Banish Underarm Stains From Clothing With An Unlikely Kitchen Ingredient

If you've ever worn a shirt or sweater only to find the underarms getting stained and smelly over time, that can be really disappointing. You want that favorite garment to last and last and pit stains just won't do. How can you banish them? Surprisingly, meat tenderizer can solve the problem. The thought of a meat tenderizer might conjure the image of a mallet with spikes. But, no beating is required, as we're talking about the meat tenderizer powder you can find for a few dollars in the spice section of your local supermarket.

To use powdered meat tenderizer as an unexpected hack for underarm stains, moisten the pit area of your garment with water and apply the powder liberally before massaging it in with your fingertips. Let it sit for about 20 minutes and check the progress. If you can still detect an odor or see a stain, let it sit a few minutes longer before laundering and drying the clothing. This is important because drying a garment before the stain lifts can make the issue worse. You might try hanging it on the line rather than toss it in the dryer and decide whether it needs a second treatment once it's dry.

At Brazilian steakhouses, a dessert made with papaya often tops off the meal. That's because an enzyme in papaya called papain helps to break down meat fiber so it's easier to digest. Papain is also one of the main ingredients in meat tenderizer powders, which means when you sprinkle meat tenderizer on a dampened armpit and let it sit, the papain should help in breaking down the body-generated chemicals that cause odors and stains like these in clothing. In essence, the powder works to digest the stain and related smells. 

When shopping for meat tenderizer powder with papain, make sure it's unseasoned and completely white. Some of these products have extra ingredients like paprika that could make a stain worse instead. With a little effort and a simple purchase while grocery shopping, papain may soon be your best friend for removing tough laundry stains like these.