One of the main reasons why you have body odor right after a shower is hidden in your clothes. Bacteria, originating from your armpits, build a biofilm in the threads of your clothing.

Detergents and fabric-saving-warm washing temperatures fail to remove it. Every time you put on a freshly cleaned shirt after a shower you smell the odor not from your body, but from the clothing. Your body warms up the bacteria and provides moisture, which allows the bacteria to start producing body odor again.

The solutions are limited to rebalancing your skin microbiome to prevent bacterial biofilm in the new clothes and to using special products to remove biofilm from the clothes.

What is biofilm in clothes? 

Biofilm is a layer of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms that grow on and stick to all kinds of surfaces: living tissues and teeth, indwelling medical devices (catheters, artificial joints, IUDs), any metallic or plastic objects, and fabric. 

When you put on your clean clothes and immediately start to stink it means there is bacterial biofilm in the fabric. Clothes, towels, and other textiles are very convenient living places for microorganisms. They can store moisture and “food” for bacteria: sweat, dead skin cells, and air-borne dust collected during the day. These conditions are beneficial for microorganisms’ growth.

While bacteria on the skin are beneficial for us, their presence on clothes and other textiles is unwanted. They are not dangerous, as they mostly come from your body, but they can cause malodor. Bacterial biofilm is hard to remove from the fabric and requires thorough cleaning. Special attention should be paid to textiles that have direct contact with sweat, body fluids, and skin (underwear, socks, towels, sportswear, bedclothes) or food and dirt (kitchen towels, cleaning tissues). 

How is biofilm on clothes formed? 

The more imbalanced your skin microbiome is, the more body odor the bacteria will produce. Believe it or not, you can sweat and still have no body odor if your microbiome is in balance. 

The characteristic sweat odor and discoloration of the clothes are caused by the colonization and growth of odor-causing skin bacteria that are introduced during sweating. The sweat is wicked into the textile and carries the bacteria along with it.

Biofilm in clothes forms when bacteria from sweat stick to the fabric. They feed on your sweat and grow a “community” in your clothing. Once the sweat dries, bacterial activity decreases, but the biofilm can still retain odors.

Which fabrics are more vulnerable to biofilm? 

How long the bacteria can stay in the fabrics depends on the material. Polyester is the worst, with bacteria surviving up to 206 days, while cotton and mixed fibers last up to 90 days.

According to the study, bacteria adhere to polyester more strongly, than to cotton. But cotton can absorb more moisture (sweat), so the amount of bacteria that gets in cotton is bigger. 

According to another research, polyester clothes smell worse than cotton, because bacteria that cause odor, grow better on polyester. The researchers recommend wearing clothes made of natural fabrics, like cotton or silk.

Overall, no fabric is safe from bacterial biofilm and odor. Textile type is not the key to biofilm prevention, but the health of your skin microbiome is.

Sweat stains and crusty armpits from deodorants

Bacterial biofilm itself is invisible, but sometimes you can notice residue on clothes.

These white and yellow stains on the underarms result from the chemical reaction between sweat, aluminum salts in your antiperspirant, and the fabric of your shirts.

Aluminum-free deodorants have ingredients that tend to cake on your shirt’s underarms. This is especially common with a stick and roll-on deodorant. They leave a thick layer of a product on your skin, which rubs against the clothes throughout the day.

How to prevent stinky clothes and deodorant buildup on clothes? 

Preventive step number one is to change the deodorant. It doesn’t matter if it has aluminum salts or baking soda as an active ingredient because the key to odorless armpits is acidifying and exfoliation.  

An alternative would be to use acidifying CREAM instead of a deodorant. It makes your sweat odorless, leaves zero residue, glides on, and absorbs easily.

Deodorant build-up can happen not only on clothes but on your skin too. Have you ever had sticky armpits right after you got out of the shower? If yes, then you know what we are talking about. 

If you are not ready to go antiperspirant-free, here are some tips for you:

• Regularly clean your underarms with a loofah and acidic toners.
• Shave or wax, as bacteria stick to the hairs.
• Apply antiperspirant before putting on clothes or at night.
• Wash your clothes right after wearing them with more powerful detergents.

These preventive measures can work on new clothes which were not yet subjected to biofilm. If your clothes already stink after cleaning, check out these tips below.

5 ways to get the stink out of clothes and remove deodorant stains 

Check your clothes labels before applying any of the below. 

1. Mix baking soda and warm water, and rub this paste into the problem areas. Leave it overnight and then launder it as usual. 

2. Dissolve ½ cup of table salt in a bowl of warm water. Soak the affected areas of the garment, then launder.

3. Mix two tablespoons of white vinegar and a glass of water. Apply to the underarms of the clothes and leave for at least 30 minutes. Then launder as usual.

4. Pour several capfuls of mouthwash on the armpit areas and leave for 30 minutes, then launder as usual. 

5. Mix lemon juice and water 1:1, and apply to the stains for at least 30 minutes. Then wash the clothes as usual.

If your clothes have caking from natural or stick deodorants, rub these solutions in the fabric with a brush.

Sometimes you may need to treat your clothes with a commercial product. If you think that bacterial biofilm is what makes your clothes stink, you should try this enzyme-based product.

Apply a small amount of the enzyme solution to the seams of the clothing that come in touch with armpits and neck. Rub it in, let it sit for at least 30 min prior to washing.We are working on our own enzyme-based solution for underarm stains and odor removal from clothes. Leave your info below and we will get back to you as soon as the solution is ready.

Bacterial biofilm on your underwear

We have sweat glands in our groin too. The sweat is mixed with sebum, urine, fecal particles, and discharge. So sometimes you can smell yourself through your pants. 

According to a study, a pair of freshly washed underwear on average contains about 0.1 grams of feces. The number seems insignificant, but imagine the bacteria getting activated again as soon as you put your underwear on.

How to clean your underwear:

1. Clean it with hot water only. Cold water will not kill bacteria.
2. Use a stain remover or one of the solutions we recommended above.
3. Wash it separately and clean your washing machine after. Some bacteria, in particular E. coli, stick around in the machine after the cycle is over and can transfer to other garments.

Summary:

1. Biofilm in clothes is one of the main causes of body odor right after a shower. 
2. Biofilm can be formed on both natural and synthetic fabric. It appears because of chemical reactions between sweat, aluminum salts from a deodorant, and fabric.
3. Natural deodorants can cause caking which is also difficult to remove.
4. Biofilms accumulate over time, so it’s better to wash your clothes after wearing them.
5. The best way to prevent biofilm is to change deodorant. Choose acidifying products and exfoliate the skin regularly.
6. To get aluminum deodorant stains out use powerful stain-removing products or homemade solutions.