Frayed collar corners on a men's dress shirt usually means it's time to give the shirt a toss. Often, after extensive dry cleaning or regular washes using the dryer, the collar will begin to fray prematurely due to the wear and tear and chemicals and starch used for dry cleaning. Take steps to prevent the collar corners from fraying prematurely.

There are a few simple steps to help prevent a men's dress shirt from fraying at the collar corners. A gentle cycle is a must, along with a less abrasive detergent. It is also helpful to flip the shirt inside out so there is less wear and tear on the collar. Hang the shirt to air dry and then iron it. Drying the shirt in the dryer eats away at collar corners and cuffs.

By hand washing a men's dress shirt, you can preserve the shirt and the details on it -- like the collar corners -- for a much longer time. Wear and tear is inevitable, but hand washing the shirt in a mild detergent, rinsing thoroughly and hanging to air dry will put the least amount of stress on the collar corners. While hand washing you can also remove the stays so you don't pull at the seams and cause fraying.

Collared men's shirts are often heavily starched by the dry cleaner to help the shirt maintain a crisp, pressed style. Unfortunately, repeated use of heavy starch starts to break down the natural fibers in the shirt and the collar corners are often the first to go. To prevent premature fraying, ask the dry cleaner to lighten up on the starch or forgo it all together.