"Ring around the collar," more accurately referred to as collar soil, is usually a combination of body oil and plain old dirt. Try using a strong, heavy-duty liquid detergent applied undiluted directly on the ring, followed by washing in hot water. In synthetic fibers, hot water washing may cause wrinkling during the washer's spin cycle, requiring steam pressing after the stain is out. Air dry until the stains are removed, so they aren't set by heat. If the shirt has cotton and polyester or nylon content, you can repeat the washing procedure without fear of damaging the fibers of the shirt.
Using a half-cup chlorine bleach in the wash water can help with stain removal on white clothes. This shouldn't be required for every wash load, but occasional use will help keep shirts or blouses white and minimize the appearance of any collar soil that may not be removed with the detergent and hot water. For additional soil removal, pre-treatment products may be effective. The aerosol pre-treatment products or the stain sticks are usually more helpful with collar soil than the pump spray types that are detergent based.
Author: Jan Stone, Extension Specialist
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