Mumsnet Talk

I love to wear white, but this summer I have already thrown away 2 cotton tops because the armpits went yellow after just 6ish wears. It's been like this all my adult life. I don't wear coloured tops at all due to excessive perspiration (Driclor works but I save that for one-offs, as it's pretty aggressive stuff), so in the summer my choices are black or white. Black lasts a bit longer, but it doesn't take long for my tops to get bleach-type stains under the arms and for the armpits to smell a bit, even straight after washing.

I've tried various washing techniques, but wonder what others do? I'm beginning to think that I have particularly toxic armpits...

i didn't turn things funny colours but i did used to get pretty darned whiffy after a day of wear, and the ghost of smells past would linger after a few wears.
funnily enough, i started using the completely non-toxic, utterly benign salt crystal deodorants (not anti-perspirants) and this completely solved the problem. i didn't even seem to sweat, weirdly.

anyway, cut to a few years later and i can use whatever is to hand and it's all fine. i have nothing medically to prove this but in a way i'd almost wonder if i had some freaky bacteria on my pits that were feeding on something in the chemicals, and removing the chems removed the problem. it's probably not true but it's what i feel.

hmm that's a good thought... I have tried every anti-p / deodorant on the shelves over the years except the rock crystal ones.

Do you mean the ones like "Pitt Rock" or something?

DH used to get minging bits in his shirt armpits (they would go solid). A colleague told me of the joys of napisan for white shirts, so I soaked them in Napisan initially, and now put it in all the whites washes - and it now never builds up at all. Well worth a try in combination with biological washing stuff

I tried those crystal deodorants with less success but was has revolutionized my similar situation is bicarbonate of soda which I wipe on wet armpits. Despite problem sweating in the past I haven't noticed any smell/ stains since! And used to use strong chemicals til I read that parabens for example seem to be absorbed as found in breast tumours

yep, pit rock, bionsen, that sort of thing. if you do get one, check that you can leave it upside down with the stick dampened with a cm or so of water, this makes things quicker in the morning because the stick is already damp and the solution is quite concentrated.

in fact i think the packaging on the pit rock specifically precludes this, so i don't buy it. they seem expensive btw but last about a year.

This is common, In fact am sending this to dh who rants endlessly about his shirts. He is a very good laundry merchant but seems to think I do this to him on purpose.

another thread on the topic

Grow the hair in your armpits and stop using anti persp.

It worked for me.

Now i look like a sexy german but i smell great and no sweat mark on my clothes!!

you paint SUCH a glamorous picture of yourself, sixinchnips.

aitch of course i forgot to mention that you have to be gorgeous to carry off the look

lol

I have exactly the same problem. I'd tried various 'stain removers' like Vanish, but they didn't work, and washing on a hotter cycle.

Was about to throw out a lovely white linen top last week that had yellow stains, then heard about hydrogen peroxide and detergent. I bought HP 6% 20 vols online from Chemist Direct (82p), diluted it 50/50 with water, soaked the armpits in it for about an hour, then used washing-up liquid neat on it and rubbed it in, then soaked again in HP for a while. Threw it in the wash, normal wash cycle, no sign of yellowing at all now. In fact, the whole top looks bright white again.