Ring Around The Collar

April 12, 2005 10:24 AM

What is the best way to get rid of ring around the collar from white (and light colored) dress shirts?

I do my own laundry and a I pre-treat the collars with the spray stuff, but the ring still is visible (although lightly). Is there anyway to prevent ring around the collar?

posted by turbanhead to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (7 answers total)

Uhh... Wisk?

This forum might be helpful.

Also, Googling for "ring around the collar" turned up a lot of info.
posted by bondcliff at 10:33 AM on April 12, 2005

I have found soaking whites and light colored fabric (t-shirts, shirts, wash clothes) in Oxyclean or something similar gets this sort of stain out. I also do this with vintage linens I buy and it gets out ancient stains and general grime. I make a pretty strong solution with hot or warm water depending on the fabric and soak at least overnight and sometimes for more than 24 hrs.
posted by lobakgo at 10:35 AM on April 12, 2005

regular dish detergent (NOT dishwasher detergent) works for me. it gets the grease out. i just squirt down the length of the offending line and wash in warm water.
posted by subatomiczoo at 11:16 AM on April 12, 2005

This may sound snarky, but my mother used to yell at the TV in the 70s when the "ring around the collar" ads would come on... "Wash your neck better!"
posted by terrapin at 11:44 AM on April 12, 2005

Oxyclean and mild scrubbing works quite well. Shockingly effective stuff.
posted by fet at 12:31 PM on April 12, 2005

Used to work as a waiter, so white collars were a must. The most effective method I found was to soak the shirts in a dilluted sink of water/bleach overnight. Your shirt will resemble the sun. Note: this is bad idea for colored shirts.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 3:01 PM on April 12, 2005

What ever stain remover or directly applied laundry detergent you use, I suggest you lightly scrub it into the stain with a tooth brush.
posted by Goofyy at 12:07 AM on April 13, 2005