Sweat stains can become stubborn, if you don’t treat them on time. Photo: Flickr

Sweat stains on your favourite clothes can really ruin your summer mood. It is normal to feel unattractive and unhygienic and when there are dark spots under the armpits and around the neck of your clothes, although sweating is a completely natural process. However, there is a way to deal even with the most stubborn and unsightly sweat stains and make your garments look as new again.

Get Rid of the Smell

As unpleasant as the marks on the fabric are, the odour that sweat leaves on our clothes is even more unpleasant. If you leave a sweat stain untreated there is a big chance the smell with remain even after you wash your garment. To avoid this, rinse your clothes with cool water as soon as possible and don’t let the sweat to dry. Sprinkle baking soda generously onto the stains – it will help remove the unpleasant smell.

If you want to remove the odour from old sweat stain you can use white distilled vinegar. Wash the garment and dry it well. After that put the clean garment in a solution made from 1 part white vinegar and 5 parts of cold water. Let it soak overnight, then wash your clothes as usual. Drying your clothes properly before storing them is another way to ensure the unpleasant odour won’t re-occur.

Test Your Cleaning Product Before Treating Sweat Stains

Testing your laundry detergents and spot removers before using them on your clothes is essential step when treating your clothes, no matter what the stain is. Check the label and read the instructions carefully, especially of you are going to use it on silk, or other sensitive fabric to avoid damaging the garment. Apply small amount of the cleaning product onto a small inconspicuous area before and wait a few minutes. If the fabric starts to turn it’s colour, or wrinkle, rinse the cleaner immediately and try out different one.

Check also: A guide for easy removal of tough food stains.

Remove Sweat Stains from Coloured Clothes

Choosing the right laundry detergent is essential to remove sweat stains successfully from your clothes. Sweat contain proteins, which in reaction with the chemicals in the deodorising products leave very stubborn spots on fabric. Nevertheless, choosing a high quality laundry detergent is a key factor in removing the sweat stains from your clothes. Pre-treat the garments – apply liquid laundry detergent directly onto the spots and let it stay like this for 15 minutes, before washing them.

Remove Sweat Stains from White Clothes

Sweat often leaves unsightly yellowish traces on white clothes that remain even after washing the fabric with quality detergent. Many of us have thrown away a favourite top just because of such marks. Luckily there is a way to prevent these stains from becoming permanent and save your white clothes, using hydrogen peroxide.

Prepare a solution from 1 part water and 1 part hydrogen peroxide. Soak the stained garment in for 30 minutes. After the time is up, rinse well with cold water and let the garment dry naturally, preferably – outside on direct sunlight. If there are visible marks left, repeat the treatment.

Follow these tips for easy sweat stain removal. Check our blog for other great cleaning tips and tricks, and remember – you can call us anytime you need reliable London cleaners.