Are you struggling with those pesky collar stains that don’t come out with just regular washing? We’ve figured out how to remove ring around the collar in just a few simple steps.
Remove Ring Around the Collar
We are here airing our dirty laundry, literally…
My latest battle in the laundry room has been how to remove ring around the collar. It’s easy to think ring around the collar happens because of bad hygiene or a shirt being worn more than once. While that may sometimes be the case, ring around the collar happens when sweat and oils mix in a bad way. No matter how clean you are, or how much neck scrubbing you do, it can and often will still happen. Regardless of the why, when ring around the collar happens you need to know how to get the stains out.
If you’re regular stain removing solution has stopped working or maybe the stains are not coming all the way out anymore give our 3 step method a try!
We’ve all had shirts over the years we’ve thrown out because no amount of laundering would really remove ring around the collar. The thing about ring around the collar is that once you have it, unless you completely remove it, it will continue to get worse. The key here is completely removing the stains.
After trying a lot of different products and combinations I have found the triple threat solution to Remove Ring Around The Collar and remove it completely!
So how do you Remove Ring Around the Collar?
Here are the supplies you need to remove ring around the collar:
Dawn Dish Soap
OxiClean
Zout
Step 1– Grab your Dawn Dish Soap and apply it directly to the stain(s). The collar will usually be the area most affected, but remember to check the sleeves, armpits, and wrists.
Step 2– Don’t be shy with the Dawn. Rub the dish soap into the stain(s) really well and then soak for at least 1 hour in water the temperature appropriate for the fabric/color of your shirt.
Step 3– Drain the dirty water and add new clean water, again the appropriate temperature for your shirt. Add about 1/4 cup of OxiClean into the water and make sure it dissolves. Place your shirt into the water and agitate to make sure the OxiClean hasn’t settled to the bottom of the sink and let soak for another hour.
Step 4– Drain the water again and gently squeeze the excess water out of the shirt(s). Don’t rinse the shirts, you want those cleaning products there when you wash the shirt. Once you’ve removed the excess water spray the stain(s) with Zout or the stain remover of your choice. Depending on the stain remover you use you’ll want to wash the shirt right away or let the stain remover sit for a little bit. With Zout, we recommend not letting it sit on the fabric long before washing.
Step 5– Launder the shirt(s) as you would normally in your washing machine. I like to use the hottest water appropriate and an extra rinse to remove all the different cleaning products. When the cycle is done you’ll be telling all your friends how to remove ring around the collar!
Look at how great these shirts look. We have completely removed the ring around the collar and the end result is perfectly clean collars!
With teenage boys in the house these steps to remove ring around the collar have been a life saver! If you have teenage boys you know what I’m talking about, somehow in as little as an hour the collars of their white shirts need serious help.
The trick to remove ring around the collar starts with the Dawn dish soap. Dawn dish soap breaks down the oils in the stain. Following Dawn with OxiClean and Zout loosens the stain and will remove it entirely. Remember that soaking is a very important step. Soaking allows the different soaps the time they need to work.
I hope you try our steps to remove ring around the collar and let us know how it worked for you. Happy laundering!
Looking for more help in the laundry room? Check out these other posts.
Top 5 Laundry Room Tips
How to clean towels
I am always happy to get stain tips – I have no luck with getting stains out and I’ve been known to just throw clothes away when it’s a particularly tough stain. That’s the main reason I never wear white – I could never manage to keep it clean. I’m going to try this on some of my son’s Scout uniforms – couldn’t hurt and they are just icky around the collar!
Just curious, do you soak it in cold, warm, or hot?
I have always soaked in the hottest water the shirt will allow, if its a white shirt as hot as the tap will go. Thanks for stopping by!
Can u use this on colored shirts ?
Do you apply dawn and soak in water, or let the shirt soak in dawn alone?
Yes we do, we have updated our post to make that more clear. Thank you 🙂
This totally worked for me!!!! 7 of my husbands shirt look brand new! Thank you!!
Does this work for old, set-in stains that’s been through a dryer?
You can try it. We haven’t tried it on a stain that has gone through the dryer yet. If you’re not wearing the item anyway give it a shot!
Can I use this method for any stains?
We have used it on a variety of stains, just make sure you’re fabric can stand up to the process. We recommend testing a small area that wouldn’t be noticeable first.
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When you apply the dawn soap in the beginning, do you soak the shirt for an hour with water or do you just let the dawn soak into the shirt without water. You have a picture of the shirt in the sink without water, but then it says to drain the old water so I’m not sure.
Yes we do. Thanks for catching that, we updated the post 🙂
Would this work on a white linen jacket?
I would recommend being careful with the fabric and only use the temperature water it recommends unless the stain is bad enough you wouldn’t wear it and so you’re willing to try anything then give it a shot!
Does it mater which oxiclean you use powder or liquid?
We haven’t tried the Oxyclean liquid so we would recommend the powder.
[…] Looking for more laundry room tips? Check out these posts. Get out out tough ring around the collar stains. […]
how to remove yellowing on a polyester jacket?
Which oxiclean do you use? Regular or white revive?
I don’t think white revive existed when we did this. Just regular powdered OxyClean is what we used 🙂
I’ve done this using generic unscented and undyed liquid dish soap (I don’t use dyed or scented products), unscented Oxi, and a generic unscented stain stick. I also hand washed the shirt afterwards and it came out looking great. Highly recommend even if your washing machine is on the fritz, as mine was when I did it. Use the same process on the underarms on white shirts to remove sweat and anti-perspirant build-up.
That is awesome. We’re so glad it worked for you!