# Removing armpit odor?



## MamaChicken (Aug 21, 2006)

A friend gave me a bunch of maternity clothes, which I love - they are so cute and FREE! But if the armpit area gets just a little bit warm, there is a very strong body odor scent in the fabric. I have tried vinegar and pet urine scent remover - didn't work.

What can I try?


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## dani76 (Mar 24, 2004)

:

I have a shirt like this that I got from the thrift store. I have tried everything to get the stink out. Hopefully someone will pop in with an answer.


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## SoHappy (Nov 19, 2001)

I'd try Bac-out.


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## thixle (Sep 26, 2007)

Or Borax. A cup in the wash, let it set overnight. If there is a high polyester content, it may be pretty hopeless, though.


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## SAHDS (Mar 28, 2008)

I worked in a Dry Cleaner's when I was 17 and I remember that nothing, literally, will get armpit stains out.


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## jocelyndale (Aug 28, 2006)

Saltwater soaks. That's what I use on a polyester lace dress that saw a little too much clubtime before I discovered it in a thrift store. It's fine now, unless *I* sweat in it, which seems to reactivate dormant sweatmonsters. It's not my scent, either, which is weird. Anyhow, saltwater works for me.


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## I Fly (Jul 8, 2002)

It helps me to apply straight vinegar to the whole armpit area before I put the shirt in the wash, letting it soak in well. Then regular wash. I never have this problem in whites, so I assume a hot wash really helps, and I'm certain bleach every now and again really helps. So, you could try a warm or hot wash if the items won't be damaged by that treatment.


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## anniegirl (May 17, 2005)

I have had this problem and the only thing that really, really works is 1/4 cup bleach. As long as you dilute with water before you put in the machine it won't fade the colors on the shirts, it's such a small amount.

It's what I would do, especially since it's not even your own stink! Yuck!


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## jyurina (Mar 17, 2005)

How about some dish soap? It cuts grease which will help get out the body oils that are making it cling to the fabric.


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## 4evermom (Feb 3, 2005)

I would try baking soda in the washing machine. I had some stinky clothes (musty from basement) that I washed multiple times. Then I tried sprinkling a liberal amount of baking soda on top of the clothes in the washer and the smell came out. You could maybe make a baking soda paste and put it directly on the armpit area before washing.


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## 4evermom (Feb 3, 2005)

Another idea is pouring rubbing alcohol on the armpit area since BO is a bacteria issue. Could that maybe dissolve some synthetics fabrics, though?


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## A_Random_Phrase (Mar 27, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MamaChicken* 
A friend gave me a bunch of maternity clothes, which I love - they are so cute and FREE! But if the armpit area gets just a little bit warm, there is a very strong body odor scent in the fabric. I have tried vinegar and pet urine scent remover - didn't work.

What can I try?

DH's shirts and undershirts get horrendous. What I have discovered is to do the following: Put the shirts into the washing machine with a full dose of laundry soap and about a cup of white vinegar (even if the cycle is on small or medium load). Run the load through the soak cycle at the maximum soak time on warm water. After it is done, I run it through a permanent press cycle on cold or warm (whichever I prefer at the time) without adding anything. If I leave out the vinegar, the soak cycle, _any_ part of this the smell doesn't come out.


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