How to Remove Ring-Around-the-Collar

Are you battling ring-around-the collar? If dress shirts are a staple of your wardrobe, it's likely that collar stains are a problem. Normal body oils and sweat collect inside the collar band and leave an organic, oil-based stain that is both stubborn and unsightly. In a few easy steps, you can remove ring-around-the collar from all your dress shirts whether they're white, patterned, or color and even from 100% cotton or cotton blends.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Degreaser
• Old toothbrush
• Non-chlorine oxygenated laundry additive

Treat the Stain

1. Check the label of each shirt. Make sure it's safe to launder. If you are concerned about the color running, test a small, inconspicuous area near the shirttail.

2. Undo the collar buttons and pull out any removable collar stays. Empty the breast pocket. This is a good time to mend loose buttons.

3. Clear a workspace where you can lay each shirt out with the collar spread flat. Work on a surface like a kitchen counter, or spread a protective covering over a table.

4. Work on one shirt at a time. Coat the collar stain with a generous layer of a degreasing product. Use an old toothbrush and gently work the degreaser into the stain. Do not rinse.

Soak, Launder and Finish

5. Fill the washer with enough cool water to cover the treated shirts. Add two scoops of a non-chlorine oxygenated bleach laundry additive.

6. Add the shirts to the washer and agitate until the fabrics are wet.

7. Stop the wash cycle and let the shirt soak in the washer overnight. This allows the degreaser to loosen the stain.

8. Run the shirts through the complete wash cycle. Don't add any additional detergent.

9. Remove the shirts from the washer and check each collar. Re-treat any remaining traces of ring-around-the-collar, and repeat the process.

10. Dry the clean shirts per the label instructions. Iron or take the laundered shirts to the dry cleaners for finishing.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not put shirts in the dryer if they need to be re-treated. This will set the stain.
• Chlorine bleach and abrasive cleansers that contain bleach will discolor or strip the color from fabrics.
• The process used by a dry cleaner or a laundry won't remove ring-around-the-collar. Follow the above steps to remove ring-around-the-collar before you send the shirts out to be professionally laundered.

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