• Part of being a stay at home mom seems to be focused on becoming a stain guru.

    My kids, and husband (and dog) are constantly challenging my ability to get rid of stains. I’ve done endless hours of trial and error research, and spend tons of money on “miracle” products. Ironically enough most of those products don’t work. I am finding that more and more of the homemade solutions passed on by earlier generations are far more reliable.

    My latest discovery is a way to get rid of those nasty yellow armpit stains that teenaged boys and husbands are notorious for creating on their white shirts. Okay, I can’t lie, I’ve done it too. I should take note to say that to avoid making these stains you should try not sweating. If that’s not an option, choose a deodorant without any aluminum in it. However, that is the main ingredient in most antiperspirants. No one in my family is willing to forgo the aluminum in their deodorant so I am stuck just removing the stains.

    Your first step is to avoid using the dryer’s heat settings. All of our whites go through the dryer on no heat cycle. The lack of heat ensures that the stains don’t set in, making them really hard to get rid of. Avoid using traditional bleach if you are fighting a pit stain. The bleach actually reacts to the protein in the stains and makes them even more yellow. Don’t’ ask me why (that’s a whole different chemistry class), I just know this from experience. To get rid of the stains that are already there mix one quarter cup of hydrogen peroxide with one quarter cup baking soda and one quarter cup of hot water. Mix those together into a kind of paste. Pour on the stained areas, and be sure to get the inside of the shirt as well. Rub the mixture into the stain. Don’t be shy and really scrub those set in stubborn pit stains. Then allow the mixture to sit for at least an hour. then launder as usual.

    Enjoy your super white shirts, sans yellow pit stains!