Why do shirts get nasty in the arm pits?

[WillyBrandt]

What's up with that? I wear undershirts, so I basically just throw them away after a while; nice clothes remain OK...

But apart from freakishness on my part, what's going on? Am I using the wrong deoderant? Should I use bleach on whites instead of general-purpose detergent?

[sir_captain]

1. i think you're just really nasty

but then, that's just my personal opinion ;-)

[WillyBrandt]

2. Maybe I should switch to wearing extremely wrinkled clothes

Or sleeveless shirts

[JVS]

8. Is there a formal tank-top?

That would be cool

[AlCzervik]

3. My husband has the same problem

I think it is the combo of his deodorant and sweat. When i wash them i turn them inside out, then i use bleach and....20 mule team borax along with some tide with bleach. Let them soak for a good while. It prolongs their life for awhile.

[Pobeka]

4. Some brands of deodorant do that. I use sure solid w/ no problems.

[shanti]

5. try some oxyclean on it

couldn't hurt! that stuff takes lots of stains out.

[kodi]

6. anti-perspirants never washes out of clothes & they are dirt scavengers

the "drying" materials are zironium salts that are dispersed in the antiperspirant. once on the body they attach to fabric and do not wash out.

when the fabrics are washed and dirt is in the wash bath, the zirconium salts act as dirt scavengers and attract dirt out of the water, thus they fabric gets discolored.

before the industrial age, metallic salts were impregnated onto textiles to improve the wash fastness of natural pigments. these were refered to as mordants.

the zirconium salts of antipirspirants are akin to such mordants

[AngryAmish]

9. One laundry mystery solved.

Bravo. Now, can you tell me where all of my socks go?

[kodi]

10. dont know were sox go, but use only deodorants, not antiperspirants

when buying deodorants, check the ingredients, if you see aluminium or zirconium listed, it is an antiperspirant AND a deodorant.

deodorants, with no aluminium or zirconium do not discolor fabrics after washing like antiperspirants do.

if you dont want the shirts to discolor under the arms switch from an antiperspirant to a deodorant.

use only a deodorant and never use a antiperspirant when wearing a white shirt or blouse. otherwise the garment will discolor when washed.

this is stuff the antiperspirant makers don't let you know about because it would reduce their usage.

btw: the active ingrediants in antiperspirants are also fire retardants.

[xcentrik]

7. Check out PBS - "Secrets of the Dead".

No really, they just did an item on the Shroud of Turin that explained that microorganisms that live on sweat cause oxidation of the fibers.