Yellow-ish stains on white clothing: sweat or sun cream? How to get rid?

[SlinkyB]

Hello

Just back from hols and did a white wash on a 50 degree cycle (cottons) with bio liquid. Some of the kids' t-shirts and things have a yellow-ish stain around the collars, and I'm not sure what caused it?

Anyone have any ideas? I've popped them in the conservatory to dry in the sunlight...but we're not getting much sun here in England at the moment!

round the collars is usually skin oil, which oxidises to yellow. However if you have just been on holiday, it might be from sun-cream. I have only experienced it on white office shirts.

IME the yellow does not show straight away when they are laundered, it develops over time through exposure to the air, often in the wardrobe, and is annoying when you thought the clothes were perfectly clean. I've used pre-wash spray and a good hot wash with plenty of persil. Although cotton shirts will stand up to heat, if the collars have synthetic thread or stiffeners, they may pucker, or elastic in T-shirts may weaken. Once oil has oxidised, it is much harder to clean off then when it is fresh (you will find the same on cooking oil bottles).

Kids' tops do this every summer so I've always assumed it's suncream. I've never solved it, but a good long soak in bio and whitening stain remover may help. I now avoid buying them white clothes and avoid Nivea kids' suncream as it seems the most inclined to stain (especially the blue or green stuff)