Easily Banish Sweat Stains From Laundry With An All-Natural DIY Solution

Sweat stains are among some of the most frustrating laundry conundrums. While there are a variety of commercial stain removers designed for sweat stain removal, these are often expensive and not always accessible. Instead, you might be considering more natural sweat stain eliminators that are not only more affordable but also less toxic. Borax is one possible all-natural solution for removing sweat stains from your laundry that you might consider trying.

Borax may be one cleaning staple you should have on hand for laundry day, and it's important to understand how it works. Also known as sodium tetraborate, borax itself has three key ingredients: sodium, oxygen, and boron. It's a white powder that naturally occurs in lake beds that have dried out, but you can purchase it from grocery stores and online outlets. From a laundry perspective, borax, like 20 Mule Team Borax Detergent Booster, is prized for its bleaching and cleaning capabilities. When used correctly, with all safety measures in mind, borax is one way to naturally bleach out sweat stains from some of your favorite clothes. It's thought that the ingredient works so effectively because of its ability to soften water, whiten clothes, and even neutralize odors.

To treat a sweat stain directly, consider making a paste out of borax. With gloved hands, combine 1 tablespoon of borax with water until you've created a thick, spreadable paste. Apply a generous amount to the sweat stain and allow it to sit for 30 minutes. Take a toothbrush and work the solution into the stain before machine washing your clothes. Borax can also be used as a laundry booster, not just a spot treatment. In this case, you can try adding ½ cup of borax to your laundry during the pre-soak cycle for an extra stain-removing boost.

Despite its potential effectiveness for sweat stains, there are still some major caveats to consider, like all the mistakes everyone makes when using borax in the laundry. For one, this ingredient may be too harsh for delicate clothing, although some anecdotal reports suggest that using the ingredient while hand-washing delicates may be safe as long as you wear gloves. Remember, although it is all-natural, borax is still considered an eye, lung, and skin irritant, and it can be poisonous to people and animals who accidentally ingest it, so keep it out of reach of children and pets. In addition to gloves, it is also important to wear goggles while using borax and to ventilate the room as much as possible.