No need to be embarrassed-- everyone who wears white shirts experiences stains at some point in time. The hardest stains to get out though? Ring around the collar and those pesky yellow pit stains.

Ring around the collar is usually experienced just by elders because their collars rub against their skin at the nape of the neck throughout the day while sister's blouses tend to have a more open neckline. However, any of these tips can be helpful for both elders and sister missionaries. Laundry care is something that helps a missionary look the part. 

While PDay is only once a week, allowing for laundry to be done only weekly, there are a few things you can do to make sure your whites stay white throughout the week. 

1. Pretreat stains- Use a spray on pretreatment as soon as you take the shirt off. These detergents can sit in your clothes for long periods of time and not damage the clothing. You especially want to look for brands that are enzymatic. These types of stain removers actually break down oils, fats and proteins that are left in your clothing. One of the most well known brands to be enzymatic is Zout. (Our family has used this as a stain remover for years because it worked so well, we just didn't know why it worked so well. Now we do!) Keep a bottle of Zout, or another enzymatic stain remover, near your hamper and spray the collar and the arm pit area liberally before placing your shirts in the hamper. Then, come Pday your shirts are already pretreated and are ready to get into the wash like normal. You can purchase Zout at your local Walmart or you can find it online by clicking here. 

2. Whitening Whites- Even with pretreating stains our whites tend to get a little dingy after multiple wears. One way to help keep them white is to use an oxygenated white bleaching product. Products like Oxiclean or Clorox OxiMagic are great options. The best way to use these to get your shirts extra clean is to soak, in a clean container that fully covers the shirts, overnight. Use a full scoop of powder from these products, stir into warm water with your hand and fully immerse your shirts in the bucket. Try to do this the night before PDay so you can squeeze out the extra water the next morning and throw them into a washer. You can do this as often as needed. You can purchase Oxiclean at your local Walmart or can purchase it online but clicking here. Oxiclean is also safe on colors. If you notice your colors getting dingier don't be afraid to soak colored clothing overnight too. You'll be shocked what the water looks like the next morning. 

3. Getting out Grease Stains- One of the oldest tricks in the book for removing grease stains is using a product called FelsNaptha. I'm pretty sure the product packaging hasn't changed for at least 40 years but the product is incredibly inexpensive and incredibly impressive when it comes to stain removal. The product comes in a bar and is so simple to use. The bar lasts forever too so no need to grab multiples at once. Get the area of the stain wet, get the bar wet, then rub the bar over the stain. The bar is yellow but it won't cause your clothing to yellow at all. Work the product into the fabric for a few second, then set the bar aside and rub the fabric against itself to get a little extra elbow grease, the only kind of grease that is acceptable on clothing, into that stain. Throw the item into a normal load of laundry and you'll be shocked when you remove it from the washer. Though I wouldn't recommend it, this product has even worked on set in grease stains that have been through the dryer. You may need to repeat the process twice for set in stains but it will get the grease out. You can grab a bar at your local Walmart or grocery store or you can pick it up on Amazon by clicking here. 

 Thats it! Pretty simple, but you'll be surprised what a little elbow grease and the right stain removers can do for your wardrobe!