Ok, Mr’s and Mrs’s smarty-pantses, (yeah, and you, too, Cecil, I hope you’re listening):
One of the all-time great questions, I know. Why do the armpits of my undershirts turn such a vibrant piss-colored yellow? How come bleach does nothing to get this out? (And, in fact, tends to make it worse.) Is there anything that can remove the disgusting discoloration from my otherwise white-as-the-day-I-bought-them garments? I’m a fairly smart fellow. (Heck, I post here, so that alone makes me damn near a genius, right?) I’ve been through chemistry, organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, biochemistry, analytic chemistry, and even (once) had an account at chemistry.com, but I have no idea what in the world is leaking out of my pits and permanently changing the color of my clothing.
A little help here?
Oh, and while you’re at it, why is it impossible to buy a plain white dress shirt that you can’t see through? Why would I want to know what kind of undershirt the guy across from me is wearing?
Try Nature’s Miracle, a pet stain remover available at most large pet supply stores. It works like a charm on just about any kind of bodily fluid or substance. You results may vary if the stain has already been treated with other chemicals, however.
Give up. The stains are caused by an oxidative chemical change in the cotton due to the nasties in human sweat etc . Short of bleaching it to point the fabric is damaged there’s no solution.
Probably has something to do with the chemical makeup of whatever deodorant and/or antiperspirant you’re using.
I had horrible troubles with armpit sweating until I started using Drysol, a prescription antiperspirant, and began shaving them.
I haven’t used commercial applications for almost a decade now; when I don’t use the Drysol my sweat is crystal-clear.
I should note that before using Drysol I never had a shirt last me more than a few months before the pits were destroyed. Now my shirts actually wear out naturally.
As for the see-throughness of mens dress shirts, I got nothing.
