The TV Show Secret That Will Save Your Clothes From Sweat Stains

The majority of my wardrobe is black because a) I am a Pisces in a perpetual state of ennui, and b) if I wear anything lighter than dark charcoal I sweat right through the armpits. Want to hear something even more tragic? I once snagged a beautiful vintage silk button-up for a song, but I’ve never been able to wear it out because it’s camel. Pit stains appear in the amount of time it takes me to put it on, grab my purse, search for my keys (which end up being in my purse), and start to head out the door. So there the button-up sits, in my closet, awaiting the day it can be worn. Turns out, though, that day is two days from now when my Amazon delivery of underarm sweat pads arrives. Let’s unpack this together.

Kleinert's Underarm Sweat Pads — $14.00

I was first turned onto these sweat-absorbing pads through—where else—TikTok. User Meg Turney (a professional streamer and cosplayer with over 750k followers on Instagram alone) posted a video sharing that underarm sweat pads are frequently used on movie and TV sets to keep actors pit stain-free.

“If you see somebody in a television studio and they’re wearing a shirt, nine times out of 10 they have one of those in there,” she says. They’re easy to use—peel off the back, stick them into the armpit area of your clothes, and let them work their Hollywood magic (sopping up your armpit sweat). It helps to have your shirt turned inside out. Just be sure to take them off before you wash your clothes because, according to Turney, “it’s such a pain.”

Once I found the product on Amazon, I went to the reviews to see if these actually work. Spoiler alert: They do.

“I didn’t have much faith when I saw what looked like panty liners, but boy do these bad boys work,” says one reviewer. “I was paranoid all day that it wasn’t working and that I sweat through my blouse, but nope, underarms were wet, but blouse was dry.” Some reviewers note that they can leave an adhesive residue upon removal, but you can help prevent this by taking them off as soon as you’re done with them and not leaving them on your clothes overnight.

“I have a pretty physically demanding job where I’m constantly lifting, moving my arms, and sweating. These stay put through my whole shift and I no longer have embarrassing sweat stains,” says another reviewer. Sold.

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