Are you one of those people who sweat a lot, and as a result, have problems with body odour? Don’t worry – you’re not alone. In this blog post, we’ll discuss how to remove body odour from clothing. We’ll also share some tips on how to prevent body odour from happening in the first place. Stay clean and fresh all day long!
Sweating is a completely normal process because it is your body’s way of maintaining and controlling the temperature.
But that sweat seems to ‘infuse’ itself into fabrics, making them reek. Especially black clothing.
So if your newly washed clothes harbour a ghastly underarm odour despite looking spick and span, it’s high time you try some new ways to restore their clean and fresh smell.
In case you can’t figure out how to start out, here are a couple of incredibly effective ways to remove body odour from clothes. These tactics are simple, natural and incredibly easy to follow.
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It was of no surprise that my husband’s work clothing always had a bit of a pong to them after a long hot day working in the sun. But when my eight-year-old son came home just stinking of body odour, I knew I had to do something about it. School Uniforms are terrible at absorbing odours so I always try and wash them as soon as I can to remove body odour before it sets in.
Here are some fantastic tips that really get that stink out and remove body odour!
If you’ve ever had a shirt that smelled bad no matter how many times you washed it, you know the struggle of trying to remove body odour. It can be really frustrating when you seem to do everything right but the smell still lingers. Fortunately, there are some tricks that can remove body odour and make your clothes smell fresh again. Keep reading to learn more!
Aspirin and Cream of Tartar
This is one of the most effective ways to treat and remove body odour from your clothes. To begin with, take a bowl of warm water and add three white aspirins to it. Now finally add a teaspoon of cream of tartar and mix it well. Once the mixture takes the form of a paste, take an old toothbrush and apply it to the underarm area of your clothes. Scrub the mixture well and let it remain on your garment for at least twenty minutes. Finally, get your clothes washed with your regular detergent.
For really embedded body odour in clothing, especially business shirts and kids’ school uniforms, you might need to repeat this a couple of times.
Use Bicarbonate of Soda
Bicarbonate Soda is brilliant stuff and is one of the best ingredients to neutralize and remove body odour in clothing. Add two tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda to a small bowl and add a teaspoon of warm water. Mix it well until it takes the form of a paste.
Now, use your old toothbrush for scrubbing the affected areas. Leave this paste for around fifteen minutes, or let it rest overnight.
Now wash the garment with your regular washing powder. This is particularly good on white business shirts.
Add White Vinegar to Your Wash
White vinegar is another ingredient that helps you remove body odour from your clothes right away and is cheap as chips. For this method to work, grab a bucket of warm, clean water and add a small cup of white vinegar to it.
Now, soak the garments in this solution for about two to three hours before you actually get them washed in your machine. Once you do this, the odour from your garments is likely to be reduced immediately. In case it doesn’t work on the first go, try this process a couple more times for the best results. Vinegar is great for getting rid of the smell.
There is also another simpler way to use vinegar for reducing body odour. For this, fill your washing machine with water and then add one-third cup of vinegar to it. Now soak your garment for at least ten minutes in the mixture and then launder it the way you want. If needed, add another one-third cup of vinegar while washing the garments.
Note: Vinegar does not take out colour – and is gentle on clothing!
Remember to hang all clothing out in the sunshine – sunlight is a natural deodorizer!
Know that Black Clothing Tends to Stink More
There are some garments (usually black in colour) that really absorb stinks and are hard to remove, even using the above methods. Adding a few millilitres of essential oils to every wash just gives them a fresh smell that won’t hurt the fabric but will potentially ‘mask’ the clothing that has no chance at redemption! Just choose one that you love the smell of.
Prevention is Better Than Cure
Using 1/2 cup of white vinegar in every single wash will help to prevent body odour from ’embedding’ itself into clothing. It is also a fantastic fabric softener so you can kill two birds with one stone! Hanging your washing out in the sunshine is also a great way to prevent and remove body odour.
NOTE: White vinegar can also be used for whitening dirty socks. Add your socks to a bucket, and warm a litre of vinegar in the microwave or on the stove. Pour it hot over the socks, and let it sit for 24 hours. Then wash as normal. They will be white and bright!
Now that you know how to remove body odour from clothing, try these strategies for quick and effective results.
Also, while you launder your clothes, make sure to wash the smelly garments and the non-smelly ones separately. This will prevent the odour from one garment to be transferred to the other.