How To/Guides
How to Prevent Armpit Sweat Stains
2 Min Read | Date : 07/20/2025
Sweat stains – hardly flattering, right? The good news is, they can be avoided. If you’ve been struggling with them, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Discover how to stop sweat stains from ruining your clothes and your day right here.
What’s causing your sweat stains?
Our sweat is made up of 99% water and 1% fat.¹ When we sweat onto our clothes and it dries, a residue of salt, oils, and protein can be left behind. You probably won't even notice it, as sweat itself is colorless and usually disappears as soon as you wash it.
So, what’s with those pesky yellow and white marks that plague the pits of our clothes? It’s largely due to antiperspirant and deodorant residue. Over time, the aluminum found in antiperspirants can combine with the salt in your sweat and cause sweat stains which can be difficult to remove with machine washing alone.
8 tips to prevent sweat from staining your clothes
Here are our top tips for how to stop sweat stains from ruining your clothes.
1. Trim or shave your armpit hair
Underarm hair can collect more sweat than skin alone. Keep your armpit hair tamed and tidy – or shave it completely – to stop bacteria and dirt from mingling with the aluminum in deodorant and prevent sweat stains.
2. Keep it clean
It kind of goes without saying, but keeping clean and fresh can help keep your clothes stain-free. Shower or bathe at least once a day, especially if you’ve been working up a sweat. Then make sure your armpits are dry before applying your antiperspirant and deodorant.
3. Launder shirts ASAP
Letting sweaty shirts and t-shirts linger in the laundry basket is a surefire way of locking in those sweat stains. It makes it much harder to give them a good clean. Don’t delay – get sweaty clothes washed as soon as you can to stop sweat stains from setting in.
4. Apply less product
In the quest to sweat less, it’s easy to go overboard and apply too much deodorant. But using too much product will only make sweat stains worse. Remember that less is more – a light spray or a few swipes of a high-quality antiperspirant deodorant is all you need to reduce your sweating and avoid stains.
It’s also super important to let your product dry fully before you put on your clothes.
Over time, the aluminum found in antiperspirants can combine with the salt in your sweat and cause staining.
