We’ve already written about how yellow underarm stains are caused by the aluminum in your antiperspirant. But what about the gross ochre stains that appear on the collar of your button-down shirts? After all, it’s not like you’re rubbing Old Spice on your neck.
According to just about every men’s magazine as well as cleaning Jolie Kerr — author of My Boyfriend Barfed in My Handbag…and Other Things You Can’t Ask Martha — those nasty collar rings are caused by a combination of sweat, dead skin cells, oil and residue from hair products. And since your shirt collar is usually tightly constricting the back of your neck — which also happens to be just below the back of your hairline — it’s likely to get more dead skin and hair product love than, say, your nipples or your elbows.
The American Cleaning Institute recommends that in order to clean the yellow-y crud stains from your collar, you should follow these four easy steps:
- Lay your shirt flat with the soiled collar facing up.
- Pour undiluted liquid laundry detergent directly onto the soiled area.
- Let the detergent soak into the collar for at least 30 minutes.
- Wash as normal.
And if that doesn’t work, just a buy a new white shirt.
Andrew Fiouzi
Andrew Fiouzi is a staff writer at MEL.
