How to Stop Bum Sweat on Chairs(21 Tips)?

We all have swamp bottoms

It’s always quite embarrassing to leave butt sweat marks on your chair. It’s also very uncomfortable to feel wet.

But no worries, we ALL deal with butt sweat! 

Sweaty bums can be caused by a lot of things: you just had an intense workout at the gym, you are stressed, you are wearing non-breathable underwear, or it is simply super hot this summer! Whatever the reason is, just remember we all experience it!

Why it’s important to take care of it

Having swamp buttocks puts you at risk of catching a bunch of skin issues and infections. The moisture and warmth in your underwear are the perfect environment for bacteria to develop! That’s how you can get fungal/yeast infections and rashes.

So if you want to prevent – or at least minimize – infections, you’ll need to stop your private areas from sweating!

There are a bunch of things you can do to stop butt sweat, or at least to limit the mess! Read the suggestions below:

21 Tips on How to Stop Leaving Sweat Marks on Chairs

Tip 1: Stand up regularly and walk around

Don’t sit for too long. Make sure you regularly go for a walk. Get a little breeze down there. It can be as simple as going to the bathroom, grabbing a coffee, or walking around the block. Just a little something! And make sure you do it regularly, like every hour or so. Walking is not only good to prevent butt sweat, but it also makes you more creative, according to this Ted Talk.

Tip 2: Trim things down

Pubic hairs keep you warm, so you sweat more!

So simply shave, wax, or trim them! Whatever you prefer, just make sure you keep it soft down there. That will reduce the sweating down there!

Tip 3: Use a cooling cushion

Adding a cushion on your chair can help let air flow between your bottoms and the chair. There are 2 types of cushions for that: an egg sitter or an old-school wood-beaded seat. Either way, they both help with ventilation AND with comfort when sitting for a long time, so it’s a win-win!

Tip 4: Avoid spicy and acidic food

This one is a no-brainer: we all noticed that spicy food such as peppers makes us sweat, right? So we want to avoid that. They can be hiding in an Indian or Thai curry, in a broth, in pizza condiments, etc. so let’s be careful!

Also pay attention to acidic things such as apples, vinegar or lemon: I don’t know about you, but I get drops rolling down my neck every time I eat an apple! (yeah, weird, I know, don’t judge! ).

Other ingredients such as garlic or onions won’t actually make you sweat more but they will make your sweat smell bad, so if you sweat a lot you want to me mindful how often you eat those.

We’re all different, so simply pay attention to what triggers you to sweat/ when you feel drops in your neck or forefront when you eat. Then, avoid these triggers on the days you are more likely to sweat.

Tip 5: Reduce Caffeine Consumption

Everyone loves coffee and energy drinks! Those don’t directly affect your bum to sweat but still indirectly affect body sweat production.

High doses of caffeine can activate the sweat glands which will lead to increased sweat production, but the main reason why you should reduce caffeine is because of sweat and anxiety.

Stress and anxiety are known to trigger the body’s sweat response, including the activation of apocrine sweat glands, which are concentrated in areas for example the underarms and groin but affect overall sweating.

Check your pre-workout supplements before drinking them and try to stick with caffeine-free supplements, as most of them have a high dosage of caffeine from 150mg-400mg per serving. A nice small serving of Espresso is around 50mg which is nothing compared to supplements.

Tip 6: Carry an extra pair of underclothes with you

When you hit the gym or go out, you already know you’ll sweat a lot more than usual. So, simply plan ahead and take an extra pair of underwear in your bag.

Like me, you might be afraid your panties fall off your bag when you pull something out, and it ends up in the middle of a crowd. Then, just put them in a little zip bag! I’am personally like PlanetWise-type of zip bags because you can’t see what’s inside, they keep the leaks/smell in and they are machine-washable. But any type of little fabric bag you have available should do!

Tip 7: Try sage tea/sage cold tea to reduce sweat

Apparently, sage tea has been used for generations to help women handle menopause’s hot flashes (according to a bunch of articles including this one.). So why not give it a try for butt sweat? (I don’t like sage but if you tried, let me know how that one goes!)

Tip 8: Pick cotton for your underwear

This is probably the most important one. When you sweat a lot, you need to know how to pick the right fabric for both your clothes AND your underwear.

Avoid synthetic fabrics and go with natural, breathable fabrics, like cotton (that’s what my doctor recommended to me!). The only issue with cotton tough is that it keeps the moisture trapped in the fabric, so you can get damp very quickly if you start sweating in it.

So if you wear cotton undies, carry an extra pair with you just in case, or, if you are a lady, stick a pantyliner in it for part of the day!

Alternatively, you can also try sweat-wicking underwear. Basically, they are made of a blend of synthetic fibers that helps push the water to the outer shell of the underwear.

Get BLACK or WHITE underclothes, no grey or colors because these colors would show sweat marks.

Tip 9: Pick the right shape for your underwear

When you are sweaty down there, your inner thighs are rubbing each other constantly, and the friction causes a painful irritation. It’s called chafing. 

To prevent it from happening, the simplest thing to do is to wear short pants or to wear short underwear (‘shorties’ for women, ‘boxer briefs’ for men or compression shorts at the gym).

Tip 10: Change your chair so it’s breathable

If you don’t want to wet chairs, start with avoiding leather seats! They are the worst, right!?  If you have a leather chair at home or at the office, then maybe it’s time to swap it for a mesh chair! If you shop for mesh chairs, ensure the seat is in mesh too (not just the back part).

Mesh chairs are fine for the office, but quite ugly for your interior. If you’re looking for something you can use in your home try natural fabrics: a woven chair with a grid-like seat would let you breathe through.

And if you are in a leather bar stools (happens all the time, ugh! ) then don’t sit on it: either lean against it or stand up by the bar. You can use a fake excuse ‘I sat all day, I need to stretch my legs, blabla’ 🙂 )

Tip 11: Take bathroom breaks and use wipes

If you get too sweaty and uncomfortable, take bathroom breaks to freshen up. Clean up with some wipes/cleansing clothes, and then tap your groin dry. 

You can buy unscented wipes at your local corner store or online. 

And if you feel frugal and eco-friendly, you can create your own wipes: just wet some small bits of fabrics with a cleanser or with a homemade mix of water/drops of baby oil, and then stick them in a sealable plastic bag and voila, you can carry them in your bag at all times!

Tip 12: Wear loose outfits

Gentlemen, make sure you wear shorts or loose-fitting pants. Ladies, wear loose pants or skirts/dresses.

The point is to keep the air flowing down there as much as possible! So picking the right cuts and shapes of clothing will be key!

 Tip 13: Be careful with powders on your butt

There are tons of articles online saying we should try Talc powder to avoid bum sweat, but please don’t! Research suggests that if you apply it on genitals, there is a risk of cancer. You can find articles about the opposite too, but when in doubt, it’s better being safe than sorry!

If you really insist on using a powder on your bottoms to absorb the moisture, then use organic, natural powders made from cornstarch for example. You could also try arrowroot powder or even tapioca powder.

Tip 14: Take off your swimsuits and workout clothes

Don’t wait to remove your wet swimsuits and wet workout clothes. If you can’t shower, at least go into a bathroom, and change quickly. That will prevent you from sitting in damp clothes and have bacteria develop. (According to this Huffington Post’s article , think: yeast infection, rash, Urinary Tract infection, etc. ouch! )

It’s more comfortable to be in dry clothes anyway!

Tip 15: Leave a turkish towel at the office

We don’t really get to choose what chairs we have at the office, so if you’re like me you ended up with a leather desk chair… not great! I was embarrassed of leaving sweat marks on my chair when I would go grab coffee, go take a bathroom break, etc. So I found the trick: a turkish towel!

Keep one at your desk, and sit on it to absorb the sweat, or leave it on your chair’s back and put it on your seat when you leave your desk to go somewhere. That will hide (and wipe!) the sweat while you are away. And when it’s freezing in the office (because of too much A/C) you can use it as a blanket. So many people have blankets or hoodies at their desk when the A/C gets too cold that no one will be surprised you have too, so that’s an amazing excuse. You won’t need to explain you’re sweating, you can just pretend you like to have it when you get cold sometimes.

I’m also obsessed with turkish towels because you can use them for so many things: for picnics, at the beach, as a towel, and even as a scarf if you want! It’s one of those multi-uses items you want to have around!

Tip 16: Carry a towel at the gym

This one is a no-brainer. Just make sure you don’t forget to carry a towel with you when you hit the gym. Everyone carries one anyway, so no one will be surprised. You can sit on it, or wipe the handles of whatever machine you’re using!

Tip 17: Moisture down there

Sweating can smell bad sometimes. If your butt is moisturized when you sweat, at least it will smell more like the product you used. So it doesn’t stop the sweating but at least it can help hide the odor a bit! After your shower, apply some moisturizer, and wait a bit until it dries before you dress up.

Tip 18: Wear black outfits to hide sweat

If you know you are gonna sweat no matter what, then you want to make sure you hide the sweat patches. I’ve written an article on how to pick the right colors when you sweat, but when in doubt just wear black. It won’t show your sweat. And it doesn’t have to be boring. You can wear colorful accessories, bags, etc.

And if you don’t like black, go with patterned clothes (think striped shirts, plaid shirts, etc.) They will hide the sweat marks too.

Tip 19: For the ladies: try panty liners to absorb sweat

If you are a woman, you may want to try panty liners. It’s not recommended you wear them all day every day (because they trap the water), but every now and then let’s admit it’s quite convenient! During big heat waves, or when I go out, etc. I would put one in my panty and change it later to avoid getting my underwear wet.

I’ve noticed that when I get the cheap ones (from the store brand usually) and I sweat in them, then they get destroyed by the sweat and it’s a mess to remove them. So now I get these fancy organic ones at Whole Foods (called Seventh Generation Pantiliners) and they are super soft and don’t get torn apart by sweat.

Tip 20: For the ladies: try menstrual period underwear

Leakproof panties to absorb periods have become a thing these past few years, so why not take advantage of them to absorb sweat too on non-periods day? As long as they absorb, that’s what we want!

Tip 21: Standing Workstation

If you are an office person and you are always sitting, opt for an adjustable standing desk that allows you to alternate between sitting and standing positions. This way, you can change positions frequently and reduce butt sweat. It’s also good for your posture and circulation.

Conclusion

So as you can see, there are a bunch of things you can do to stop leaving butt sweat marks on chairs!

But if it happens to you constantly and excessively – like, every single day and no matter what the heat is, then you may have a condition. For instance, hyperhidrosis (which is basically sweating in excess) can affect different parts of your body. But it can be a bunch of different things too.  So if you sweat all the time no matter the weather, and from other parts of your body, then talk to your doctor about it to see what they say. Same thing if you get repeated infections or inflammations because of the sweating. Better safe than sorry!

Otherwise, just follow these tips, and remember: Get some breeze down there! 🙂

And if you want to avoid sweat marks on your clothes, check out my article on how to pick the right colors for your outfits when you sweat too much.