A white top goes with almost everything – except sweat and body odor. The armpit of a once pristine blouse or T-shirt can turn an unsightly yellow color so quickly that I’ve almost eliminated white T-shirts from my wardrobe. But from then on I decided that my laundry would not be better than me. So I set out to find a home hack that would allow me to once again wear white t-shirts with the carefree confidence of an actor in a deodorant commercial.
Luckily, I follow Mary Futher, founder of Kaia Naturals and the person behind the popular @madamesweat accounts on Instagram and TikTok, and she shared her trick for removing sweat stains and odors on her Instagram Reel: use salt.
According to Futher, salt is the “magic ingredient” for fighting sweat stains and odors on fabrics. With Apartment therapy, she shares the reasons why and how to use it properly.
Why salt works as a sweat stain remover
Much more than a seasoning or food preservative, salt has superpowers that can be used against odors and sweat stains. Here’s what Futter had to say about salt.
How to Make a 3-Ingredient Cleansing Paste for Sweat Stains
This is the recipe for the three-ingredient cleaning paste that Futher uses to fight sweat stains and odors.
Note: If you have extremely smelly clothing, Futher suggests soaking the item in a solution of 2 cups water and 1 cup vinegar for 30 minutes.
I tried this DIY cleaning paste on a white shirt
Forgive me for being a little fancy, but all I had on hand was finely ground sea salt used for cooking. Again, Futher says cheap table salt is just fine — I’ll keep the packets that come with our food deliveries for that purpose in the future!
I put the three ingredients in a shallow dish and mixed them with a spoon. It had a consistency more like freshly fallen snow than a paste, so I put a little water in it to make it easier to spread.
I then dabbed some on the now slightly grayish underarms of the white shirt I had stashed away in my closet. I’ve never been so excited to do laundry in my life, but Futter recommended letting the paste sit for about 10 minutes, so I cleaned the kitchen before throwing the load in the laundry.
Did I just buy a new white shirt? I’ve been wearing this top for a while now and it came out snow white with no underarm odor. It’s hard to tell in the pictures because of the lighting, but there is definitely a difference in person!
Thank you, “Madame Sweat” – your advice is indeed valuable.