Removing sauna towel stains: deodorant, oil, make-up and discolouration
Yellowish marks, a dark oil stain from body lotion, make-up at the head end: sauna towel stains are annoying, but almost always solvable. A sauna towel picks up sweat, deodorant residue, body oil and sunscreen – and all in heat that drives residues deeper into the fabric. In this guide you will learn which stain comes from where, which home remedy really helps and what you'd better avoid with cotton towels.
Contents11
- Before you start: 5 rules against sauna towel stains
- Sauna towel stains at a glance: what helps against what
- Deodorant and sweat marks
- Oil, cream and body lotion
- Make-up, sunscreen and self-tanner
- Particularities of sauna towels
- Only noticed sauna towel stains after drying?
- What you'd better not do
- Prevention is easier than removal
- Conclusion
- Frequently asked questions
We have been running the Meri Sauna at Lake Kulkwitz for more than 18 years. The tips here are proven household knowledge, adapted to the particularities of sauna towels.
Before you start: 5 rules against sauna towel stains
- Act quickly: fresh stains come out much more easily than old ones. Every wash without pre-treatment can set a stain further.
- Pre-treat cold or lukewarm: hot water and above all the tumble dryer can set stains permanently. Only dry once the stain is really gone.
- Test first: try every product on an inconspicuous spot first, for example a corner. Acids such as vinegar or citric acid can lighten strong colours.
- Dab, don't rub: vigorous rubbing pushes the stain deeper into the fibres and roughens the surface. It's best to work from the back.
- No chlorine bleach: it attacks cotton and colours. The HOMELEVEL sauna towel, for example, must not be bleached according to its care instructions.
Sauna towel stains at a glance: what helps against what
| Stain | Typical cause | What helps | Caution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow marks | deodorant residue plus sweat | diluted vinegar or citric acid, gall soap | test acid on coloured towels first |
| Dark, shiny patches | body oil, body lotion, scrub oil | washing-up liquid or gall soap | often only visible after drying |
| Skin-coloured stains | make-up, foundation | washing-up liquid, soft brush | don't wash out hot |
| Yellow-orange patches | sunscreen | gall soap, soaking | no chlorine bleach |
| Brownish streaks | self-tanner | rinse cold immediately, gall soap | old stains often can't be removed completely |
| Grey dots, musty smell | mildew from moisture | for light towels, oxygen bleach according to the label | often permanent – better to prevent |
Deodorant and sweat marks
The yellowish marks appear when residues of deodorant, especially antiperspirant, get into the towel with sweat and set a little more firmly with every wash. They typically appear where armpits and upper body rest.
How to do it:
- Dampen the spot with lukewarm water.
- Soak it in a mixture of roughly one part household vinegar to two parts water – or dissolve a teaspoon of citric acid in 100 ml of lukewarm water.
- Leave it for 30 to 60 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.
- For older marks, also work in gall soap and leave it for a short while again.
- Wash normally according to the label.
The best approach is prevention: shower thoroughly before the sauna – without freshly applied deodorant. Then nothing gets onto the towel in the first place.
Oil, cream and body lotion
Fat soaks into the cotton fibre quickly and often only shows once the towel has dried: as a dark, slightly shiny patch. Water alone hardly dissolves fat.
How to do it: put a drop of washing-up liquid directly on the stain, gently work it in with your fingers or a soft brush and leave it for ten minutes. Rinse with lukewarm water and then wash normally. For larger oil stains, gall soap helps. The same applies to scrub oil: if you use an oil or salt scrub before the sauna, rinse it off thoroughly before lying on the towel.
Make-up, sunscreen and self-tanner
Make-up is a mixture of fat and colour pigments. Washing-up liquid helps here too. Carefully work out stubborn residue with a soft toothbrush and rinse well.
Sunscreen often leaves yellowish to orange patches that can intensify on contact with metal ions in tap water. Work in gall soap, soak for an hour and then wash.
Self-tanner is the trickiest case because it dyes the fibre much like the skin. A fresh stain can often be lightened considerably with cold water and gall soap; an old one usually can't be removed completely. Tip: in the days after applying it, use a dark or patterned towel.
Particularities of sauna towels
A sauna towel isn't a T-shirt. There are differences you should know:
- Dense towels need time: with heavy sauna towels like the DOTWAVE Sauna Towel XL (approx. 900–950 g), residues sit deeper in the fabric. Longer soaking and thorough rinsing matter more than a stronger product.
- Flat-woven towels are more forgiving: with hammam towels like the hammam towel Ocean, a stain usually rinses out more easily because the surface is smoother.
- Temperature according to the label: you wash our hammam towels and the DOTWAVE at 30 °C, the HOMELEVEL sauna towel at 40 °C. Washing hotter to get rid of a stain often does more harm than good.
Only noticed sauna towel stains after drying?
It happens often: the towel comes out of the machine, dries – and only then does the stain show. No reason to panic. Dried sauna towel stains are more stubborn, but not a lost cause:
- Soak the spot thoroughly with lukewarm water so the residues loosen again.
- Apply the appropriate product from the table above and leave it a little longer than for fresh stains – about an hour for gall soap.
- Rinse thoroughly and wash again according to the label.
- Check before drying: if something is still visible, repeat the process instead of putting the towel in the dryer.
Some old sauna towel stains can only be lightened, not removed completely. But such a towel isn't unusable – it can still serve as a towel to lie on the bench.
What you'd better not do
- Chlorine cleaner or bleach: attacks cotton and colours and leaves light patches.
- Undiluted vinegar essence on coloured towels: can lighten the colour.
- Baking powder or citric acid on dark towels without testing: can lead to light spots.
- Washing hot or tumble drying while the stain is still there: often sets it permanently.
- Mixing several products at once: try one first, rinse, then the next if necessary.
Prevention is easier than removal
Most sauna towel stains can be avoided with three habits: shower before the sauna session without deodorant, perfume or cream, dry off first and only then apply cream after the session – and don't leave the towel damp in the bag after your sauna day. If you love light towels, wash them a little more often. If you prefer it simpler, choose a patterned towel on which small marks don't show in the first place. How the colour of the towel helps is explained in our article on sauna towel colours.
Related reading: Washing a sauna towel: temperature, sweat odour and drying it properly · Sauna towel colour: light, dark or patterned – what is really practical in the sauna · Hammam towel not absorbing? Causes, solutions and what helps against odour
Conclusion
Diluted vinegar or citric acid help against deodorant and sweat marks; washing-up liquid or gall soap help against oil, cream and make-up. What matters is acting quickly, pre-treating with cold or lukewarm water and testing on an inconspicuous spot. Avoid chlorine bleach and washing hotter than the label allows. The best approach is to prevent sauna towel stains: shower thoroughly before the sauna and don't leave the towel lying around wet.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get yellow marks out of a sauna towel?
Soak the spot in diluted household vinegar or citric acid for 30 to 60 minutes, rinse and wash normally. For older marks, also use gall soap. Test coloured towels on an inconspicuous spot first.
Can I use stain remover?
Yes, if it is suitable for cotton and coloured laundry. Test it on a corner first and follow the manufacturer's application time.
What helps against oil stains on a sauna towel?
A drop of washing-up liquid or gall soap, gently worked in and left for ten minutes. Then rinse lukewarm and wash.
Do mildew stains come out?
Often only partly. For light towels, oxygen bleach can help if the label allows bleaching. It's better to dry towels immediately after your sauna day.
Can I bleach a sauna towel?
You shouldn't use chlorine bleach on sauna towels. Whether oxygen bleach is allowed is stated on the care label – for the HOMELEVEL sauna towel, for example, it isn't.
Personally written by Martin – founder of BeachAndSteam and sauna operator at Lake Kulkwitz for more than 18 years.