Has your son or daughter stopped raising their hand to answer questions in class because they’re afraid of unsightly stains lurking in the pit? Are you tired of having to throw out and replace perfectly good shirts because these ugly yellow stains keep popping up? Then this post is for you!
First, let’s take a quick look at what’s causing these stains to begin with. Then we’ll recommend some tips to help your family get stain-free.
What causes pit stains?
Aluminum
Besides being potentially carcinogenic and having not-so-great health repercussions, the aluminum in anti-perspirants and deodorants is notorious for causing those yellow armpit stains on light-colored shirts, or even lightening the armpit area on dark-colored shirts. While our sweat on its own is colorless (and odorless), when it mixes with the aluminum salts in anti-perspirant products a reaction occurs that leaves behind the ugly stains.
Oil
As you may have noticed if you’ve ever splashed cooking oil on a favorite shirt or gotten some of that skin-softening body oil on your pants, oil soaks right into fabric and doesn’t particularly like to come out. And over time, oil turns yellow and starts to smell funny — as I recently learned by having to throw out a bathtub head cushion that seemingly had absorbed enough bath oil to moisturize an entire dojo of sumo wrestlers. So to get to the point, deodorants containing lots of oil will stain your clothes.
Wax
Before starting Kobi, while on my own journey of deodorant discovery, I remember purchasing a solid, wax-based stick deodorant from one of the popular natural brands. It smelled nice, and was mostly effective at controlling my B.O., but I soon discovered it was leaving behind white, waxy clumps on the armpit area of my shirts that lingered even after being washed. The deodorant literally stuck to my shirts like glue — gross! Needless to say then, it’s the waxes in your stick deodorant that are leaving those stubborn white streaks on your clothes.
How can your family stay stain-free?
Buy aluminum-free deodorant
Yea, it’s a bit of a no-brainer these days. But if you and the fam haven’t yet made the switch to aluminum-free deodorant, it’s probably time. Health reasons aside, this lifestyle change will definitely cut back on those pit stains you’ve been experiencing. However, not all aluminum-free deodorants are created equal…
Buy water-based deodorant
When buying your next aluminum-free deodorant, you want to avoid getting one that contains a high quantity of oil and/or wax, otherwise your pit stain woes will simply continue. This unfortunately rules out pretty much all natural stick deodorants, as it’s the thick oils and waxes that give them their solid form. Instead, look for a liquid roll-on or spray deodorant (such as Kobi Sport Deodorant). These deodorant formats contain a minimal amount of oil, so they won’t cause stains. And if they do happen to get on your clothes, because they’re water-based they simply wash right out.
Pre-treat shirt pits
Despite making the above product changes, if you or your child is a crazy-active athlete and you suspect pit stains might still pop up over time, try to pre-treat the armpit area of your shirts with your preferred laundry soap or stain remover as soon as the shirts come off. Sometimes leaving a sweaty shirt lingering in the laundry hamper for days or — gasp! — weeks before you get around to washing it can allow would-be stains to set in and worsen. Better to nip them in the bud right away.
Add vinegar to your wash
Sometimes laundry detergent can’t quite lift out all the odor and residue from clothes and needs a little helping hand. That’s where vinegar comes in. Because vinegar is an antibacterial, adding one cup to your load of laundry will help eliminate the stubborn bacteria that might be clinging to your clothes. It will also help loosen set-in oils or chemicals in the clothes, reducing the opportunity for stains to develop. Be sure to use white vinegar for this, and no — your laundry won’t smell like vinegar afterwards! The vinegar-y smell dissipates with the wash.
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