Ring around the collar is this lovely little stain that develops on the inside of a collared shirt occasionally. Some Grime/sweat/whatever rubs off one's neck onto part of the collar, making a line that, well, goes all the way around the collar. While it can happen at any time of the year, it seems to occur more often in the summertime, when people have more grime/sweat/whatever to go around.

Hannah Lord Montague invented the detachable shirt collar in Troy, New York back in the early 1800's to fight this menace. This allowed people all over the country to remove the collar stains without washing the entire shirt, cutting down on time and effort. It soon became a fashion trend that spread throughout the country.

While detachable collars may not be common any longer, technology has provided us with something better - industrial strength laundry detergent. Detergent ads in the 70's and 80's portrayed ring around the collar as a plague on the American household that only their product could protect us from. Time-lapse video would demonstrate the proper technique for all of us - put detergent on the stain (or rub it in, it's all good), wait for a while, and rinse. The collar cleans itself!

While these pesky stains have been a problem ever since the collared shirt was invented, technological innovation have made it little more than a nuisance. Hooray!

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