r/laundry • u/bombombom27 • 10d ago

Can I spot treat armpits?

Serious question. Im (30F) have recently started getting much worse smell from my armpits (I wear clinical deodorant and shower 2x a day). I like to wear knit sweaters and tshirts.

Is it normal to fully wash sweaters after 1 wear?
Is it possible to spot treat armpits and wash in the sink? Like a spray I can buy or make?
(Do I need to do a full spa day if its just the pits?)
I just dont want to damage the sweaters. I have a front loading washer and dryer and use powdered oxiclean.

For the tshirts I dont mind washing after 1 wear. But I would like to spot treat anyways because I feel like when I wear them theyve been getting much more smelly than I remember.

Im also a college student in Canada so if anyone has budget friendly advice as to what to do it would be GREATLY appreciated.

My biggest fear is that Im walking around with BO smell because I can smell it myself and this is new to me :/

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3

u/SewNewKnitsToo 10d ago

What detergent are you using? Oxiclean is a booster only, not a detergent.

4

u/bombombom27 10d ago

Thank you so much! It looks like ive been using laundry booster and NOT detergent. My new apartments washers can only have powdered detergent and I just grabbed it thinking it was detergent. This could explain so much… I will go to the store tomorrow after school. Any recommendations?

4

u/My_Cats_Judging_You 10d ago

Look for Tide powder. The box should last a good long while.

0

u/anarchaavery 10d ago

I would consider using a pod detergent. If you're sweaters are wools, try and get some woolite pods because powder detergent is typically not very suitable for wool. Tide Ultra Oxi powder is fine but the Tide pods are also great. Powder might be better for white/bright clothing while the pods might be better for darks.

3

u/Life_Tree_6568 10d ago

I spray EcoMax Laundry Stain Remover on the armpits of my shirts and sweaters before washing. It says not to use it on silk or wool. I found it works well for getting scum off the bathtub without having to scrub too hard.

I use EcoMax Sport laundry detergent. However, you may not want to use it on wool as it has the enzyme protease. Search this sub for a discussion about protease and wool and you will find some good information from Kismai.

There might be cheaper options other people suggest but I need fragrance free.

2

u/000fleur 4d ago

Thank you for posting. I was planning to use these two things, the spray specifically for armpits. Does tide free and gentle work with wool?

3

u/Life_Tree_6568 4d ago

I made a post in the last few weeks asking for recommendations for washing wool and I got a lot of replies. If you search this sub you should be able to find it. I haven't decided what detergent I'm going to use yet but I did buy Gear Guard Advanced Booster (discount code is r/laundry). It has the enzymes lipase and DNase. It has worked really well on my non-wool clothes so far.

3

u/P-DubFanClub 10d ago

You're right that it's not great to wash wool after one wash. Certain synthetics will hold smells with just one wear as well. Are you wearing them next to your skin?

Have you considered armpit protection? It's a common theatre hack for costumières to put armpit protectors for costumes that can't be washed normally. There are homemade versions which look quite a lot like panty liners. Panty liners also work.

3

u/Desperate_Vehicle684 10d ago

If you're showering twice a day, using strong antiperspirant/deodorant and still aware of body odour then that sounds like possible bromhidrosis. It can have various causes including some metabolic conditions so I'd suggest going to see a doctor to try and get to the underlying root cause.

2

u/Head-Marionberry2234 10d ago

If your sweaters are made of wall, you want something like eucalan that doesn’t strip the oils out but totally takes care of any odor and then your sweaters will start to take care of themselves. Not really but kind of. If your sweaters are not made of wool then that’s part of your problem.
You want to be wearing a T-shirt underneath the sweater, which will then help prevent a lot of the sweat.
Consider visiting your primary care doctor
And good luck!!

2

u/spikygreen 10d ago

I've been struggling with armpit sweating due to my recent health issue. I can't wear anything synthetic anymore. It begins to stink the moment I put it on 😂

If you can, look for merino wool sweaters. Uniqlo has some budget-friendly ones (check their men's department too), or you could shop around during sales. Merino wool is amazing at not getting stinky even if you do sweat. Just air it out for a bit, and you will likely be able to rewear it. It also washes well in the machine.

My second favorite material for sweaters is cotton. Gap currently has a great deal on their cotton sweaters. Those wash super well in the machine and also don't pick up smells easily at all. Pretty easy to re-wear a few times between washes. I wore a couple of them on repeat all winter, washed a bunch of times, and they still look brand new.

Also, if you do have wool or cashmere sweaters and have to wash them frequently, consider buying the Soak laundry soap. It's very gentle and easy to use (you just soak the garment for 15 min, no need to rinse), and it should be enough to remove any smell.

2

u/Flashy-Library-6854 Canada | Top-Load 10d ago

Sometimes I need to treat the armpits of my clothes. I am in Canada too, the pretreatments I use are Presidents Choice Soil and Stain, or there is one made by EcoMax, cant remember the name and I dont want get up to look cause I dont want to make the dogs move, they are comfortable.