Author: Joy Adi
Are you tired of coming back home every evening & wondering “Gosh how in the world do I smell like that?”
It doesn’t matter whether you sweat a little or a lot, underarm sweating is nothing but a nuisance. You are not alone; it is something all of us face regularly.
However, worry not! The 8 Actionable Hacks mentioned in this post will make life easier for you as you will know exactly how to remove underarm odor from your clothes without the need of any washing!
So, let’s dive right in…
There is no substitute for depending upon Mother Nature to remove unpleasant odors from your clothes.
The sweat produced in our body is quite protein-rich. This becomes a breeding ground of bacterial growth which breaks down the sweat into acid & produces a foul smell.
Hence instead of dumping up the smelly clothes in the corner of a room, you should always give them a proper shake & hang them out so that they can get enough exposure to the air. This limits bacterial growth from escalating.
The scorching UV rays of the sun are effective in limiting the growth and in killing the bacteria to a wide extent. The gentle breeze will further boost the process and within a few hours freshen up the dress.
Note:
Vinegar is effective in getting rid of foul smells, especially if the spray is focused upon a particular area, as in this case.
Even though the role of Vinegar as a disinfectant is limited, it is an effective cleanser & can even remove certain types of the pathogen which causes the foul smell in the first place.
Note: Using the essential oil is not a must but it helps in reducing the strong scent of the vinegar.
Alcohol is one of the most effective ways to kill bacteria. Alcohol evaporates and it will kill the odor-causing microbes while tackling the foul smell along with it.
Note: There is no point in using costly vodkas for this purpose. A cheap one will serve the job just fine.
Newspapers can absorb stuff as well as paper towels or tissues. So why not use them to absorb the odor from the clothes?
As newspapers are porous, they can absorb the majority of the sweat & odor from the clothes. You can get rid of the balls of newspaper later on or can even use them for cleaning window glasses or shelves!
Note: You can put the paper balls inside the clothes and button the shirt sleeves up so that the balls don’t disperse and then hang them on the balcony. In this way, the balls will effectively absorb the odor and the cool breeze will lend an extra hand in the process.
Baking Soda is kind of like the 'Jack of all trades'. It has a wide range of applications and is used in cooking, for quick home remedies against burns, as well as being an effective cleaner.
Baking soda has a special reputation for removing foul smells from things. It’s popularly used to get rid of the fishy smell from the hands after cooking.
You can use it to get rid of the smelly odor from your dresses.
The chemical composition of Baking soda makes it suitable as an absorbent. It acts as a pH neutralizer and can neutralize the acidic components in the dress which is the main culprit behind the unpleasant odor.
Exposing your clothes to a high temperature for 15 to 20 minutes is one of the best ways to kill the odor-causing microbes.
As per Insider.com, the majority of the harmful microbes are killed in the dryer as opposed to the washing machine.
Exposing the clothes to a high heat setting for 10 to 15 minutes is enough to get rid of the bacteria and the foul smell.
Note: Make sure your dress is dryer friendly. Otherwise, the heat can affect the fabric quality.
Coffee grounds have been used for years to get rid of a wide variety of odors indoors, ranging from the smell of rotten eggs to stinky shoe smells.
So, what enables coffee grounds to be such a great cleanser of unpleasant smells?
As per research by The City College of New York (CCNY),
"Caffeine, the stimulant that gives coffee its energy jolt, contains nitrogen. This element cranks up carbon's ability to clean sulfur from the air, a process called adsorption".
They also found out that materials made from the coffee grounds can absorb hydrogen sulfide gas which produces an awful smell in the sewers!
Hence if you are struggling with removing foul smell from your clothes, you should give coffee grounds a try.
Side Notes:
Coffee grounds, apart from being effective in removing foul smells, are also quite cheap. And the best thing is you can use it for dual purposes, for having a drink as well as for cleansing the home from odors.
If you don’t want to go through any kind of hassle you can buy an odor-killing deodorant like Febreze. It will deal with the foul smell of your underarms and will make your dress smell fresh instantly.
This is an ideal solution for getting rid of foul smell from the underarm areas of your clothes when you are in a hurry and need a quick solution.
But you need to keep in mind that it’s not a natural product unlike the other hacks mentioned in this post. It is safe to use on most fabrics, yet you should avoid using it on clothes made of silk, leather, or on fabrics that are prone to water spots.
If you have the time, you can consider making your very own natural odor killing deodorant:
Materials Needed
Instructions to make your Home Deodorant
You can always experiment with the quantity of these components and try to find your perfect recipe. Put it in a spray bottle and shake it thoroughly before use. Next, add it to the sweaty underarm areas for the best results.
YouTube Video to add with this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z7-Oa7vArE
No matter how big of a headache underarm sweating feels like, if you follow these tips, you can easily sort them out!
You should try to use many of these hacks to find the one that suits you.
For better results, you can always combine one hack with another. For example, you can apply vodka and let the dress hang on the balcony so that the cool breeze can also freshen it up.
So, which one of these 8 tips you going to try to remove Underarm Odor from your clothes?
Let me know in the comments below!