If you use gel deodorant, you probably do it so that it won’t turn white on your skin and crust up like some other types do. Maybe you use it because it works better. In any case, gel deodorant can leave a white stain on your clothing over time.
The stain isn’t from sweat, it’s from the salts in the deodorant itself, and it can be very hard to get out. Here’s some advice that may help:
Don’t get as much on your clothing to start with. I apply the best gel deodorant I can find (I like Arrid Extra Dry Clear Gel when it’s available) before I put my clothes on and let it dry a minute or two. That means I don’t get any on the clothing accidentally.
Don’t use so much. If you’re like me, you may be using too much deodorant anyway. Applying a thin coat only once per day is plenty, in most cases.
Get it off as soon as you can. Stains will come out better when they’re fresh. Those set by the dryer may never come out.
Scrub the stain with salt. Since the stain is a kind of salt, applying detergent or pretreatment spray to moisten the fabric, then applying salt with a shaker and then scrubbing with a toothbrush can help lessen an old stain — but it probably won’t go away completely.
Try meat tenderizer. When the stain is actually from the sweat, many people swear by meat tenderizer to get it out. The enzymes do the work. So go ahead and try that, but it doesn’t tend to work when it’s the deodorant rather than the sweat causing the staining.
Some gel deodorants stain more than others, and some come out of clothing better than others. Your best bet for lessening staining to is take every action possible to reduce staining in the first place and then get any staining that happens out quickly.
I really like gel deodorant, so I’m willing to deal with this issue. If you like it, you’ll have to cope with gel deodorant staining too.
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