How-To Videos

A crisp white shirt can look great right up until you notice the collar. Collar stains, sometimes called “ring around the collar,” have a way of making an otherwise perfectly good shirt look worn, dingy, or ready for the discard pile. The good news is that a stained white collar does not necessarily mean the shirt is finished. We put Stain Solver to the test on a real white shirt with a noticeably stained collar. The process was simple, and after only a 30-minute soak, the difference was easy to see. Watch here >> Why Do Shirt Collars Get So Dirty? A shirt collar spends hours in direct contact with your neck. Over time, perspiration, natural skin oils, makeup, lotions, hair products, dirt, and everyday grime can accumulate in the fabric. Regular detergent may remove some of that buildup, but stubborn discoloration can remain behind, particularly after it has worked its way into the fibers. That is when giving the stain some extra time with an oxygen-powered cleaner can make a difference. Step 1: Mix Stain Solver with Hot Water For this shirt, we started by mixing Stain Solver with hot water. Stain Solver is an oxygen-based powder cleaner made with just two ingredients: sodium percarbonate and soda ash. When mixed with water, it releases active oxygen that helps lift and break down staining material. Make sure the Stain Solver is completely dissolved before soaking the garment. For general mixing guidance, Stain Solver recommends approximately: 1 tablespoon of Stain Solver per 1 cup of water That ratio can be scaled up depending on how much solution you need to completely soak the item. Step 2: Soak the Stained Shirt Next, the white shirt went into the Stain Solver solution. The important part is making sure the stained collar is fully submerged so the cleaning solution can work throughout the fabric instead of merely touching the surface. For this particular collar stain, we let the entire shirt soak for 30 minutes. Then we checked the collar. No stain. The visible discoloration that had been around the inside of the white collar was gone. Stain Solver generally recommends allowing 30 minutes to two hours of contact time depending on the severity of the stain, so tougher or older stains may need additional time. Step 3: Rinse the Shirt Thoroughly Once the collar stain had lifted, we thoroughly rinsed the shirt with clean water. Don't overlook this step. Rinsing helps remove the loosened staining material and remaining cleaning solution before the garment goes into the washing machine. And, yes, we checked the collar again after rinsing. Still no stain. Step 4: Wash Normally After rinsing, the shirt went into the washing machine for a normal wash. We also added one standard scoop of Stain Solver to the wash. That is one of the easiest ways to incorporate Stain Solver into your regular laundry routine. Keep using your normal laundry detergent, and add Stain Solver as an oxygen-powered laundry booster when your clothes need some additional cleaning power. The Result: A White Collar Worth Wearing Again After washing, we took another close look at the shirt. The collar was clean, white, and ready to wear again. No complicated stain-treatment routine. No aggressive scrubbing. And, most importantly, no reason to replace a perfectly good shirt because of one stubborn stained collar. That is exactly what we mean when we say: Solve your stains. Save your stuff. Before giving up on a stained shirt, towel, uniform, or other washable fabric, give the stain a chance to come out. Stain Solver is designed for far more than laundry, but clothing is a great example of why removing a stain can also mean extending the useful life of something you already own. Can I Use This Method on Other Shirts? For washable fabrics, the same basic process can be used for many common laundry stains: Mix Stain Solver completely with warm or hot water. Submerge the stained area. Allow it to soak. Check the stain after about 30 minutes. Continue soaking if necessary. Rinse thoroughly. Wash normally with your regular detergent and add a scoop of Stain Solver. Always check the garment's care instructions first, and test an inconspicuous area when appropriate. Stain Solver should not be used on wool or silk. Don't Toss the Shirt Until You Try to Solve the Stain Collar stains are frustrating because they can make the whole shirt look dirty even when the rest of it is perfectly fine. Before replacing that white shirt, try treating the stain instead. In our test, 30 minutes with hot water and Stain Solver was enough to remove the visible collar stain, followed by a thorough rinse and normal wash. One stain solved. One shirt saved. Ready to tackle your own tough laundry stains? Visit StainSolver.com and put oxygen-powered cleaning to work. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ FAQs How do you remove stains from a white shirt collar? Mix Stain Solver completely with warm or hot water, submerge the stained collar, and allow it to soak. In the demonstration shown here, the collar stain was gone after 30 minutes. Rinse thoroughly, and then wash the shirt normally. How long should I soak a stained shirt in Stain Solver? Stain Solver generally recommends between 30 minutes and two hours, depending on the severity of the stain. Check the garment periodically, and continue soaking if needed. Can I add Stain Solver to my washing machine? Yes. Stain Solver can be added to your regular laundry routine along with your normal detergent to provide additional oxygen-powered cleaning. Does Stain Solver replace laundry detergent? No. For routine laundry, keep using your normal detergent, and use Stain Solver as an additional cleaning booster. Can Stain Solver be used on all fabrics? No. Always check the garment care label first. Stain Solver specifically advises against using the product on wool or silk. What causes ring around the collar? Collar discoloration can develop from a combination of perspiration, natural skin oils, personal-care products, dirt, and other buildup transferred to the fabric during normal wear.