A Step-By-Step Guide to Removing Deodorant Stains

Deodorants are great. They help us stay presentable and smelling minty-fresh during long office meetings when we have to spend long periods of time with lots of people in the same room. (That is, at least, if all parties actually use it.) However, they do have one downside — stains. These lovely pieces of toiletry can sometimes leave less-than-attractive stains on the armpit-part of our favorite tops. But don’t let that bring you down. A deo-stain does not mean your shirt is doomed. Follow the guide below and learn how to remove it.

Step #1

You start the cleaning process with a wet washcloth. The level of wetness is a little specific — if the cloth is just damp, it won’t do the trick, and if it’s too wet, it can soak your whole shirt, and we don’t want that. To reach the desired level, soak the cloth with cold water and wring out only some of the water.

Step #2

Now you’re going to need some dish soap. The standard Dawn you use for your dishes should work just fine. Take your wet washcloth and drip a few drops of the dish soap onto it. It is important to only use a few drops. If you use too much dish soap, it can counter its own effect, leaving you with a soap stain where the deo-stain used to be. Next, softly rub the soap into the wet washcloth until it lathers.

Step #3

Locate the soapy part of the washcloth, put it on the stain, and start rubbing gently until you can no longer see the stain. When the stain is out, rinse the washcloth again and wring it. Use apply the now-damp washcloth to where the stain used to be. This will remove any soap residue from the fabric.

Step #4

You obviously can’t wear your newly-cleaned shirt when it’s still wet. But don’t you force the damp areas to dry quickly. The combination of heat and the chemicals the fabric has recently engaged with might ruin the fabric. Instead, let it air-dry at its own pace and only wear it when it’s fully dry.