Mystery Stain From Dryer - Looks Oily

by Cyndi
(Iowa)

Cyndi has asked for help with dryer oil stains on fabric, which are a mystery stain to her

Cyndi asks:

I'm not really sure where this stain comes from, but it's on dark clothes. I wash and dry my clothes with no stains, but then I pull them from the dryer to hang them and they sometimes have a small spot stain - it can be anywhere on the shirt (seems like it's always a t-shirt too).


It's maybe the size of a quarter in general and it looks like an oil stain maybe...I have tried treating and rewashing to no avail.

I use powdered laundry soap (commercial, 2 T), vinegar for a rinse all in a front load dryer. And no dryer sheets in the dryer. There are not other greasy oily clothes in the wash.

I can't seem to figure out how to get the stain out - or what it's from - any ideas?

Taylor says:

Cyndi, I'm stumped.

When I first started reading your problem I thought you were going to tell me it looked like a rust spot, which can happen in hard water, especially if you use chlorine bleach.

I also immediately thought of a fabric softener stain, which can look greasy, and can be caused either by liquid fabric softener or dryer sheets.

However, since you don't use dryer sheets, and if it looks like oil I really don't know what it is. Could it be something in your actual dryer that the clothes are touching which is causing the stain?

You may want to look into your dryer drum and make sure no parts are beginning to rust or come apart that could cause such a mark.

In addition, check out this article about how to treat mystery stains, which might help you out.

Any readers got any other ideas? Let's help Cyndi out!

In addition, if you need stain removal help yourself, be sure to write in so someone can give you some advice.

Either me (but unfortunately I didn't so such a great this time) or perhaps another reader!

You can ask your stain removal help questions here, or read other questions and answers already submitted.

The Stain Is From Your Washer, Not Your Dryer

by SR101 Reader

An SR101 reader wrote in to help Cyndi with her dryer stains.

SR101 Reader says:

I had a similar issue. I asked my repairman what it could be and he said it could be the transmission seal leaking and causing the stains, which makes sense.

Not too much longer the transmission went out. Now we got a new one and no stains, but trying to find out how to get rid of the stains from the old washer.

Taylor says:

Thanks for the help, and sharing what happened to you.

You make a good point -- there are some stains that come from the washing machine itself, and you just don't notice them until you've put the clothes through the dryer too, and are taking them out to fold. Therefore, a good step in identifying where these mystery stains are coming from is to make sure if they're really coming from the washing machine or the dryer. (You can read some information about washing machine stains here).

I'm Getting These Dryer Stains Too!

by Jen

Jen wrote in to share that she was having a similar problem with dryer stains, and also responding to Cyndi's question.

Jen says:

I am having the exact same problem! It is always on my dark clothes and it seems like an oily stain.

I have front load washer and dryer, I always use liquid Purex, sometimes use dryer sheets, but there doesn't seem to be any consistency with the spots.

Luckily, after I notice them I can spray them with a stain remover (I use Shout) and re-wash. Sometimes it takes a few washings, but it always comes out. How strange.

I was just doing an internet search to see what I could find and stumbled upon your question. I thought about contacting Whirlpool (the brand of my machines) and see what ideas they might have. Good luck!

Taylor says:

Thanks so much for sharing your experience too Jen.

It really sounds like you may be getting a fabric softener stain because it shows up more on dark colored clothing and you can remove it with a laundry stain remover. However, if you also get them when you don't use dryer sheets, that may not be the problem.

Remember though, just like I told the reader above, sometimes these stains are just noticed once you remove your clothes from the dryer, even though the stains themselves may come from the washing machine. You may need to check some of your clothes as you put them in the dryer to try to figure it out more.

I would love to hear from even more people who have mystery dryer stains, or washing machine stains, to hear what has worked for you in removing them, or figuring out what caused them to hopefully help more readers. Unfortunately, this can be a pretty common problem, but there are lots of potential causes of it that have to be investigated. You can share your own experience here.

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