I wear dress shirts usually.

Generally unbuttoned.

Sometimes buttoned with a tie.

The lighter shirts, especially the white ones, get a dingy collar after about 6 months.

It's hot where I live. I also probably have oily skin or some pH issue or something. I dunno.

Does anyone have a surefire way to get my shirt collars looking new again?

Bleach, oxyclean, flamethrower, hot water, cold water, Zout, all have been tried. My cleaner seems less interested in this than I am.

Oh great well of wisdom, enlighten me so I don't have to throw out some nice expensive shirts.

 

degreaser my dad has this amazing solution that he uses for his dress shirts (same issue with the collars and cuffs getting dingy) I'll call him and ask in the afternoon

 

I would LOVE to know.

Some on the web have talked about a 50/50 mix of oxyclean and hydrogen peroxide...

 

Dunk the white shirts in tea? That way you end up with a nice, uniform color sweat-colored shirt.

 

Most of my shirts are tea colored to start with... It's the only color I buy.

 

Stop eating so much bacon and waffles....

 

Half the time my collar will fold inwards or outwards even if I iron the collar and use that little plastic thing you stick in the corners. I have given up on it looking perfect but oh well, I don't wear a tie or anything, just the shirt. And the dress code is pretty lax here as long as it is business casual.

 

What did this post have to do with anything?

 

Blasphemy!!!

 

I hate dingy collars. This is an interesting topic.

 

I let the cleaners handle everything

 

If they could accomplish the goal, I would love to as well. They seem more interested in quantity than special tasks that slow them down, though...

 

New cleaners? The people I go to are awesome - dude even wanted to wash the floor mats in my car because they were dirty.

 

Can I fedex my laundry to them weekly?

 

They would probably go for that - the place is right next to a post office and they put everything in boxes anyway...

 

My dress shirt collars don't look like new . Seems on topic to me...

 

Normally I just apply the detergent directly on the collar an throw it into the washer.

 

All my white shirts have lasted for a couple of years, being worn and laundered once a week, without dingy ring-around-the-collar.

I've used 5 different dry cleaners for laundry in the past 20 years-- only 1 was ineffective.

 

I guess I may be going to that one...

 

A little hardcore, but if you're really concerned...
http://www.customshirt1.com/ShirtLaundering.html

 

You ain't kidding. When are we expected to work when we'll be spending all our time laundering shirts?

 

he uses some commerical degreaser in a spray bottle, lets it sit for a few minutes, agitate and then right into the washer. When I go to his house I'll try to figure out which brand it is...

 

That would be awesome. Thanks csmeance.

 

Once you get the stains/dingy marks, it's pretty tough to get them out. Either find a new cleaner that will take care of it right the first time or prewash them with oxyclean + spray&wash about once a month before taking them to the cleaners to have them washed again and pressed.

 

1. You need a new better laundry
2. Are you buying 100% cotton shirts? I think the polyester blends hold stains.
3. FWIW, I have been having shirts laundered for over 40 years and will not put up with that problem, G/L.

 

Yes 100% cotton.

Brooks Brother, Boss, Zegna...

 

those people are idiots then...
oxyclean is hydrogen peroxide. i don't remember the name of the chemical, but when you add water the chemical reaction occurs and you get hydrogen peroxide.

 

Well, hydrogen peroxide is pretty good at getting certain organics out of fabric, so I don't know how stupid they really are.

 

potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, sodium hypoclorite and chlorine

 

I typically wash stuff myself, for the collar and sleeve area i will usually pre-treat before washing with Fels-Naptha (its a soap) If i dont have time, I bring my stuff to a dry cleaner.

http://www.felsnaptha.com/

 

Available in stores or Internet only? Don't think I have seen this before, but truthfully I haven't looked.

 

My grandmother swore by Fels-Naptha. She used it to do her laundry by hand and her clothes were clean and lasted for years. Didn't know you could still get it.

 

What do you mean by "dingy"?

 

You know "clean?"






Not that.

 

The degreaser is called:
OIL Eater
Cleaner Degreaser

"Hungry to clean" is the catch phrase.

I couldn't find any pics of the gallon jug on google, but here's a picture close to what it looks like


do not dilute, just put in a spray bottle and spray.

 

Cool, thanks!

 

no problem, I'll take a photo of the jug tomorrow so you guys have a better Idea of what it looks like

 

You can find it in stores, i think list time i got it it was from walmart.