Summer days are some of the best days of the year… but not always the best days for your clothing. Especially when the heat and humidity are at their peak. How do you keep those white shirts from yellowing around the collar or underarm areas? How do you get the stains out, especially if you’ve already laundered it a few times before noticing the discoloration? Not to worry, those stains and the odors that can come with them will be taken care of with your Speed Queen washer and these quick tips.

We love a quick and simple home remedy to common stains and this solution is no exception. You can make an effective paste with ingredients commonly found in your kitchen. It’s amazing what a quick DIY paste can do to refresh your favorite summer shirts!

As you’re putting the ingredients together, use your best judgement to decide what consistency will work best for your garments and add a little more water if you need to. The more delicate the shirt, the more careful you need to be when making and applying the pastes.

Sweat stains:

  1. Run cold water on the stain
  2. Mix 4 tablespoons of baking soda with a quarter cup of lukewarm water
  3. Put a generous amount of the paste on the stain(s) and let it sit for an hour
  4. Launder as normal

Yellow stains on white clothes:

  1. Mix together baking soda, a little detergent, and water until it becomes a paste
  2. Scrub the paste into the stain and let it sit for an hour
  3. Wash the garment in cold water
  4. Repeat if necessary before drying

Deodorant stains:

  1. Dissolve a tablespoon of salt in a cup of hot water
  2. Sponge onto the stain
  3. Take a little vinegar (odor neutralizer) and sponge it onto the stain
  4. Let it sit for a 30 minutes
  5. Launder in cold water

General perspiration odor:

  1. Add a third cup of vinegar to your wash load as it begins to fill
  2. Soak for about 10 minutes
  3. Launder according to wash instructions
  4. If smell persists, add another third cup of vinegar prior to the rinse cycle

Keep your favorite summer clothes bright and odor free with these tips!