OT--Underarm stains--Ugh!!

[HappyCamperToo]

DD15 is starting to get these on her white sports bras. I'm not very good at cleaning, so forgive my ignorance, but I need your best tips. PLEASE tell me HOW do I get rid of these stains! Will bleach ruin the sturdiness of the bra? (They are VERY sturdy/supportive bras.) Do I soak the whole bra, or just apply where needed? Are there other products? Please name specific brands if that's what it will take. Thanks

 

[Mickey&Donald]

Have you tried Oxy Clean? I've also heard of good results with "bleaching" white items by lying them in direct sunlight.

 

[disneydiz]

I read an article in our local paper about Oxy Clean Versatile-Stain Remover and how it takes care of underarm stains. I tried it and it works great! It only comes in powder form, and you mix it with water. You have to pre-treat the stains and let them sit about 10-minutes.

 

[McKelly]

I am not sure, but doesn't vinegar take care of this problem too? I thought I read that in one of those home remedy books..........worth a try?

 

[Deb & Bill]

If the fabric is Cool Max or something like that, nothing will get the stains or dinginess out. My husband's running socks are horrid, gray, stained, but nothing gets the stains out. I even talked to the manufacturer who said it's a bad side effect of the fabric. And they said to never use bleach on the cool max fabric since it will still not get it clean and reduce (and possibly eliminate) the effectiveness of the fabric.

Cool max may be cool for runners and athletes, but it's bad for laundry.

 

[englishteacha]

Don't use bleach on a bra-it damages the stretchy fabric. Oxiclean works pretty well for me. Follow the directions for pretreating. I've also had good luck with Shout on fresh stains. I use it as a preventative on my blouses. Underarm stains are the pits!

The directions with my washer (conveniently printed inside the cover) say to pretreat with a mixture of ammonia and color safe bleach and then wash in the hottest water that's appropriate for the fabric. I'm allergic to something in color safe bleach so I've never tried it.

However, if it's a bra, won't it be under something anyway?

 

[HappyCamperToo]

Underarm stains are the pits!......

However, if it's a bra, won't it be under something anyway?

Yes, but high schoolers change in a locker room....

I have some "regular" Oxyclean--I guess I'll try it before buying the Oxy Clean Versatile-Stain Remover. I was nervous about having the fabric lose it's strength, and it sounds like oxyclean might be gentler than bleach. Thanks everyone!

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

Great tips!!

 

[beeayekay]

I had a horrible problem with my daughter's bras, tees, and uniform shirts when she was in high school. Nothing seemed to work on the yellow/gray stains until I did a stain search and found this suggestion. Make a paste of dishwasher detergent and water and scrub it into the stain. Let sit for 15 minutes and launder using the hottest water for the fabric you are washing. Since most of the stained clothes were cotton, I used the super hot water setting. I used an old toothbrush to scrub. The gray and yellow stains came right out. Granted, I had to use a TON of elbow grease, but those uniform shirts were expensive!!!

Good luck.......

Babs

 

[PirateKitty]

This may sound weird, but I use baking soda and it works just as well as OxyClean (and its cheaper). I also heard that you can use vodka to prevent stains. I don't know if it works after a stain has set in though...

 

[Mickey527]

I have a Disney blouse that I bought in 1987. It is my absolute favorite. A white cotton blouse with all the different Mickeys embroidered all over the fabric. I get so many comments on it when I wear it.
I had some very yellow underarm stains on it and couldn't get it clean. I tried vinegar, bleach, oxyclean, sunshine, lemon, and everything else I could find.
In May I went into the Basin store next to World of Disney. they had this soap called Dr. Spot on the counter. The girl said it would clean almost everything.
I wet the stains and rubbed the Dr Spot on it. I scrubbed the fabric like they said and let the shirt sit overnight with the soap on it.
The next day I washed the shirt with Tide. NO MORE STAINS. It got all the yellow persperation stains out.
I used this Dr Spot on blood and ketchup and it washed it out. The only thing it hasn't cleaned was baby food squash stains on a white t-shirt.
I think you can call the Basin store and order this, it is definately worth every penny. I bought two more bars on my trip in August so I won't run out before my next trip. Peggie

 

[disneyeveryyear]

I have a Disney blouse that I bought in 1987. It is my absolute favorite. A white cotton blouse with all the different Mickeys embroidered all over the fabric. I get so many comments on it when I wear it.
I had some very yellow underarm stains on it and couldn't get it clean. I tried vinegar, bleach, oxyclean, sunshine, lemon, and everything else I could find.
In May I went into the Basin store next to World of Disney. they had this soap called Dr. Spot on the counter. The girl said it would clean almost everything.
I wet the stains and rubbed the Dr Spot on it. I scrubbed the fabric like they said and let the shirt sit overnight with the soap on it.
The next day I washed the shirt with Tide. NO MORE STAINS. It got all the yellow persperation stains out.
I used this Dr Spot on blood and ketchup and it washed it out. The only thing it hasn't cleaned was baby food squash stains on a white t-shirt.
I think you can call the Basin store and order this, it is definately worth every penny. I bought two more bars on my trip in August so I won't run out before my next trip. Peggie

Peggie-

Thanks for the info. I did Google Dr. Spot and found this from Basin http://basin.com/web-cart/customer/product.php?productid=16228

It appears you can order online also.