Don't sweat sweaty pits

yHaving a hard time keeping your cool in this muggy weather?  You can't even walk from your car to your office without working up a healthy glow.  Many work places aren't very cool either, (Some stores at the mall are down right uncomfortable!) so this sweaty feeling never goes away.  Many of the offices we clean at night either turn their air conditioning off all together or turn it way up.  We come in and are moving quickly to get these done so we can get back to our cars to cool off before we do it all over again.   If you have a janitorial service coming in  after hours and are able to give them a few extra hours of cooler air, please let them know the times that they can come in.  They will greatly appreciate it!

Laundry troubles
One of the constant battles I have during this time of year is pit stains.  These stains are difficult to get rid of with normal machine washing.  Chemicals in antiperspirant react with the salt that we sweat out during this disgusting time of year. (Kudos for those of you who are used to the high heat and humidity.  I will take a dry heat any day!) They leave behind a pasty, white residue in the arm pits of many of our shirts. 

A few quick and easy fixes that I have found  to work are: 
Lay the garment down with the armpit stains up.  Wipe off an leftover deodorant residue.  Sponge the stain with white vinegar starting at the outer area to the middle.  Rinse with warm water then rub with an enzymatic stain remover.  I have found Dawn dish soap to work very well.  Work into the fabric by rubbing it together with your fingers. ** Let sit for about 10 minutes.  Launder as usual with your regular laundry detergent.  Air dry to help prevent any other color changes from setting in.
Another recipe that works well with stains that are also a little smelly includes using baking soda, hydrogen peroxide (the kind in your bathroom) and Dawn dish soap. ** You should already have  these products  in your home.    You can mix these together into a paste and apply with an old toothbrush to the stains. (I am usually in a hurry, so I just use equal amounts of each instead of measuring) Let sit for a little while and wash as usual and air dry.  Repeat as necessary.

** Pre-test fabric before treating
As with any laundry fix, you'll need to test for color-fastness before trying any of these methods on your clothes. If your wear expensive clothing or have a favorite shirt you want to keep forever, you may want to mention these stains to your dry cleaner if you are having a problem.

I do not work for the makers of Dawn dish soap, but I am a big fan of all that this amazing product can do!  As well as, vinegar, baking soda and hydrogen peroxide.  These are sensational products that are cheap and easy to use. 

If you have a remarkable cleaning product that you get great results with, please let us know so we can give it a try.  We are always open to improvement.

Hope you are able to keep your cool on this muggy Monday!


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