Smelly armpits on clothes

[countessbabycham]

I've bought a couple of lovely tops from charity shops but I've noticed when I had washed and was ironing them,that a sweat smell was coming up from the armpits.
I know many would say "Euk" and bin them,but I really like them and they'll be fine minus the pong.
Any tips to deodorize them?
TIA.

[brighthair]

Napisan. Works wonders on my sweaty gum gear
Grab bucket/sink. Add couple of tablespoons Napisan and tepid water. Soak for a bit (v technical)
Wash with NO fabric conditioner (holds smell in) and whatever powder/gel you normally use
I often chuck a bit more Napisan in the wash for good measure

[NorkyPies]

I have similar problem, and loads of Milton tablets. Aren't they roughly the same as Napisan?

[countessbabycham]

Thanks! Will Napisan or Milton bleach the fabric? One of the tops is black (and a proper nice black,not a grey/black like a lot of my ageing tops!)

[brighthair]

Oh don't know about Milton. Sometimes I use tesco own brand nappy stuff Miofresh.
I do this all the time with my riding and gym stuff and it's never bleached anything yet
If you want to go a bit more natural - bicarb the armpits of the tops, then pour White vinegar over them. Wash as above but with splash White vinegar in machine

[AlwaysbeOpralFruitstome]

Biotex works wonders on DH's stinky work shirts. Soak and then wash as normal on as high as the fabric will allow. I sometimes rub a bit of washing up liquid after soaking, if they are really bad (although that tends to be more useful for getting rid of grimy marks).

[countessbabycham]

Thanks brighthair.I will get some Napisan and give it a go if another wash without fabric conditioner doesn't work (interesting fact on the fabric conditioner by the way - I rarely use it and all the more reason not to!)I'm sure the Napisan would also be useful for other grot washes as well!

[countessbabycham]

I will look at Biotex too Always.Thanks.

Wonder if they have the same active ingredients.

Seems a lot for a 75p and 50p top,but they're worth a try at I think!

[NorkyPies]

Milton is a form of bleach, so wouldn't use on dark clothes.

[BerryLellow]

I bought some Tesco value biological washing powder and rubbed it into the armpits (dampened first) then washed with the bio powder. It's worked a treat I have to say, and no sign of any bleaching issues. AND it's less than £2

[countessbabycham]

Berry thrifty's good

Norky I'll pass on the Milton then.Shame as I actually have some of that (sods law)

[Molehillmountain]

Does it really, really work? I have just read this and don't want to get my hopes up about my lovely tops that I'm about to bin.

[brighthair]

Molehill - promise
I nearly had to bin some of my riding tops. Now I kind of preempt it - when they smell sweaty before washing I put the Napisan in so the smell doesn't have chance to set
Usually I soak for about 40 mins

[Bluestocking]

Biotex works like a charm on my DP's vile, honking old "holiday T-shirts".

[Molehillmountain]

Ah-that's good to know. Although I'll have to try it to believe it. I'm embarrassed by how sweaty I am since baby no three-things just don't last and smell when they warm up

[mousyMouse]

dettol disinfectant liquid works without bleaching, just use it instead of softener.
also, using softener makes dh's shirts and socks more smelly as does using too much detergent.

[clare458]

I thought I was the only one with this problem!

[Rosa]

Also a paste of bicarb of soda and tepid water rubbed in and left for a bit does help. I tend to do a combination of Napisan and bicarb on dh polos and agree about the fabric conditioner leave it out for the first couple of washes until you have eliminated the pong then you can put it back in again...

[JellyBelly10]

The best solution to this which will definitely not ruin your clothes (like some of the bleach based products menitoned on here) is a product called Halo Sports Wash!!! It's briliant!! You can buy it in Tescos, it's £3.99 for a bottle. It's a liquid wash that is specifically designed to get sweat out of sports clothes. It has something in it that is anti-fungal and anti-bacterial which is what makes it different from other normal washing liquids. I had some really old bras that were a bit smelly under the arms and now I only ver hand wash them with Halo and they don't smell at all! It can be used as a hand-wash or in the machine. It's brillianta nd is deigned specifically to sort out your problem!!

[JellyBelly10]

Sorry about all the typos above I was just so keen to type my message!!

[Fluffycloudland77]

Have you tried ordinary bio powder and soda crystals? I use this for our tops and never get sweaty smells.

[Molehillmountain]

What a lot of solutions to a problem that I couldn't really discuss at coffee mornings! . Going to try some this week.

[countessbabycham]

I normally just use bio and washing soda Fluffy,for some reason this time I used[a particularly nice smelling]fabric conditioner instead of washing soda.Having just cleaned out the black sludge in my dispenser drawer (the reason I stopped using fab conditioner in the first place),I won't be repeating that mistake anytime soon!

JellyBelly the Halo Sports Wash sounds brilliant!

Thanks for all the great tips everyone! It's interesting as well,how people do their washing!

[sarahfreck]

I get the febreeze version for pet smells ( it supposedly kills bacteria which I think are what causes the smell). I spray this on underarms and then chuck in laundry basket for next wash. This means febreeze has several days on fabric to get to work, then is washed out (and hopefully nasties with it). You could probably do this with other non-bleaching anti-bacterial liquids too (dettol disinfectant?)

This usually works but I've had to repeat the process on a particularly bad top!

the comments about fabric conditioner keeping in smells are interesting.

[Darksideofthespoon]

The best thing I have found for this is white vinegar. Soak the armpits of the clothes in the vinegar and leave for about an hour before putting them in the washing machine. It completely neutralises the smell and they come out smelling brand new.

[daisie4]

I second white vinegar, I just put half a cup in the wash.