How To Remove Collar Stains

How To Remove Collar Stains – Best Tips!

Removing Collar stains is a priority as they do not look good on grown men and women.

Crisp and clean outfits not only portray your refined personality but also have a hygiene factor that protects you from developing health conditions, like skin allergies and infectious diseases.

So it usually comes to the point where the decision is to either lose the stain completely or the shirt.

Let’s not lose the shirt and look into how to remove collar stains.

How to remove collar stains

  1. Lay the shirt on a flat surface with the collar up
  2. Pre-treat the collar stain with a stain-removing spray
  3. Let it sit for 5 minutes
  4. Place the shirt into the washer
  5. Wash on the highest wash temperature indicated

Collar Stains – What causes them

Collar stains are from sweat and grime
Collar stains are from sweat and grime

Most of the stains on collars are from sweat and grime that build upon the neck and nape area of our body. 

There are a lot of factors that affect that build-up.

High temperature, the tendency of sweating, more turnover of dead skin cells, and greater sebum/skin oil production, all contribute to how much sweat and grime can be present on the neck. 

People that are affected by these factors are more likely to have stubborn collar stains. 

Another significant but less commonly encountered stain on the collar is from personal use products, like hair gel, face washes, cosmetics, and perfumes.

How to treat collar stains

How to treat collar stains
How to treat collar stains

For any sort of stain there are two basic methods of dealing with it; counter it, or prevent it.

When it comes to countering the stains on the collar, being vigilant is the most important factor.

Washing the clothes, particularly shirts, as early as possible after wearing them prevents any stains from staying on the cloth for a long time. 

The older the stain the more stubborn they get.

Stain removing gels and sprays can be applied to the collar before the laundry wash to break down the sweat and grime and act with the laundry detergent to completely clean the stain.

Shout Advanced Stain Remover for Clothes with Scrubber Brush is a fine product that comes with the scrubber brush for treating stains gently.

Use the stain-removing spray before you throw the cloth into the laundry hamper or right after you wear it.

OxiClean Max Force Foam Laundry Pre-Treater is a spray-type stain remover and is a better choice for delicate fabrics as it does not require scrubbing and thus, avoids any damage to the threads. 

Some experts also say to avoid the use of chlorinated bleach to remove sweat stains from white and light-colored clothes.

This is because the chemical may react with the proteins and cell breakdown products resulting in yellower stains rather than clearing them.

They recommend opting instead for oxygenated bleaches like those found in the OxiClean White Revive Laundry Whitener & Stain Remover.

How to treat stubborn collar stains

Soak stubborn stains on shirts for 30min or more
Soak stubborn stains on shirts for 30min or more

Sometimes it does happen that we were a shirt and it develops a stain and we forget to clean it and only realize it when we take it out to wear the next time.

Or we did wash it properly but the ring remains on the collar maybe because it was either too stubborn in the first place or we didn’t apply all the necessary pre-steps to clean it off. 

The first step is to soak stubborn collar stains for 30min.

The longer you soak a collar stain, the bigger the chances of removing it.

There are a wide set of options that you can choose from depending on the ease of availability.

Use one product at a time.

Soak the shirt in a solution of water with either vinegar, aspirin, borax, oxygenated bleach, or a cleaner like dishwashing powder or shampoo.

Otherwise, you could apply a paste of products onto the stain directly, such as face wash, shampoo, aspirin, or borax. 

Longer soak time gives the detergent more time to cut through the grime and stain.

Then toss the clothes into the washing machine for a regular wash cycle.

Never put the soaking solution into the washing machine.

And avoid using any colored detergents while trying to remove a stain from a white shirt or else you would end with a color stain on top of the original one.

How to prevent collar stains

Take a shower and scrub your neck before any event
Take a shower and scrub your neck before any event

Preventing collar stains from happening in the first place will save you from the hassle of having to clean a collar stain.

But how do you prevent collar stains?

The foremost technique is to maintain hygiene and to take a shower before you get ready for any special occasion.

Taking up grooming habits such as scrubbing your neck gently with a pouf or shower sponge every shower reduces grime or sweat forming on the neck that eventually sticks to the collar, resulting in a stain. 

If you prefer to use hair care products when you are getting ready, always remember to wipe your neck using a clean cloth before you put on the shirt so you don’t get any of it as a stain on the collar.

Stain repellant or stain absorber is another method to prevent any stain.

For such an action, you could sprinkle cornstarch or talc powder onto your neck area to absorb the sweat. 

Some fabrics naturally have stain repellant properties so you could opt to buy shirts made with that cloth, such as polyester. 

Next, if you are prone to having excessive sweat, you could use antiperspirants on your neck before you put on the shirt.

And avoid activities and conditions that may result in increased perspiration while you are wearing your crispy clean white shirt.

Finally, White Collar Grime is a product available, that works similar to a bandage.

Just measure your collar, peel off the appropriate length of the grime, and stick it onto the collar.

It covers up the collar so you don’t end up with a stain. And you can peel it away after wearing the shirt and have a perfect stain-free collar every time.

Conclusion on How to remove collar stains

The best way to remove collar stains is by using collar stain removal spray.