How to Remove Ring-Around-the-Collar?
What Is Ring-Around-the-Collar?
Ring-around-the-collar is an unsightly stain that happens inside the collars of dress shirts, or other shirts with stiff collars. It often builds up slowly until it is visible as a yellowish-brown stain and it is difficult to remove. It can cut the life of an otherwise good shirt in half and be an embarrassment to the shirt's owner.
What's the Main Cause of Ring-Around-the-Collar?
Ring-around-the-collar is mainly caused by sweat. It is made up of body oils, so it can be difficult to clean. As the wearer sweats, the body oils get pushed deep into the fabric. The collar continues to have contact with the skin on the neck, and collects dirt, skin, and more perspiration and body oils. As it builds, a stain will appear in a ring shape, all around the collar of the shirt, hence the name "ring-around-the-collar." The longer ring-around-the-collar is left untreated, the more pronounced the stain becomes, and the harder it is to remove.
Ring-around-the-collar can happen all year long, but occurs mostly in the summer months when people sweat more.
Those who walk or bike to work, or who work out on their lunch breaks, may find that for the hour or so after their workout, they are still sweating. This creates more of an opportunity for ring-around-the-collar to occur, as it provides more perspiration. Persons who suffer from conditions that cause them to sweat excessively may find that ring-around-the-collar happens more frequently for them as well.
Other Causes of Ring-Around-the-Collar
Ring-around-the-collar can also be caused by bath and body products. Some lotions and skin soaps leave behind oils on the skin. These oils can seep into the fabric of the shirt the same way that body oils can, and can attract dirt and dead cells in the same way. The most common culprit of this is greasy lotion or facial moisturizers. Making sure excess lotions and body creams are removed from the neck area can help prevent ring-around-the-collar.
Ring-around-the-collar can also be caused by poor hygiene. When a person's neck is dirty, he has a higher concentration of sweat and body oils that will be absorbed by the shirt.
It’s important to do what you can to prevent ring around the collar and be able to remove a ring if it’s already there. Fortunately there are a number of natural remedies for this as well as commercial products designed to remove those stains.
With a Toothbrush
Soiled shirt collars are a natural occurrence since we pick up dust, dirt and other foreign material during the course of the day. When these items cling to the collar, held there by the oils and sweat from our bodies they tend to stick, unless we make a serious effort to get rid of them. In some cases, normal washing won’t take care of this problem.
If you are interested in getting rid of those rings using natural materials and everyday items from around the house, just gather a few things and get started. The first thing you’ll need to do is treat the stained areas – before washing. Buy some degreaser at your local store. Many of these are intended for use in removing oil and greasy substances from work surfaces in home and business. But with a toothbrush and a small amount of the degreaser you can rub much of the stain from collars. Soaking the clothes for a few hours or overnight then washing as directed should produce a very clean item.
Home Grown Remedy
· Make a solution of 50/50 white vinegar and water and apply to the stained area. Let sit for a few hours to overnight then launder as usual. (White shirts)
· Mix a little bit of your favourite dish washing detergent with water to form a paste. Apply to the stain and let sit for 15 to 30 minutes then wash as usual. (White shirts)
· Degreasers- Most cleaning agents labeled as degreasers will remove ring around the collar. Depending on the strength and active ingredient of your cleaner you may want to test a small area of your shirt to see if it is going to make the dye bleed if it is a dark color. (Color and white shirts)
· Shampoo- shampoo is designed to get rid of dirt and body oils! The bonus being that it doesn’t matter what kind you use so it’s a perfect opportunity to use up shampoo that you didn’t like but couldnt bear to throw away. And since a little goes a long way on stains you can just keep a little container of it handy in your laundry room for whenever you need it. Apply directly on the stain with toothbrush and let sit in for 15 to 30 minutes then wash as usual!! (All colors and whites)
· Lemon Juice- The strong acid in a lemon can rival some heavy duty cleaners. Apply to stain, then launder clothes as usual. (White only, lemon can have a bleach effect on some fabrics)
· Make your own laundry pretreater- In a clean spray bottle mix together a ratio of 25% household ammonia, 25% liquid laundry detergent, and 50% water. Spray solution onto stain and rub into it, let sit for a few minutes then wash as usual. (All colors and whites)
Sources:
ehow.com
thegeminigeek.com
gather.com
