Undershirt – Pit stains are stoppable
So we’ll go slightly off topic today, but it’s a topic that’s just as important to us as buying the right undershirt. If you’re like me, you probably have a whole drawer full of older undershirts that are showing heavy wear and tear on them — and when I say that, I’m talking about those unpleasant yellow stains that have developed in the underarm area. The pit stains (ugh)!
Short of throwing them all away and buying a whole supply of new RibbedTee undershirts (you can still do that, you know), there is something you can do to reduce those unsightly yellow stains from your existing undershirts. We found this article on SweatSolutions.org where they interviewed Mike Thomas, a chemical engineer and the Team Leader for Proctor & Gamble’s highly successful Secret antiperspirant line.
Thomas provides the following advice:
“People assume that sweat causes underarm stains,” says Thomas, “But you wouldn’t have stains if it weren’t for your antiperspirant. Antiperspirants are very acidic and it’s that acidity that causes the colors on your clothes to shift.”
“The best way to prevent antiperspirants from transferring onto clothes and from potential staining, according to Thomas, is to apply just a thin layer of antiperspirant to your underarms and to allow it to dry thoroughly before donning clothing. It’s especially important to allow roll-on and gel formulas time to dry before dressing.”
But that’s OK, you still have a fighting chance to prevent stains and it’s a lot easier than you think. “Just rinse the affected area of the garment with cold water before you wash it,” says Thomas. “It’s the acidity of antiperspirants that causes staining. Instead of washing those stains out, warm or hot water can ‘set’ them by causing a chemical reaction that binds the stain to the fabric. Pretreating with a stain remover can make the situation worse. Keep it simple. Just rinse with cold water, then launder the garment in the warmest water recommended by the label…
Well we think that’s some great advice, Mike. We’ll do some testing by following Mike’s advice and report our results back here.
If you’ve found a way to keep your undershirts looking their best, let us know by posting a reply here.
Tags: antiperspirant, pit stains, sweating, underarm stains, undershirt, undershirt care
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:35 pm
[...] 3 – Agreed completely. But you CAN extend the life of your undershirt. Read this Undershirt Pit Stains are Stoppable article to see [...]