How to Remove Sweat Stains From the Collar of a Dress Shirt

Collar soil that develops around the collar of a dress shirt is usually a combination of perspiration and body oils. Because these stains can be stubborn and difficult to remove, pretreat them promptly when you notice them. Remove sweat stains from the collar of a dress shirt by using a strong liquid laundry detergent. With this pretreating method, the collar soil should lift and your shirt will look and smell fresh and clean.

Things You'll Need

• Heavy-duty liquid laundry detergent
• Chlorine bleach
• Color-safe bleach

Instructions

1. Open the collar so the inside of the collar is visible and facing up.

2. Pour a thin line of laundry detergent over the entire collar.

3. Grasp both outside edges of the collar with your hands and rub them together briskly. As you rub the collar edges together, you will activate the laundry detergent you applied to the collar. Continue rubbing the collar edges together, using the laundry detergent to pretreat the collar soil.

4. Place the shirt directly into the washing machine. Add the proper amount of laundry detergent for the wash load and set the water temperature to the hottest temperature recommended for the fabric of the shirt. Launder the shirt as usual.

5. Remove the shirt from the washing machine and assess the collar soil. If no collar soil remains on the collar, dry the dress shirt in the dryer if you wish. If collar soil remains, repeat Steps 1 through 3 to pretreat the stains a second time.

6. Wash the shirt a second time in the washing machine using the same you washed it the first time, except this time add ½ cup of chlorine bleach to the wash load (if the shirt is white). If the shirt is not white, add color-safe bleach instead.

Tips & Warnings

• Additional pretreating solutions that may be beneficial for removing collar soil are stain sticks or aerosol pretreating solutions. Use either of these products to pretreat the collar by applying it directly to the collar and then washing the shirt in the washing machine.

References

• Iowa State University: Textiles and Laundry