# Laundry Experts: Help please! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 10, 2010, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-experts-help-please/528350 "2010-02-10T00:34:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PoorWarblingOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4491bb/32.png) [@PoorWarblingOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorWarblingOne)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-experts-help-please/528350/1 "2010-02-10T00:34:29Z")
I laundered a brand new shirt (a tailored shirt, not a t-shirt) today after wearing it a couple of times. It looked just fine when I put it in the machine, but when I took it out again there were large dark stains under the arms! I think there must have been some sort of reaction between my deodorant and my detergent or fabric softener: certainly there was nothing to see before it was washed… Is there anything I can do to get rid of these horrible marks? If not, my new shirt is totally ruined, which is a disaster. Right now it’s in the washing machine again, with some different detergent. If that doesn’t work, it’s over to you! ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-experts-help-please/528350/2 "2010-02-10T02:01:16Z")
Can’t really suggest much to help, but two things to avoid: don’t bleach it, and don’t dry it. People have reported success using a wide variety of odd cleaners: baking soda, vinegar, peroxide, dish detergent, shampoo, toothpaste, sunlight… ---
**Author:** ![Kkrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Kkrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kkrose)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-experts-help-please/528350/3 "2010-02-10T02:25:40Z")
Try using baking soda and peroxide made into a paste and scrubbed into the area with a toothbrush. Let it set for 30 minutes then wash as normal. This has worked for me. I have also heard that Cascade dishwashing detergent works, but I have never tried it. ---
**Author:** ![Kkrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Kkrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kkrose)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-experts-help-please/528350/4 "2010-02-10T02:32:41Z")
Oh, and worst comes to worst, you would be surprised what a good dry cleaner can get out. Don’t give up hope. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-experts-help-please/528350/5 "2010-02-10T02:35:58Z")
Let the spots soak in a spray-and-wash type solution. That or vinegar. ---
**Author:** ![Nefarious\_Chipmunk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nefarious_chipmunk/32/1045_2.png) [@Nefarious\_Chipmunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nefarious_Chipmunk)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-experts-help-please/528350/6 "2010-02-10T02:39:03Z")
I have had a lot of luck with vinegar, but I do find that under arm stains are like blood stains. Everyone has a method for getting them out, but they don’t always work when you try them, and sometimes none do. I wish you luck. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-experts-help-please/528350/7 "2010-02-10T03:33:07Z")
Oxyclean? If it doesn’t work for your shirt, it does work well for other stuff. I’m expecting **beowulff** to drop in any minute and ask why you would want to remove a stain. 😉 Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![PoorWarblingOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4491bb/32.png) [@PoorWarblingOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorWarblingOne)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-experts-help-please/528350/8 "2010-02-10T07:29:36Z")
Yeah, I was going to say “need answer fast”… 😛 I have tried almost everything I have in the house including face products, hair products and nail varnish remover, but it seems like bar soap might actually be the best so far. Thanks all for your help: I’m hopeful of saving the shirt and if I get it back to normal I’ll be sure to tell you what worked! ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-experts-help-please/528350/9 "2010-02-10T08:08:14Z")
Are these stains present after the shirt dries? ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-experts-help-please/528350/10 "2010-02-10T09:47:55Z")
There are a few sites out there for this sort of stuff, you might search on stain+removal+sweat or deodorant [The Stain Brain](http://www.tide.com/en-US/stains/top-stains.jspx) (Tide sponsored) categorizes stains by types and then gives recommendations. ---
**Author:** ![PoorWarblingOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4491bb/32.png) [@PoorWarblingOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorWarblingOne)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-experts-help-please/528350/11 "2010-02-10T16:32:44Z")
Seems like bar soap has almost solved it: I can still see some discolouration but it’s much better and I’m waiting to see whether drying will make it better or worse! I think what’s worrying me now is why it happened: if there was nothing to see before washing it, why would laundering it produce reddish-brown patches? Although I seem to have just about got away with it this once, do I need to worry about it happening again? It’s not a result I’ve ever had before, and I’m no stranger to washing shirts! Neither did it happen to any of the other items in that load of laundry. Oh well. These things are sent to try us. This might be a shirt I wash by hand from now on, just to be safe… ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-experts-help-please/528350/12 "2010-02-10T16:39:58Z")
> [@PoorWarblingOne](#): > > …I’m waiting to see whether drying will make it better or worse! Don’t put it in the dryer if stains are still visible. Let it air dry. Heat causes chemical reactions that can cause some types of stains to bind to the cloth. I don’t have an answer for how to get the stain out but it would also be helpful to tell us what the composition of the fabric is. ---
**Author:** ![PoorWarblingOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4491bb/32.png) [@PoorWarblingOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorWarblingOne)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-experts-help-please/528350/13 "2010-02-10T16:49:28Z")
It’s 100% cotton - currently drying on a coathanger beside a window. It will probably still be damp by the time I get home again, so I’ll try buying some stain remover and see if that will shift the last marks. The whole thing is a mystery! ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-experts-help-please/528350/14 "2010-02-10T18:47:34Z")
This might be too late but do not dry it until you have this solved. Even if you are going to resort to taking it to the cleaners. Take it there wet. Drying will fix the stains. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-experts-help-please/528350/15 "2010-02-10T19:40:38Z")
And by “fix,” he means “make permanent,” not “make go away.” My go-to magic solution for anything I want to come off of clothes is liquid dishwashing soap - wet down the stained area, squirt a glob of soap on, scrub it to get it right into the fibres, then wash in warm water. It works like magic for grease stains, and works well on just about everything else I’ve tried it on. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-experts-help-please/528350/16 "2010-02-10T20:36:39Z")
Do you wear an undershirt t-shirt when wearing this shirt? Deodorants will leave residues on clothes, that don’t always come out when laundered. Wearing an undershirt will prolong the life of your dress shirt. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-experts-help-please/528350/17 "2010-02-10T21:12:51Z")
Maybe there’s something yucky in your diet that causes this? Or chenicals you indulge? ---
**Author:** ![Fleetwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fleetwood/32/271_2.png) [@Fleetwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fleetwood)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-experts-help-please/528350/18 "2010-02-10T23:52:35Z")
> [@PoorWarblingOne](#): > > I laundered a brand new shirt (a tailored shirt, not a t-shirt) today after wearing it a couple of times. You should wash it each time that you wear it. ---
**Author:** ![Magicicada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c67d28/32.png) [@Magicicada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magicicada)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-experts-help-please/528350/19 "2010-02-11T03:00:49Z")
Soaking in color-safe bleach (such as Clorox 2) often works for me. In my experience, it seems to be a reaction between anti-perspirant and detergent. I actually skip wearing antiperspirant when wearing something sleeveless and white. If it is a white item with sleeves, I either wear a short sleeve t-shirt underneath or use dress pads, which are these disposable papery things with a self-adhesive backing that goes over the stainable area. Except I can’t remember the last time I saw them sold anywhere. I seem to remember them usually being sold in fabric stores. Also they may really be called perspiration pads. At some point I bought a huge supply of them and I’ve never run out which is why I can’t remember. ---
**Author:** ![cuberdon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/45deac/32.png) [@cuberdon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuberdon)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-experts-help-please/528350/20 "2010-02-11T04:36:45Z")
> [@sweetie pea](#): > > Also they may really be called perspiration pads. At some point I bought a huge supply of them and I’ve never run out which is why I can’t remember. Google of “perspiration pads” yielded, among other things: [http://www.stopsweat.com/Excessive-underarm-perspiration.html](http://www.stopsweat.com/Excessive-underarm-perspiration.html) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-experts-help-please/528350.md?page=2)