirants—specifically aluminum-based ones—react with your body and cause the staining. Sweat stains aren’t exclusive to white garments. They can also show up as under-arm wrings on darker colored shirts. Sweat stains tend to get more prominent wear after wear.

That’s why your favorite summertime top might be more susceptible to sweat stains than your other garments.

Long-term sweat stains can cause a garment to lose it’s freshness.

If you’re still reading this blog, you probably already know this. Sweat stains will worsen and get tougher to remove as you keep wearing the garment. Pretty soon a regular wash cycle won’t make your garment fresh enough to wear. This is especially true for sweat stains on garments being worn underneath blazers or sweatshirts. Treat the stain before they leave your whole garment looking discolored and stale smelling.