Saving sweaty dp’s expensive polo shirts… can it be done?

[Whyismycatanasshat]

My DP is a sweater. A very sweaty man indeed.
He runs his own haulage business and last year he got come really fancy embroidered polo shirts done; after a year of use they are still looking good except the arm pits.
The arm pits are probably ruined; the fabric is darkened and almost stiffened. If they were normal t shirts I’d have binned them.

Can anything save them?

I have told him that in future they need to be pre treated before washing and he is very much in agreement as he doesn’t want to spend the money again!

I know that if you soak clothes in a vinegar solution it gets rid of the sweaty smell that sometimes lingers after washing, but not sure if it affects stained fabric.

I think getting year's worth of wear out of work clothes is pretty good and he could think about getting some new shirts. Could he get darker ones that won't show stains so badly? Or get some patches with the embroidered logo on to sew onto cheaper shirts?

The embroidery place should still have his design and it shouldn't be as expensive as the first time as there won't be set up costs.

Sounds like it's a build up of antiperspirant, not just sweat. White vinegar works on sweat itself and a quick Google of "how to remove build up antiperspirant" suggests that soaking in white vinegar for a while and then brushing might work too. If you're going to bin the shirts then it's worth a try with white vinegar first.

Deo-go
The only thing that works. It is the mix of sweat and deodorant that does it.

I have suggested he gets black polo shirts but he is adamant he needs red as it all ties in with his truck branding; the red shows the staining dreadfully. Irritatingly he doesn’t even wear them all day, just when meeting a client and arriving at drop off; the rest of the time he’s in a wicking type t-shirt.

Thanks for the vinegar reminder; I may try soaking the arm pits in white vinegar; frankly I can’t make them look any worse!

I’d try bicarbonate of soda make a thick paste slather it on and leave to dry for a few hours then run through the wash. I think it’s about £16 for a massive tub on Amazon.

Take a look at the website Laundry Love and Cleaning Science.

Agree white vinegar is the answer, but I'm not sure if it will help if they're that far gone. For the new ones, I spray all armpits with vinegar in a plant spray before they go in the machine

I pour on white vinegar, scrub with a nail brush then wash as usual. Always seems to do the trick

I can't remember exactly what I did, but I managed to get yellow sweat stains from a white nursing uniform out using a combination of white vinegar and bicarb and a lot of scrubbing!

A strip wash might work- soak in mix of washing soda and borax and bit of washing powder before rinsing and washing normally.
The quantities can be found on google for the tub or bucket size you want to use.

Try soaking them in Napisan - great for more than just nappies!

You can get logo'ed polo shirts in wicking fabric - something to consider for next time?

Am I the only one that is really lazy?

I would just look for a sportswear detergent... I use it for my sweatty teans and does the trick without any soaking or other time consuming treatments.

Dr Beckman spray, there is one specifically for sweat stains

If it's stiff, it's a build up of antiperspirant, not sweat. You could try Deo Go antiperspirant remover, you can get it from Amazon.

In the future, rinse the armpits well with cool water before you wash the polo shirts every time. Washing sets the antiperspirant stain and makes it harder to remove. It mgith be worth trying different brands of antiperspirant as some are worse than others for staining. Also, tell him to make sure he applies it to dry skin and waits for it to dry fully before getting dressed to reduce the issue.