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Collar and cuff grime

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Austin_Allegro
Austin_Allegro Posts: 1,462 Forumite
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in Old style MoneySaving
Despite following various hints and using enough chemicals to run an ICI factory, I have always had problems with collar and cuff grime on my shirts.

I work in central London near a main road. Most things in the office if uncleaned eventually get coated in a fine dusting of soot. My collars and cuffs, at the end of the day looked as if they had been drawn on with 2HB pencil.

Nothing seemed to work until I tried this method: Get an ordinary bar of soap and a scrubbing brush. Using a healthy dose of soap, scrub the b*stards under running hot water for about five minutes, then work in some more soap and and wash in the machine as normal.

OK so I'm really washing the collars/cuffs rather than just pretreating, and I suspect the scrubbing will wear them out sooner, but if all else fails this method seems to work quite well.
'Never keep up with Joneses. Drag them down to your level. It's cheaper.' Quentin Crisp
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  • filigree_2
    filigree_2 Posts: 1,025 Forumite
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    I remember my mum doing this with a big green bar of Fairy laundry soap, I believe it was cheaper than ordinary soap. When I used the launderette the assistant swore by Fairy instead of Vanish and other expensive sprays.

    I think I saw it on sale in Superdrug, I'll have a look when the current bottle of Vanish* runs out!

    *I didn't buy it Guv, honest
  • elona
    elona Posts: 11,806 Forumite
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    The "Queen of clean " says that you should work left over dregs of shampoo into collar and cuffs - leave for half an hour and then wash normally.

    More gentle than scrubbing and cheaper than special solutions.
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  • Allexie
    Allexie Posts: 3,460 Forumite
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    filigree wrote:
    I remember my mum doing this with a big green bar of Fairy laundry soap, I believe it was cheaper than ordinary soap. When I used the launderette the assistant swore by Fairy instead of Vanish and other expensive sprays.

    I think I saw it on sale in Superdrug, I'll have a look when the current bottle of Vanish* runs out!

    *I didn't buy it Guv, honest

    Oooh I remember Fairy Household Soap, my mum used it on my school shirts....had a funny smell I remember.....


    3_13_5.gif
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  • Nile
    Nile Posts: 14,930 Ambassador
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    Hello Austin Allegro

    You said that 'nothing seemed to work until you tried' your soap bar and brushing method.

    I was wondering if you have tried Ariel Biological Automatic Powder?

    Collars and cuffs stains was one of the many stains that I used to apply and then test when evaluating the performance of laundry care products.

    To apply the stains, I would take a piece of white cotton fabric and ask each volunteer to stain the cloth. The method used was a ruler wrapped around the cloth. The volunteer(s) scraped the the cloth covered ruler on their neck..........leaving a grimey stain deposited on the cloth.
    Ariel always removed the stains. If you haven't tried it, it could save you a lot of elbow grease and wear and tear from scrubbing your shirts.;)
    I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the 'I wanna' and 'In my home' and Health & Beauty'' boards.If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.10 Dec 2007 - Led Zeppelin - I was there. :j :cool2: I wear my 50 (gold/red/white) blood donations pin badge with pride. Give blood, save a life.
  • squeaky
    squeaky Posts: 14,129 Forumite
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    Allexie wrote:

    3_13_5.gif

    Here ya go Nile... Allexie has found you the perfect avatar :D
    Hi, I'm a Board Guide on the Old Style and the Consumer Rights boards which means I'm a volunteer to help the boards run smoothly and can move and merge posts there. Board guides are not moderators and don't read every post. If you spot an inappropriate or illegal post then please report it to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. It is not part of my role to deal with reportable posts. Any views are mine and are not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.
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  • Austin_Allegro
    Austin_Allegro Posts: 1,462 Forumite
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    Nile - I might try the Aerial thing, but I doubt if it would have much effect. I've tried rubbing in washing powder before without much success. I've also tried shampoo - worked a little, but still left a ring. Same with other stuff like Vanish, Napisan etc. I think I must have odd body chemistry or something!

    Also the Aerial test sounds a bit suspect to me - collar and cuff grime builds up over the course of an 8hr+ day and gets ground in with sweat. There's also a build up of dirt with each wear that doesn't get washed out - so I don't think it's a particularly good field test.
    'Never keep up with Joneses. Drag them down to your level. It's cheaper.' Quentin Crisp
  • MATH
    MATH Posts: 2,941 Forumite
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    Put that old scrubber down Austin and start posting on Ol'Style. We thought you were missing in action:D Nice to see ya back!
    Life's a beach! Take your shoes off and feel the sand between your toes.
  • tallyhoh
    tallyhoh Posts: 2,305 Forumite
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    My OH has a lovely rugby shirt but has managed to get the inside collar dirty (he's normally a clean bloke).

    Any tips on cleaning it? tried the usual washing & nailbrush.:D Its thick cotton.
    Tallyhoh! Stopped Smoking October 2000. Saved £29382.50 so far!
  • candygirl
    candygirl Posts: 29,455 Forumite
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    Stardrops n a nailbrush usually work for me:D
    "You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf"

    (Kabat-Zinn 2004):D:D:D
  • Dippypud
    Dippypud Posts: 1,927 Forumite
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    Green hand soap, [EMAIL="F@iry"]F@iry[/EMAIL] if you can get it.

    If not, any green hand soap, there is one with a marble type colour, but I can't remember what it's called. Rub it onto the damp collar and the dirt should clean off, then wash as usual.
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