Sweat is a perfectly normal part of life, but it has a tendency to show up precisely when you don’t want it to. Like when you’re taking a brand new dress or shirt out for a spin.

Of course, the day you decide to wear said garment will be the day you’ll inevitably sleep through your alarm and be forced to sprint several blocks for the bus, or the humidity will be off the scale, or you’ll have a particularly nerve-wracking day at work.

Whatever it happens to be, the result is always the same: sweat patches.

If it’s any consolation, absolutely everybody experiences this — Caitlin Stasey is no different. The Aussie actress recently Instagrammed the evidence, having “ruined” what looks to be a lovely red blouse:

I sure know how to ruin a good thing

A photo posted by Baby Lady (@caitlinjstasey) on Jun 9, 2016 at 9:50pm PDT

So yeah, there’s absolutely no need to feel self-conscious about sweating.

What’s frustrating, however, is that sweat has the power to leave lasting marks on your favourite clothes, especially if those clothes happen to be white.

Somewhat ironically, the substance that helps to ward it off — deodorant — can also stain. What gives?

If you’re sick of your sweat glands wreaking havoc in your wardrobe, you have two options:

1. You can resort to wearing black every day for the rest of your life, although you’d probably have to ditch the deo (because: white marks).
2. Learn some handy tips to get those stains the hell away from your armpits.

Watch: Paula Joye’s tips for styling a white shirt. (Post continues after video.)

Evidently, removing sweat and deodorant stains is quite simple and relatively cheap to boot. Here’s what online cleaning services marketplace Helpling recommends for white clothing:

“To begin, soak the item of clothing in a bowl of three parts warm water to one part vinegar for half an hour.

Then, create a paste with half a cup of baking soda, a tablespoon of salt and the same amount of hydrogen peroxide. Remove the item from the water and squeeze gently until just damp, then cover the stained areas with the paste.

Allow the paste to work its magic for 20 minutes or so – hydrogen peroxide is a natural whitener, while baking soda helps lift out the stains. To finish, wash the item of clothing on a normal whites laundry cycle.”

See? No need to fork out for fancy laundry products.

When in doubt, distract from those unwanted marks with a great pair of pants. (Post continues after gallery.)

For garments in other colours, it’s the same process with just one simple tweak — instead of salt and hydrogen peroxide, you make the paste with a few tablespoons of baking soda and a quarter of a cup of warm water.

Otherwise, you’ll wind up with bleached armpits in your party dress, which would make for an… interesting look.

Happy cleaning.

Do you have any stain-removing tips you’d care to share?

Featured image: Getty/Instagram (@caitlinjstasey).