Social Anxiety Support Forum banner

How to get armpit smell out of clothes???

2K views 29 replies 17 participants last post by  Kevin001 
#1 ·
Anyone know how to get armpit smell out of shirts? My work shirts get pretty bad considering the heat and I have to wear a jacket over the shirt as well. I wash them after each use but still the smell lingers especially over time.

I'm currently soaking them in vinegar (well vinegar on the armpit part w/ shirt inside out). Then I'll rewash them using gain detergent.
 
#3 ·
Hmm ok thanks I used 1/4 cup of vinegar but didn't help that much will try 1/2 cup next time.
 
#6 ·
Never had that problem, I use a little talc powder sometimes after showering, not really into anti perspirants, but it's never that hot here for too long anyway.
 
#7 ·
Yeah the humidity here is brutal I sweat all throughout the day most of the time. Feels like 105+ most days.
 
#8 ·
Gillette antiperspirant. You might have to experiment a little to get the most effective (Gillette has a lot of products and some are not as good as others).

Also, antiperspirant only works well if you use it consistently. So you want to reapply every time you shower. If you skip days it will be less effective and you'll start to stink sooner even though you're wearing it. It's a trade-off because it will ruin your shirts pretty fast.

It also might depend on your detergent and what kind of washing machine you use. Some washing machines don't do a good job and some are almost miraculous. Front loaders seem to work better. Ours is a Kenmore (but that's Whirlpool) and works really well. If it isn't perfectly balanced it sounds like an elephant coming through the house though.

You might also try soaking in a tub bath once or twice a week for deep cleaning of your pits. Armpit odor is super stubborn and if you don't thoroughly cleanse your pits it comes back faster even if you smell clean. And then you'll be smelling like soured milk again before you know it. Liquid Softsoap seems to do a good job on it in the shower but you have to use plenty and really scrub. And always repeat with another soaping even if you don't smell anything.

The best way to make your shirts not stink is to prevent your pits from stinking in the first place. If your pits stink, your shirts stink. I've personally never had a problem with my shirts still stinking after being washed though. But I have been using antiperspirant since I was 16.
 
#9 ·
Gillette antiperspirant. You might have to experiment a little to get the most effective (Gillette has a lot of products and some are not as good as others).

Also, antiperspirant only works well if you use it consistently. So you want to reapply every time you shower. If you skip days it will be less effective and you'll start to stink sooner even though you're wearing it. It's a trade-off because it will ruin your shirts pretty fast.

It also might depend on your detergent and what kind of washing machine you use. Some washing machines don't do a good job and some are almost miraculous. Front loaders seem to work better. Ours is a Kenmore (but that's Whirlpool) and works really well. If it isn't perfectly balanced it sounds like an elephant coming through the house though.

You might also try soaking in a tub bath once or twice a week for deep cleaning if your pits. Armpit odor is super stubborn and if you don't thoroughly cleanse your pits it comes back faster even if you smell clean. Liquid Softsoap seems to do a good job on it in the shower but you have to use plenty and really scrub. And always repeat with another soaping even if you don't smell anything.

The best way to make your shirts not stink is to prevent your pits from stinking in the first place. If your pits stink, your shirts stink. I've personally never had a problem with my shirts still stinking after being washed though. But I have been using antiperspirant since I was 16.
I have a good washer, deoderant, and shower daily lol. I just live in a humid area and sweat a ton at the job, wear jacket in the heat. I just need to know tips as far as getting smells out of the shirts :).
 
#12 ·
We can't, its part of uniform.

Is it deodorant or antiperspirant? Deodorant doesn't work nearly as well. If it doesn't specifically say "antiperspirant" anywhere on the label, it's just deodorant and just masks the smell (until it doesn't). Antiperspirant attacks the source of the smell instead of just covering it up. (This might seem condescending but you didn't say which you use).

I mean, yeah. If you live in a hot humid area, you're still going to sweat but you still might be able to mitigate the stink with the right stuff.
Oh wow didn't know that, I use deoderant.
 
#13 ·
I always use a Costco white cotton t-shirt as an undershirt. Which then gets washed with Costco detergent and Clorox bleach. Costco dryer sheets have some perfume and prevent static electricity.



I need to perspire or I overheat so I never use antiperspirant only deodorant. Old Spice is the latest one I use.
 
#14 ·
i read clothes smell because of the bacteria that lives on them, they go dormant without water but once wet they are activated and that causes the smell. they feed off sweat mainly

Try leaving clothes in the sun for as long as possible it should kill the bacteria. also concentrated spray to spray in the affected areas before wash


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#16 ·
Not really I guess because hot water tends to shrink your clothes.
 
#18 ·
It's a common problem, since most of our clothing nowadays can only be washed at low temperatures. Usually max 104 F.

That's not enough to kill the smell causing bacteria stuck in the fabric!

Everybody's sweat has a different chemistry and some simply smell worse than others despite good hygiene! Especially anxiety sweat often smells nastier than cooling sweat. It's produced by different glands.

You can do nothing but try (better not on colored fabrics)
Washing soda/baking powder
Citric acid
Vinegar

Or better try getting shirts that can be washed at 140 F.
 
#21 ·
I usually soak my workout stuff in detergent and water right after using them. Then I let them air dry before throwing them in laundry basket to wash later. It seems to work since I tend to perspire heavily. You could probably wear a thin shirt underneath to help absorb if you can stand wearing an extra layer. Tide Sport detergent seems to help some too.
 
#24 ·
How??.. Get...??? Out..??

formulate a sentence built from prepositions only?

Out.. applies to which woorrrd? Allll? JUST keeep repeating OUT Alll time the favourite word? OF?? OF?? IN? just put those dinky wordies 500 times per sentence
 
#27 ·
You can add a paste of water/baking soda to your armpits after a shower, leave it on for 10-15 mins then wipe off with a wet paper towel or rinse off with water(dont leave it on or it will burn your skin). This method kills the bacteria responsible for smell and it won't matter if you sweat buckets, your arm pits wont smell, it will even last a few days. Sweat has no smell, its the bacteria that grow in your armpits that feed on the sweat that create the smell, baking soda kills them.
 
#30 ·
Interesting, thanks.
 
#29 ·
Yeah doesn't work for me, smell still there. The vinegar seems to be working :).
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top