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I have recently found out that the white/yellowish "sweat" stains one occasionally finds on t-shirts might be aluminium chlorohydrate polymers.

While talk about aluminium and antiperspirants is all over the press and there are lots of DYI-instructions for removing them, they all sound quite pseudoscientific. I find it strange, for instance, that some guides recommend both vinegar and/or baking soda as a remedy...

Any ideas what else I could use to dissolve such stains without also dissolving much of the pigments?

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Have you tried baking soda or washing soda? It may sound pseudoscientific but many people have had success.

Even more successful is using baking soda as a deodorant, avoiding the aluminum altogether.

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  • $\begingroup$ I might try it if I don't get any more compelling ideas till the next time I do laundry. As for it "working" for many - I would not rely on their objective evaluation. And baking soda as a deodorant? I'd be tempted to ask why then nobody markets it as such. I do try to buy doedorants without aluminium chlorohydrate, but since there are so few brands (that cater to people who want to not perspire, not to go-natural fanatics) which sell them I would guess it's a rather essential compound. $\endgroup$ – TheChymera Jul 13 '14 at 5:21
  • $\begingroup$ Baking soda is dirt cheap so there's no money to be made from it. Baking soda is a base and the malodorous compounds in sweat tend to be acids so the baking soda deprotonates them, making them less volatile and unable to reach the nose. $\endgroup$ – Brinn Belyea Jul 13 '14 at 20:48

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