How to Prevent Pit Stains: 6 Ways to Save Your Shirts

Stains in the armpits of your shirts can be an embarrassing and expensive problem, and getting rid of them can be difficult, often resulting in time-consuming cleaning processes or replacements altogether. Armpit stains are caused by many factors. Sometimes they appear because you have put on too much deodorant. Sometimes your nerves (and sweat glands) get the best of you during an important meeting or presentation.

However they may happen, it is important to know how to prevent pit stains to protect your clothes... and keep your sanity! We’ve collected six tried-and-true hacks to avoid pesky pit stains.

What causes pit stains?

To figure out how to prevent pit stains, you need to know how they are caused. Sweat stains happen when:

Sweat mixes with certain ingredients in your deodorant/antiperspirant.

Most deodorants or antiperspirants contain large quantities of aluminum. The yellow stains in your armpits are the product of a chemical reaction that occurs when your sweat mixes with this aluminum.

Deodorant sweat stains are more likely to occur in situations where you are wearing too much deodorant and also sweating a lot. Typically these stains require extra treatment before or during laundering.

Sweat mixes with bacteria on your skin.

Even if you are not wearing deodorant, you can still get stains on the pits of your shirts. This happens when your apocrine glands discharge an opaque substance full of lipids, which are fatty chemicals. When released into your armpits and onto the shirt you are wearing, they invariably cause staining.

Deodorant sweat stains are more likely to occur when you are wearing too much deodorant and also sweating a lot.

6 Ways to Prevent Armpit Sweat on Shirts

1. Shave your armpits.

When you have hairy armpits, the sweat collects in the hair fibers and mixes with bacteria on your skin to cause even worse pit stains. One way to eliminate this reaction is to shave your armpits. While you don’t have to shave your pits daily, managing your armpit hair is an effective measure on how to stop pit stains.

2. Use deodorant as directed.

Many men overuse their deodorant because they think it will keep them smelling fresh for longer periods. However, there is no evidence that this actually works. In fact, overusing deodorant is one of the most common ways pit stains occur. To save your shirts from stains, use your deodorant as directed. Apply one layer, and make sure it dries completely before getting dressed. This process ensures the active chemicals are fully absorbed into your body and won’t mix with your sweat.

3. Try clinical-strength antiperspirant.

If you find that underarm sweat is becoming unmanageable, you may find that your drug store antiperspirant is no longer effective. In this case, visit your doctor to discuss wearing a clinical-strength antiperspirant. These antiperspirants are specifically developed to keep even the most active sweat glands from creating embarrassing situations.

4. Wear a sweat proof undershirt.

There are many methods you can employ to reduce your sweat from wreaking havoc on your clothes. Yet one of best ways to prevent sweat stains on dress shirts is to protect them by wearing a sweat proof undershirt. Ejis micro modal sweat proof undershirts are designed to keep your dress shirts dry with a highly effective sweat proof layer sewn into the armpits of the shirt. They are also infused with silver to help fight odor-causing bacteria and maintain your body’s temperature.

5. Manage situational sweating.

If you are a person who experiences situational sweating caused by hot weather or anxiety, find ways to cool down your body and calm your nerves. Try wearing breathable fabrics, using a personal desk fan and making sure you stay hydrated. If you suffer from anxiety or stress-sweating, practice ways to calm your nerves like deep breathing or meditation. Regulating your body temperature (and your mindset) can keep you from stress sweating.

6. Launder shirts immediately so stains don’t become permanent.

After a particularly hectic, hot day or rigorous workout, make sure to wash your sweaty clothes immediately. Sweat that’s left on your shirts tends to settle into the fabric, making it that much more difficult to get them out later. If your everyday laundering doesn’t get out the sweat marks or stains, there are many other ways to get rid of armpit stains on your shirts, many of which use common household products.

We’ve talked about several ways to help you figure out how to prevent armpit sweat on shirts, as well as the common causes. While all of these methods to prevent armpit stains are viable, we think wearing an Ejis undershirt is your best bet! Sure, we may be biased. But thousands of satisfied customers can’t be wrong. Right?