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I have heard the arguments for and against taking dress shirts to the cleaners, and as much as I appreciate a crisp dry-cleaned one, I have found I prefer washing my own. They end up lasting longer and certain colors don’t fade the way they do after a dip in the chemical pool. That said, there is one advantage my dry cleaner has over me: getting my collars to be color free. Now I’m not working up a huge sweat writing GQ Eye posts, but as any guy knows a days worth of perspiration is enough to turn any collar grimy. I’ve tried pre-treating with detergent and even some of those flashy spray and wash cleaners but nothing ever did more than dull the stains. Cut to collaborative all-stars J.Crew and their line of cleaning gear with The Laundress.

I picked up the Collar and Cuffs Stain Bar at the brand’s new Ludlow Store, thinking it was worth a shot at giving a second life to some of the dingier shirts stuffed in my hamper. The application is pretty straight forward, just wet the collar and rub the bar into the areas most in need and wash as normal. I was hoping for the best, expecting the usual results, and was pretty impressed when the shirts came out bright and white without any noticeable residue. I’ve used up one bar since and am on my second. Each time I’ve gotten the same results.

I didn’t know it at the time of purchase, but to add another layer of endorsement the product is nontoxic, biodegradable, dye and allergen free, and animal cruelty free. It’s composed of vegetable soap and natural borax, which makes it way more gentle than dry cleaning chemicals.

The only criticism I do have is the packaging, which you can’t really keep on when applying the bar to shirts. Not that some soapy hands are the end of the world, but it can get a little messy if you’re doing a bunch of shirts at at time. Once opened the bar needs to be stored in a plastic bag or some other container.

All in all at $7 (about the going price for a few dry cleaned shirts) the bar is a steal and does work better than anything else I’ve tried. Get your own at jcrew.com.