First few minutes
Just happened? Do this first
- Treat sweat stains promptly, because they can weaken most fibers.
- Keep heat away until the stain is gone; heat sets stains.
- Pretest any remover on a hidden spot and stop if color transfers or changes.
Sweat on sheets is body-fluid residue that can weaken the fibers if it sits, so it's worth treating the same day. Yellow marks from antiperspirant are the stubborn kind, and how far they lift depends on the fabric and how long they've been there. Whether you can use chlorine bleach depends on the sheet being colorfast and its label allowing it.
Test any stain product on a hidden corner first, especially on colored sheets. For sweat stains on white sheets, an oxygen bleach powder is the product to reach for. If body odor lingers, add an enzyme laundry pretreater to the wash before you dry anything.
Before you start
What sheets, towels & table linens can take
Safe to use3
- Water
- Soaking
- Enzyme cleaners
Use with care6
- Hot water
- Chlorine bleach
- Oxygen bleach
- Solvents (alcohol, spot removers)
- Acids (vinegar, lemon)
- Scrubbing and abrasives
Avoid1
- Heat, once the stain is out
8 items
What you'll need
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- Oxygen bleach powderFor the warm soak that starts loosening the stain. (opens Amazon)
- White vinegarA few drops for old marks that have changed the fabric's color. (opens Amazon)
- AmmoniaA few drops for new marks that have changed the fabric's color. (opens Amazon)
- Table saltFor the overnight soak when the smell lingers. (opens Amazon)
- Liquid laundry detergentPre-treats leftover odor for 30 minutes. (opens Amazon)
- 3% hydrogen peroxideFor stubborn odor, left on for 15 to 20 minutes. (opens Amazon)
- Clean white clothFor blotting instead of rubbing. (opens Amazon)
- Wash basin (opens Amazon)
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7 steps
Step by step
Step 1 of 715 to 30 minutes
Soak the stain in warm water
Fill a tub or large basin with warm water and stir in oxygen bleach powder, following its package directions. Lay the stained part of the sheet in and keep it under for 15 to 30 minutes, and skip the bleach altogether on silk or wool.
Tip. Start as soon as you notice the stain, while it's still fresh.
Step 2 of 7
Treat any color change
If the sweat has changed the fabric's color, put a few drops of ammonia on a new mark or a few drops of white vinegar on an old one. Blot with a clean cloth, then rinse the spot with water before you move on.
Careful. Ammonia damages silk and wool; dilute it with an equal amount of water and use it sparingly.
Step 3 of 7
Launder in the hottest allowed water
Wash the sheet in the hottest water its care label allows, with a bleach that is safe for the fabric. When the cycle ends, check the spot in good light before you do anything else.
Careful. If the care label forbids bleach, leave it out of the wash entirely.
Step 4 of 7
Soak overnight for lingering odor
If the sheet still smells, soak it overnight in warm water with 3 or 4 tablespoons of salt for each quart of water. Use enough water to cover the sheet, and keep that same salt ratio.
Step 5 of 7
Rinse the sheet thoroughly
Rinse the sheet well so no salt or leftover product stays in the fabric. Each product should start on a clean spot, so finish the rinse before anything else goes on.
Step 6 of 730 minutes
Pre-treat any leftover odor
Work liquid laundry detergent into the area that still smells, using your fingers or a soft cloth. Let it stand for 30 minutes before you move on.
Careful. Liquid pretreatments left on longer than 30 minutes can change or fade unstable dyes.
Step 7 of 715 to 20 minutes
Apply peroxide for stubborn odor
If the color can take it, dab 3% hydrogen peroxide onto the odor and let it stay for 15 to 20 minutes. Launder the sheet afterward, and if the smell or stain remains, repeat the peroxide and wash for two or three applications in total.
Careful. Use only the 3% hydrogen peroxide, never the stronger solution sold for bleaching hair.
If you'd rather buy than mix
Best products for sweat on sheets, towels & table linens
Keep 3% hydrogen peroxide of the drugstore antiseptic type, a mild liquid laundry detergent, and an oxygen-type bleach on hand. Check that the bleach is labeled safe for the fabric before adding it to the wash.
Puracy Laundry Stain Remover
ECOS OXO Brite Stain & Odor Remover Pre-Wash Spray
OdoBan Odor Eliminator & Disinfectant Concentrate
How we picked these: each product is made for this type of stain, its maker doesn't warn against using it on sheets, towels & table linens, and its directions fit the steps above.
Finished the steps? How does it look?
Nice work. Let it dry completely and check it again in good light before using any heat. Here is what done looks like:
How to tell it's really gone →A faint mark usually needs one more round, not a stronger product.
See what to do for what you're seeing →If the stain was already dried or set, the method changes.
Old, dried or set-in stains →When to call a professional →How to tell it's working
A fading mark looks lighter in the soak water and on the damp fabric after the first wash. If any shadow shows once the sheet is wet, it isn't finished, so pretreat and wash it again before anything goes near the dryer.
What changes for yours
Adjust for your sheets, towels & table linens
Yellow Sheets
Yellow underarm marks come from sweat reacting with the aluminum salts in antiperspirant, so the washing steps stay the same. The change is the color treatment: use ammonia on a fresh yellow mark and white vinegar on an older one, one at a time.
Expect a faint mark to remain on some older yellowed sheets, because aluminum residue can be impossible to remove. Treat it early, and use the dried-stain approach below if it has already set.
White Sheets
White sheets take the full sequence as written, including the hottest water the care label allows in the wash. A bleach labeled safe for the fabric goes in that same wash.
If a dingy mark is still there after everything is rinsed out and the care label allows chlorine bleach, use it as the very last step on a colorfast white sheet. Test it on a hidden corner first, and never use it on a spot that has had ammonia or vinegar.
Sweat Odor
For odor, the overnight salt soak, the detergent pre-treat and the peroxide round do the work. The stain itself adds to the smell, so a spot that looks clean can still smell.
Stop once the smell clears, and skip any round that isn't needed. If the peroxide is needed, repeat it for two or three applications in total, washing after each one.
Colored Sheets
Colored sheets need a test on a hidden corner before anything else goes on. Check that spot for color transfer or change before any bleach goes on.
Test the peroxide and any vinegar the same way, one at a time. If the test spot changes at all, skip the bleach and the peroxide.
The oxygen bleach powder in the soak is the gentler choice for colors. Use white vinegar only, since colored vinegar can leave its own stain.
Colored Marks
When sweat has changed the color of the fabric, the ammonia or vinegar drops are the right first treatment: ammonia for a new mark and vinegar for an old one. The rest of the steps stay the same.
If you can't tell whether a mark is a sweat color change or dye from something else, don't guess. Test on a hidden corner first and stop if the color moves.
Old, dried or set-in stains
An old sweat stain that has already yellowed or changed color is the hardest kind to shift. Start with a few drops of white vinegar on the spot, then rinse with water before anything else touches it.
If the mark has dried and crusted, brush or scrape off the loose matter so the soak can reach the stain. Then soak the area in cold water with a detergent or an enzyme presoak, and an enzyme presoak can go overnight.
If the sheet has already been through the dryer, expect less from the treatment, because heat sets the stain and antiperspirant residue can be impossible to remove. If a mark is still there after the full sequence, repeat the dried-stain soak once more, and accept that the original color may not fully come back.
Vinegar, baking soda, peroxide and more
Do home remedies work on sweat on sheets, towels & table linens?
Sheets need a warm oxygen-bleach soak and a full wash, so skip the quick spot fixes. For smell without a full wash, the spot options are limited, and the sheet still needs a laundry step to finish the job. If a sheet has both sweat and oil, begin with the warm soak and let the detergent pre-treat work on the greasy part.
Works3Helps2Skip2
Chemical safety
Never mix these
Some products in this guide react dangerously with each other. Use them one at a time and rinse with water in between.
Chlorine bleach + Vinegar
Vinegar is an acid, and acid mixed with bleach gives off toxic chlorine gas.
Chlorine bleach + Oxygen bleach (OxiClean)
Both makers advise against combining them: OxiClean says not to mix it with chlorine bleach, and Clorox says the two bleaches cancel each other out.
Chlorine bleach + Hydrogen peroxide (3%)
Washington State's health department says bleach reacts with hydrogen peroxide, and Clorox says not to mix bleach with other household chemicals.
Oxygen bleach (OxiClean) + Vinegar
OxiClean's maker says it should not be mixed with household chemicals other than detergent in the wash.
If they mix by accident: Stop and add nothing else; leave the area for fresh air, open windows and keep children and pets away; call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222, or 911 if anyone has trouble breathing.
What makes it worse
Mistakes to avoid
Don't rub the stain with bar soap
Bar soap sets many stains, so it makes a fresh sweat mark harder to lift. Blot with a clean cloth and start with the warm soak instead.
Don't let the mark dry before you treat it
Sweat left in a sheet over several nights can weaken most fibers, and dried residue is much harder to shift than a fresh mark. Treat it as soon as you notice it.
Don't leave a spray on colored sheets too long
Pretreatments left on past the label time can fade dyes, and gels on bright sheets need only a few minutes. Check the label, time it, and rinse before you move on to the next product.
Don't use ammonia on silk or wool sheets
Ammonia damages silk and wool, so skip it on those fibers. If you must use it, dilute it with an equal amount of water and use it sparingly, and never mix it with chlorine bleach.
Troubleshooting
If the stain is still there
Pick what you're seeing:
Yellow remains after the hot wash
Repeat the sodium perborate soak and wash again, keeping the sheets out of the dryer between rounds.
Sheets smell clean wet but sour once dry
Go to the liquid detergent pretreatment, then hydrogen peroxide if the label allows, and launder again.
A colored sheet has a lighter patch
Perspiration may have changed the dye. Try a few drops of ammonia on a new patch or white vinegar on an old one, after a hidden-spot test.
When to call a professional
Take any dry-clean-only sheet to a dry cleaner promptly, since the stain only gets harder to lift as it dries. Bulky, delicate or large-area stains on washable linens are also worth a dry cleaner's time. Give them the fiber content and say it's sweat, along with every product already used.
Questions
What causes yellow, brown, or pink sweat stains on sheets?
Yellow marks come from sweat reacting with the aluminum salts in antiperspirant, and those residues can be very hard to remove. Brown and pink marks are sweat changing the color of the fabric, so they get the same ammonia or vinegar drops as any colored mark. Treat any of them early, while they're still fresh.
How do I prevent sweat stains on sheets?
The best prevention is quick treatment, because fresh sweat lifts far more easily than dried residue. Wash sheets soon after a sweaty night, and start the warm soak at the first sign of a mark.
Should I use ammonia or vinegar on a sweat stain?
Use ammonia on a new stain that has changed the fabric's color, and white vinegar on an old one. Rinse with water before switching from one to the other.
Why does a sheet still smell after the stain looks gone?
The stain itself adds to the smell, so the spot can still smell after it looks clean. Work through the salt soak, the detergent pre-treat and the peroxide round, washing after each application.
Can I use chlorine bleach on white cotton sheets with sweat on them?
Usually yes, as long as the label allows bleach and you dilute it rather than pouring it straight on. Test a hidden corner first, since a bleach that's too strong can weaken the fabric so it tears sooner.
What if I put the sheet in the dryer before I noticed the stain?
Check it while it's still damp, because dryer heat can set what's left and make the stain nearly impossible to remove. If you can see any trace, skip the dryer, repeat the soak and wash, and only dry the sheet once it's clear.
Is a silk or wool throw on the bed treated any differently?
Yes. Chlorine bleach shouldn't go anywhere near silk or wool. Start with a cold-water soak and an enzyme presoak instead, since those fibers are easy to damage, and test anything else on a hidden spot first.
Methods, care labels and related guides
Good to know
Sweat on other materials
Other stains on sheets, towels & table linens
Start from the bigger picture
How we know this
Every method, amount and warning here comes from university extension services, industry bodies and product makers. We read them, check every step for unsafe combinations and changed amounts, and write it up so you can follow it.