Washing Machine Stains That Appear On Clothes After Wash Them

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A SR101 reader asked me a question about washing machine stains, the kind where you don't have a stain on your clothes before you wash something, but then you take it out of the machine and a stain has now appeared.


SR101 Reader asks:

I often have stains on my clothes that weren't there before I put them in the washer. Could this be from fabric softener?

Taylor says:

Thanks for your question. I just hate stains from the washing machine itself, since it means more work for you when all you want to do is get your laundry done.

Fabric softener stain removal guide
You've actually identified one of the biggest culprits which causes stains to appear on your clothes after they get into the wash -- fabric softener.

That is because most softeners are oil based, and if too much is used, or added too soon or late into the cycle, or hits your clothes without being diluted enough, it will cause oily spots on your clothes. Typically, these spots are about the size of a dime and look almost milky or bluish, almost with an oily sheen to them.

You can learn more about fabric softener stains here, and how to remove them.

However, you've not shared with me what your particular stain looks like, and that is important in being able to identify what it is.

There are many types of colored stains which can appear on clothing and other laundry after it has been washed, including:
  • Oily stains, with a bluish sheen - often fabric softener stains (as mentioned above)

  • Brown spots, that appear a bit oily - sometimes caused by an oil leak from your washer

  • Brown spots or marks, or sometimes orangish - perhaps rust stains

  • Oily spots - perhaps from HE laundry detergent

  • Bleach stains - sometimes from bleach, sometimes from other causes such as laundry stain removers

  • Ink looking stains or streaks - these can show up even when no pen or ink present

  • Black marks and stains - can be caused by oil, or something else

  • Fading chalky like
    stains, especially on dark garments

  • Different colored stains that may actually be dye transfers

  • Variety of other colored spots and marks, including pink, purplish, blue, and more
Notice I didn't add a cause or cure for all of these types of spots, because sometimes the issue is unknown, but it's common enough that multiple people have reported it.

This page is ever evolving, as more people send in photos, stories about what problems they've experienced, and solutions they've come up with. So make sure to read down to the bottom for all the ideas and problems experienced, and to see if what is happening to you has already happened to someone else. (The comments are quite populated with additional stories, as well.)

I don't always have an answer, but I know if we all add our bits of collective wisdom we'll get to the bottom of all of these issues eventually!

Make Sure Your Washer Is Clean

There are so many possible causes for washing machine stains that it is often difficult to narrow down what the cause of them is.

To help with this issue, first make sure you thoroughly clean your washing machine, because a dirty machine can itself be causing the spots and stains, and it is often the easiest remedy!

Check out my article on how to clean your washing machine here.

Tips for cleaning your washing machine


Make Sure To Identify If Your Stains Are From Your Washer Or Your Dryer

Further, along with cleaning your washing machine, before you can identify what is causing your mystery stains, you've got to ascertain if the stains are actually coming from your washer, or from your dryer.

If the clothes aren't stained before washing, but they come out of the dryer stained, you don't actually know, unless you examine the clothes carefully again after washing, but before the dryer, which of the two machines is causing the trouble.

Here's my article on mystery dryer stains because that might actually be the problem you're suffering from!

Mystery dryer stains: possible causes and solutions


Read on below for more pictures from readers, and possible ideas for what is causing your stain, and how to fix the problem.

If you put clothes or laundry in your washer and it comes out stained, you're experiencing washing machine stains. There are lots of different types of these stains and spots, with lots of possible causes and cures to fix the problem {on Stain Removal 101} #StainRemoval #Laundry #LaundryStainsuse this Pin it button to save to Pinterest

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Brown Mystery Stains From Washing Machine

by B
(Denver, Colorado, US)

Brand New Stains On A Brand New Shirt

Brand New Stains On A Brand New Shirt

B wrote me in this laundry question, along with sending in these pictures of the problem she is having.

B says:

Lately, I've been getting brown mystery stains from my washing machine.

I know it's the washing machine because I've checked before putting the clothes in the dryer. On the lighter fabrics, it almost looks like it's been burned or smeared with mud and sometimes has the imprint of the surface of the washing machine (a bunch of little holes).

I tried cleaning the inside of the washing machine, even sticking rolled up paper towels into the little holes, but there was no residue.

I tried just rinsing the stains to see if anything happened, but since I have no idea what's staining my clothes, I don't know how to fix it.

It doesn't seem to happen with every load. I'd been adding vinegar to my loads to help remove stains and when I saw these new stains, I stopped, but they're still showing up. Help!

I have so much laundry to do and I can't afford to ruin my favorite clothes or my husband's work clothes.

Taylor says:

B, I am sorry you are having trouble with stains from your washing machine.

It is very frustrating to put clothes in there, to get them clean, just for them to get stained during the washing process.

I cannot be sure of the problem, but it sounds like it is rust stains, especially based on your description of the imprint of the washing machine drum being involved.

Unfortunately, if a part of your machine begins to rust, some of the rust comes loose during the wash cycle, at least some of the time, and then can deposit on your clothes during the cycle. This is most likely to happen if you let your clothes sit in there for a while after the machine finishes, but can also happen during the washing process itself.

One way to check to see if these are rust stains is to try to remove them while they are fresh, and before you put the clothes in the dryer. Something mildly acidic, like lemon juice or vinegar, when dribbled onto the fresh stain, will typically lighten or remove it. You can also use a commercial rust stain remover to remove these stains, as long as what you choose is safe for clothing (and for the color clothing you have the stain on).

Typically, when you are getting stains from an appliance, such as your washing machine, it makes sense to clean it. However, when you clean your washing machine you may use chlorine bleach. In this instance, that would be a bad idea since chlorine bleach can cause rust stains to set.

Instead, you can try to clean your rusty machine with a rust stain remover designed for appliances. (Click here to read rust stain removers reviews provided by other readers of this site.) The one that first comes to my mind is Super Iron Out, although many products are available that could do the job.

If that does not remove the rust from your machine, and you continue to see these stains continuing, it is time to call a repair person. You may be able to identify and replace the rusting part. Unfortunately, if the problem is severe or the machine is very old it may cost more to repair than replace it.

Of course, I am not for certain it is rust, although this is really the most common reason for these mystery stains. If it isn't rust though, I really don't know what it is, unless it is grease from your machine. If it were this, however, I would expect a slightly different color than what you describe, but if it doesn't respond to the lemon juice, but instead is removed or lightened with dishwashing liquid, this may be the culprit.

I know this may not be what you wanted to hear B, but I do hope it helps you identify and solve your problem. I know how frustrating it can be to get behind on your laundry because of issues like this.

Does any other reader have any other suggestions for B about this problem, or how to fix it? In addition, have you suffered from similar stains in your washing machine? If so, did you identify what caused them, and how did you fix the problem? Please tell me in the comments.

In addition, you can also ask your laundry questions here, as B did, and I will give it a go to answer them.

Possibly Washer Transmission Is Leaking Oil

***Update: A reader wrote in suggestion this as the culprit:
Your washer transmission is leaking oil into the drum. Replace the spindle seal or better yet buy a new washer.
Another reader suggested that it was some type of gunk build up. She stated:
The brown mystery stain looks like what we get from our lovely-horrid- front loader. It's gunk that collects inside the washer because it does not dry completely. I clean my washer once a week because of this and still have the gunk build up. It's very difficult to remove from your clothes as well. Any help would be appreciated.
***End Update

Here's a photo of what the stains look like from a washer that is leaking this oil, sent in by a reader.

Brown spots on laundry after washing, caused by oil leaking from washing machine transmission {on Stain Removal 101}


The reader stated, "Must have transmission oil leak in washer - entire load of white clothes have little brown spots. Found something on washer wall that appears to be gooey oil. Will anything remove this from the clothes?"

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My Rubber Seals Plus Rusty Screws Causing My Stains

Isa says:

Please can someone help, I just went to grab my washing out of the machine to dryer and spotted two of my husbands rusty screw bits (sigh) from the previous wash!

"Luckily" they seemed to have got tangled up in the towels and the clothes are undamaged, however I know it's hard to get rid of any stains once something has been washed once, especially rust :(

Does anyone have any tips?

Also need to clean the rust from the rubber seal as you can see...

Susan says:

I haven't checked to see if I have solved my problem yet, but in trying to figure it out and looking inside my washer, I decided to wipe with a towel inside the rubber gasket at the opening of my front loader.

It turned out it was full of brown gunk!

We have a well and although we have a rust filter, it may be that.

Meanwhile, I cleaned inside that rubber gasket very thoroughly.

Taylor's Response

Isa and Susan, along with cleaning around the rubber seal, which you've both identified, rust can be a problem for washing machines, especially those that use hard water, or well water.

If you feel like you've got rust in your machine, I suggest using an appliance cleaner that is made for rust, such as Iron Out.

You can read more reviews and uses for Iron Out here. It is a very powerful product that can help with this exact problem.

Here's a caution for you though: If you use the Iron Out, be sure to get it well rinsed before you put colored clothes in it, as it will leave bleach spots if you don't.

Iron Out {Referral Links}



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Large Black Stains On Clothes After Washing - Looks Like Pen Exploded But There's No Pen!

by Delia
(MS)

Black stain/ white shirt

Black stain/ white shirt

I recently washed my daughters clothes, and when I went to bring them out of the wash, I notice large black stains all over some of her white and pink shirts.

They look like a pen had burst inside the washer.

This has happened a few times before, and I am never able to get the stain out.

I am so confused and upset at the same time. I figured it may be that my washer need cleaning, but these stain/smudges are terrible. Please help!

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Very Weird Long Term Stain Issue With Orange Shirts Getting Dark Splotches

by Bruce Kantor
(Southfield, Michigan)

I have been having a laundry issue for the past several years that I simply cannot figure out. I have many orange cotton T shirts without any stains that come out of the wash stained on a periodic basis.

I wash them with like colored clothing (all of which have been washed MANY times before) in cold water using only powdered detergent and no fabric softener.

These orange T shirts, and only the orange T Shirts, get dark spots and splotches in many places on the shirt. No other clothes show any of these stains other than my orange colored T Shirts.

When I get the stains, I spray them with advanced formula Shout, let them sit a couple days and rewash. Upon rewashing, the stains always come out.

However, I have no idea where and how these stains appear from the washing process, but I am very frustrated.

I have attached a picture of a shirt I took out of the laundry today. Any thoughts? Any assistance would be most appreciated.

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Black Smudge Marks After Washing Clothes

Question

The photo above was sent in by a reader, anonymously, and she asked, "What are these black stains that appear on my baby's clothes, and how do I get rid of them?"

Answer

It's hard to tell from the photo, but sometimes when you wash clothes in your washing machine, and then they come out stained, it is not caused by the machine at all, but instead by something about the clothes themselves.

I'm not completely sure, without being able to examine the onesie you've sent in, but it looks like perhaps you've experienced a dye transfer stain, based on the look of the smudges that is mainly around the words which appear to potentially be thread embroidery.

Dye transfer stains can happen when the dye, such as on the thread, isn't yet colorfast, and when it gets wet and washed, bleeds and redeposits on surrounding cloth, in this case a white shirt which is why it shows up so visibly.

You can read more about dye transfer stains here, including possible ways to remove these stains.

How to fix a dye transfer or bleeding dye laundry mishap


In addition, you can sometimes prevent stains like this from happening by using a dye catcher cloth in your laundry load. You can read more about these color catcher cloths here.

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Mystery Black Marks Appeared After Washing In Machine: How Removed

Black mystery stains caused by washer, and how they were removed from t-shirts, plus lots of other tips for removing a variety of washing machine stains {on Stain Removal 101} #StainRemoval #Laundry #LaundryTipsuse this Pin it button to save to Pinterest

Marieta originally sent in the before photo, asking how to remove the stains to these shirts that were caused by her washing machine.

Marieta asked: "Help!!! I have no idea what got on these in the wash! I've rewashed on stain fighter cycle with all the following added to cycle: bleach, Dreft spot remover, Shout in wash, Oxiclean in wash and this didn't work. Suggestions please!"

Best homemade stain remover recipe
Then, before I even had a chance to suggest anything she got it off all by herself, and sent in the after photo as well.

She actually used a variation on what I consider to be the best homemade stain remover, which is hydrogen peroxide and dish soap. (You can read more about this DIY stain remover recipe here.)

She explained that she made a paste of peroxide, baking soda and blue Dawn, soaked the shirt in hot water in the sink for 10-20 minutes and then washed it two times. Both times, as she washed, she added Clorox bleach crystals.

(I would note that I would be careful about adding the bleach to any wash with colored t-shirts like this, unless the stain is so bad you don't care if you get bleach stains, because it's ruined otherwise. The stain looks greasy, which is probably why the peroxide and soap combination worked so well, so that would be my first suggestion of what to try!)

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Light Spots On Dark Tees After Washing

Unknown washing machine stains, which are faded spots on dark t-shirts, that appear after washing {on Stain Removal 101}


Katie sent in the photo above, but several readers have experienced several problems.

Katie says:

Has anyone ever dealt with these mysterious faded spots?

They have just started to appear and are ruining my clothes!

It isn't every load, I can't find a rhythm or reason. I have an old school washer and dryer and I haven't changed detergents.

Anita Hacker says:

I stopped using softeners and still continue to see oil like stains especially on black or dark colored tee shirts.

I have one very old donna Karen tee shirt that has been washed 100 times and never has had a stain. I believe it is in the fabric dye and this is the fault of the manufacturers.

They should test this by washing their shirts before putting them on the market. Of course this is not to their advantage.

I don't think I have ever owned a black tee shirt that survived one wash without a stain appearing.

Dry cleaning would solve the problem but that is very expensive. Someone should really investigate this problem as it is costing the consumer a lot of grief and money.

Phyllis says:

The same thing was happening to me.

I discovered, use COLD water all through. Fill with cold water and soap before adding the dark tees. Then only let cold water in.

I found it was the way my HOT water came into the washer that was causing these light spots.

Hope this helps. I also have many dark towels with lighter spots, or reddish areas.

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Could HE Washing Detergent Be Causing These Spots Because Of Silicone Oil?

by Ag925

Taylor's note: I got this detailed explanation of what Ag925 thinks is causing many of these stains and spots on clothing. I am not personally saying this is correct, but I would love to hear from others with your thoughts on this possibility of what may be happening in your machine to cause this problem.

Ag925 says:

I have seen these spots on anything made of cotton (not just t-shirts) but have found they are most obvious on my cotton t-shirts.

After some experimenting with my wash and doing some research, I have learned that detergents for high efficiency (HE) washing machines contain a silicone oil called dimethyl polysiloxane that is used to make the detergent less sudsy.

The spots occur when the detergent comes in direct contact with your cotton clothes before it has completely dissolved in the wash water in the washing machine. Cotton loves to soak up this silicone oil...

What will help: If you have an older washing machine that is not high efficiency, use a laundry soap that is not made for HE machines (I found cold water versions are best).

OR you can use as little HE soap as possible and add it to the washing machine first along with a few inches of the warmest water for what you are washing before you add the clothes.

If all else fails, repeat the wash cycle with no detergent added before drying the clothes.

If you have an HE machine, you don't have control over when the detergent is added: use as little detergent as possible with the warmest water possible.

If the spots are still occurring, try changing detergents or check your washing machines instructions for using detergent not made for an HE machine (most do).

You can also repeat the wash cycle without any detergent.

Taylor says:

Thanks for this explanation!

Like I said in my introduction, I have no idea if this is the cause of spots for everyone (most likely not, since many things can cause such mystery stains) but I would love to hear from others about this possibility, sharing if these suggestions helped any of you. I sure hope so!

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I'm Getting Bleach Stains On Dark Laundry, But I Don't Use Bleach!

Cathy says:

Lately some of my darker colored laundry has been coming out after being washed with what looks like bleach stained spots.

I do not use bleach in my colored laundry.

My washing machine does not have an agitator and has a sensor for the water level.

Also I do use the Downy ball for fabric softener.

I would really appreciate some help figuring this out.

Taylor says:

Thanks for your question Cathy. It's a common misconception that bleach stains come only from using chlorine bleach.

Warning not to leave pretreaters on laundry too long to avoid damage
Although that is a very common culprit these can happen even from non-chlorine and color safe bleaches, or detergents or laundry stain removers that contain such products.

However, it takes a lot for color safe products to cause bleach marks. Typically in those instances it is caused by improper application of the product, most often adding the product in an improper way such as full strength directly onto the fabric.

That's not always the case, but it often is. Here's my article on the proper way to add liquid laundry detergent to the wash.

Further, here's my article on color safe and oxygen bleaches in case this may be your culprit.

Further, many laundry pretreaters, if left on too long before washing, can cause these same spots.

Finally, don't forget about the issue of acne products causing this problem. The benzoyl peroxide in these products is often the cause of such mystery bleach stains if the items stained have been worn or used in the bathroom when applying these products.

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I'm Getting Gray & Bluish Stains But They're Not From Fabric Softener

Mary Ellen says:

It only happens with the oranges and reds, and happens even if I wash them by themselves.

I was wondering if it could be caused by hard water? I don't have rust in the drums and I don't use fabric softener.

The stains are dark, like a dark slate gray or blue.

SR101 Reader 1 says:

Sometimes I get gray streaks or a stain on linens after washing. What causes that and how do I remove it?

SR101 Reader 2 says:

I buy red towels in Wal-Mart to use as guest towels. I wash them prior to use in warm wash/cool rinse cycle using a liquid detergent that I add to water prior to putting in towels.

After drying I have noticed on some of the towels blue stains the size of a quarter in random areas of the towel.

I don't use liquid fabric softener, just white dryer sheets.

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Mystery Pinkish & Reddish Stains

SR101 Reader 1 says:

Hello. Can you help me please? On 2 separate occasions, months apart, 2 of my t shirts have came out of the washing machine with pinkish stains on them. The first was just a few small spots, but the 2nd one has one larger stain on it and I'm baffled to how or why this has happened.

SR101 Reader 2 says:

I have a new washer/dryer machines. This has suddenly started leaving pink spots and stains on my white clothes.

No coloured items are going in the wash and the machine has been checked by a repair company to see if any red or pink items are stuck in the drum and nothing has been found.

I am using washing powder and fabric conditioner but neither are pink in colour. Any ideas?

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Baffled By Purplish Tie Dye Looking Stains

by Dave

We have a Whirlpool Duet front load washer, periodically my wife has clothes that come out with purplish tie dye looking stains in her clothes.

We use Tide Free HE detergent and she claims that she adds the correct amount.

It's usually only one item of clothing that comes out stained. Any ideas???

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Unknown Stains Only On MIL's Clothing After Washing

by SR101 Reader

Here's a question from a reader that has me baffled, but I'm adding it in hopes that someone else may have some insight into it.

SR101 Reader's Question:

We have a Whirlpool Duet.

My mother-in-law lives with us. Fairly often when she has washed a load of her whites only, her clothes will have a beige colored stain often at a seam or the neckline or waist band. These seem to be impossible to remove.

It only occurs with her clothing, not ours.

We use the same detergent and fabric softener.

We've cleaned the machine thoroughly but they still occur.

Could it be her makeup being dissolved in the wash water and staining her clothes? Again, it never occurs on our whites. My mother in law is elderly and does use make up foundations etc.

It's driving her crazy and as a result, me too. Thanks.

Taylor says:

Hmmm, this laundry and stain removal question has me stumped!

It is now driving me crazy too, because it is only happening with your mother in law's clothing, not yours too, which suggests it is something to do just with your mother in law, and not the machine itself.

I am wondering, based on the location of the stains as areas where we perspire a lot, if it has something to do with that, and a reaction between the heat and/or other detergents and some medication she may be taking? I have heard about medications changing the ingredients excreted in a person's sweat, which may effect the ability to remove the stain.

Here's my suggestions for removing sweat stains, but this would most likely not be helpful for something related to her medication.

Of course, that is a completely wild guess, so I'd love to hear from even more readers who may have an idea about this unknown stain from the washing machine!

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What Kind Of Washer Stains Are You Experiencing?

If you put clothes or laundry in your washer and it comes out stained, you're experiencing washing machine stains. There are lots of different types of these stains and spots, with lots of possible causes and cures to fix the problem {on Stain Removal 101} #StainRemoval #Laundry #LaundryStainsuse this Pin it button to save to Pinterest

You've read above a LOT of different types of problems, stains, spots and marks that people are experiencing that are sometimes a mystery, and are showing up on their laundry only after washing their clothes in the washing machine.

Now it's your turn. Tell me below, in the comments, what kind of problems you've experienced, and also any solutions you've found for fixing the problem, or removing the stains that result! I would love to hear from you, and so would everyone else who is experiencing these frustrating mystery stains.

Related Pages You May Enjoy

Ask For Stain Removal Help Here

Stain Removal Tips & Tricks For Busy Moms

Go From Washing Machine Stains: Causes And Cures To Home Page

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Comments for What Kind Of Washer Stains Are You Experiencing?

Click here to add your own comments

what I figured out
by: Paula

I kept getting rust colored streaks on light colored clothes. I figured out it was because I was pouring chlorine bleach directly in the machine without any water in there first. Ruined 2 washers.

happens to me too
by: Melissa

Happens to me all the time! Dark oil spots on shirts that weren't there before washing.

what it could be
by: Pam

It could be transmission oil from the washer.

Brown stains
by: Elizabeth

I was getting linear brown stains on clothes. I think the clothes were getting pushed into the (front loader) washer's gasket, along the door, and collecting whatever grime had collected there. Ew, right. I wiped the basket out as best I could, along with the lower glass on the door. Seemed to solve the problem.

new washer
by: Anonymous

I have a new washer and this is still happening.

Still finding stains with new washer
by: Busy mom

I recently purchased a new top load HE washer and dryer. I don't use liquid softener but I do use liquid HE detergent. I still find soap residue on my dark colored clothes and light brownish stains on my white clothes. It looks like Pepsi spilled on white T shirts. We have a water softener and everything else is new. I don't understand why I'm having the same issues that I had with my 10-year-old machines. Please help!!!

don't use fabric softener but . . .
by: Anonymous

I don't use fabric softener that often and still get the washing machine stains.

Tiny holes
by: Anonymous

I have been getting tiny holes in brand new clothes after washing. Any ideas what could be causing this? I do not do bras in these loads. And I always close zippers before washing things. They seem to appear the most on the fronts of t-shirts.

brown stains, but only on dark ones
by: Sharleen

My washing machine isn't very old but it's leaving brown stains on my husbands clothes. Only on dark colours like black or blue. They are random, not under arms but can be anywhere else on clothes. This does not happen on any of my clothes. I don't use softener on his clothes. Can you help?

my advice regarding mystery stains
by: Grandma Faye

Bring your stained garments in to a repair center to see if they can tell you what might be causing them. It may save you a service call.

Also don't dry stained garments in the dryer. Heat sets a stain. Treat the stain again while it is still wet from the washer or dampen it before using stain removers. The damp fibers will more readily receive the treatment and be more apt to loosen from the fibers.

Stains on white clothing can often be removed with peroxide. It may have to sit there a while to do the job. Repeat as necessary.

Shampoo can be used to pretreat neckline rings from shirts since it's mostly caused from hair oil and perspiration that cause it.

Vinegar works for pretreating underarm stains.

I have gone back to using Fels-Naptha bar soap to pretreat clothing, too. It works extremely well to get out mud, grass, soil and sock stains from not wearing shoes in the house. It takes a little 'elbow grease', but not too much. Inexpensive and lasts a long time, too.

Material?
by: Anonymous

Could it be that it happens to only certain type of materials? I wear mostly cotton. I have noticed that the stains only occurs to my cotton twill material bottoms, a couple of cotton shirts and one of my cotton dresses. Other laundries are not affected even in the same load.

I'm afraid to wash anything
by: miskittie67

Our clothes are coming out of the washer with dark oily stains on them and no clothes are safe. This is getting all over our clothes. We are afraid to wash anything that is not black clothes!

bearings
by: Anonymous

You may need new bearings.

I've been dealing with the same problem...
by: Marie

This has been a mystery for me as well. It happens only on my kids white cotton t-shirts, and it is usually around the neck area. The stains are NOT there when I put the clothes in the washing machine. I use Tide, which is a good quality laundry soap. I also stopped using fabric softener for a while, but it still happened. Those stains do not come off. It had not happened to me in a while, but just happened this week. I get so frustrated when it happens as it just wrecks the clothes. I will certainly look into the 'dimethyl polysiloxane'. I use HE laundry soap as I have a front loader. I use the powder soap, and I can't remember if it ever happened years ago when I used liquid soap. I might switch back.

HE detergent possible cause of stains
by: Jenn

I have a new HE top loading machine and right away I saw that my cotton t-shirts were spotted after washing in the cold wash. Nobody else in the family had the problem, just my shirts. I thought it was the new jeans I bought and washed with the cold load.

I purchased new shirts and stopped washing jeans with the normal wash. Again, my new shirts were victimized by the washing machine! I have been baffled about this until I read this question regarding HE detergent. My problem is solved! I know this has been the culprit.

I will start washing on a warmer setting and mix the detergent with water before putting the clothing in. Now I have hope of keeping new shirts clean from those awful spots! Thank you for this post.

I get the weird spots on T shirts too - started making my own detergent to fix the problem
by: Anonymous

I have been going nuts with these oily spots on my cotton T shirts. Especially the darker colors. Many of my shirts I had to toss out because they were ruined.

About 6 months ago a friend of mine mentioned that he makes his own laundry detergent to save money and avoid chemicals. I decided I had nothing to lose. Sure enough, that stopped the spotting.

I can't tell for sure, but I never had this issue using a standard top load washer. It was only after I switched to a front loader and HE detergent. I really think you are on to something with that oil stuff. Try home made detergent and see if that helps.

Stain after laundry
by: Anonymous

After washing and drying a shirt (button down dress shirt) with no stains, it comes out covered in stains. The stain looks like a shirt would look if it was covered in grease and washed and the grease stain did not come out. I know it is not a grease stain because it was not stained when it went into the wash. It is all over the shirt. HELP!

Brown bloches on some clothes after washing
by: Leo

After washing white and light colored clothes I noticed brown stains. They were very noticeable on the light colors, with no stains on the white "T" shirts. There were many pieces of clothes washed but stains only on "2" items.

Rust looking stains after washing
by: Angie

I have recently put a load of washing on and pre soaked it in nappisan. Before washing there were a few normal dirt stains on the clothes but after I took them out my husbands work shirt and one of my shirts had brown/ rust looking stains all over them. Do you have any idea if these can be removed? Or what might have caused them? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm hoping I won't have to throw out his work shirt.

dark line stains from front loader
by: Paula

My front load washing machine has made dark line stains on clothes. I'm not sure if it's from the rubber around the washer door, but I really need to get it out of my son's soccer team shirt. How can I do this?

marks from machine
by: Ruth

I am getting grease like lines on my washing from my machine. I tried a machine cleaner, no difference. Also can't get marks off the clothes.

greasy stain after wash
by: Lawrence

I only use washing powder, nothing else in my washing, but my shirts always come out with a greasy stain on the sleeves and front. It ruins all my shirts.

I think it was my perfume
by: Sheila

I noticed only my t-shirts had oil looking stains on the front of them. No one else's! Turns out I think it's my perfume!

dark blue/black pen ink like stains after washing
by: Alexis

I just did laundry and as I was switching it into the dryer I noticed on nearly brand new nike shirt and nike shorts and basic cotton tank top I had these stains. It could almost be described as a tie-dye like stain. I tried washing them again and the cheap cotton one came out worse than before. My mom suggested it was my detergent that did not rinse completely and just to run it again, but as I pointed out, that did not help.

front loading washer leaving greyish 'grease looking' stains on clothes
by: Flo

I am desperate. I have a 2 year old Kenmore Elite, front loading washer. I have 3 kids in school uniform and I am ruining all of their white polo shirts! The shirts are coming out with grey splatters all over them and will not come out! I've tried everything! I've had a repairman come out only to tell me how clean my washer was (I've cleaned it repeatedly hoping to solve the problem). He said everything looks good and I could pay $375 to take the machine apart but he doesn't think he'll find anything. I don't know what to do! Please help!

water supply can cause grease stains
by: Anonymous

I have had the problem with grease stains when washing clothes. Turns out a neighbor in the area had a spill that they were trying to clean up and it actually leached into the water supply resulting in grease stains in the washed clothes.

Another time I had grease stains when washing clothes at a different house. When I contacted the public utility they stated that the stains where most likely caused by either the water softening system of the house or usage of the hot water heater system when doing laundry. This did not make sense since there was not a water softening system to the house and the hot water was not used when doing laundry (plus I never used fabric softener).

Within 4 hours of me calling the public utility a representative showed up and took a water sample, tested it on site and stated the water was fine. I did ask if when they were doing a major overhaul of the water system a couple of months ago if something leached into the water system. They said that that could not have happened since the system is under pressure. They said that the grease stains - which they were able to see and smell on something I had washed that day - were caused by the old galvanized pipe leading from the meter to the house and showed up in the washer because it is not constantly used. This type of problem never existed before I told them. They said this type of problem would come and go.

They just happened to have a bottle of stuff to put in the wash to remove rust stains and gave it to me. I had grease stains, not rust stains. Then they told me no one else in the whole area had reported this problem when I questioned them about it. A county of about one million people.

Rust (?) gold-ish blotchy stains on my whites...
by: Anonymous

Rust (?) gold-ish blotchy stains on my whites and I'm running a bed and breakfast with white sheets, white towels!! Stains are occurring IN the washing machine. I do have well water. If the items have been dried am I out of luck? I am afraid to wash anything else.

can you help me solve the mystery of the small brown spots?
by: Mandie

We have been having small brown spots on our clothes after I wash them. Can this be caused by me using the pods instead of other stuff? The spots are like I took a brown/grayish sharpie and just dotted it all over! I just cleaned my washing machine with vinegar and baking soda, haven't washed a load of clothes since doing that so not sure if it helped! But can you please try to help me solve this mystery.

red and orange clothing gets bluish stains . . . Help!
by: Denise Smith

Every time I wash red and orange clothing they come out of the washer with bluish stains splattered over them. I have ruined several shirts because of this. What is going on? I have tried to wash them with the Shout color guard thing but it doesn't work all the time. Help!

same stains we call them globs
by: c_me_now_u_dont

We don't know where the globs come from. I only notice them when I'm folding the clothes and they are almost always on dark colored t shirts. I am able to remove the glob by treating with Shout and rewashing. Sometimes it takes a few washings. It is very frustrating and I wish I could figure out what is going on.

rust stains after washing
by: Anonymous

My clothes are showing rust stains after being washed. I have tried cleaning the washing machine with cleaners designed for washing machines and it looks clean. We have well water. How do I get the stains out and who do I call to correct the problem (and find out what is causing it)?

New clothing stains after treating stains with Shout or Spray 'N Wash?
by: Rose

This has been happening for years in spite of new washing machines and new detergents, but it does not happen consistently. It happens with dark 100% cotton clothing. It happens in all water temperatures, with liquid or powder detergent, and all washing cycles.

Here is the sequence. I treat stain or soiled area with Shout or Spray 'N Wash or Zout. I'd be happy to use any product available. I rub in product, let sit for 5 minutes, 30 minutes, or a day, and machine wash in hot water. The stained clothing and sometimes other dark clothing in the load come out with a new grease-like stain somewhere even if the old stain is gone. Then, I have to wash the clothing two or more times in hot water and detergent only.

Please help! I prefer to buy not make the product.

gray/brown "lines" on wash
by: Anonymous

I'm so frustrated with my front loader and wish I had never bought the thing because every other wash has stains on it which requires another wash to remove them. I've heard that it might be from the gray rubber surrounding the drum but I don't know how to fix it.

If I could afford it I would buy another washer because this is horrible. I would also recommend to someone thinking of purchasing a front loader not to do it. It's not worth it, at least in my case it's NOT.

Stains caused by HE detergent
by: Anonymous

We've now purchased two new Maytag washing machines that leave stains on cotton clothing due to the HE detergent. I have verified this with simple experiment in the sink. Have not yet found a solution but Oxiclean will remove the stains after the fact.

White stains on black clothes
by: Lynel

It's white spots on my black clothes even when I don't use fabric softener.

detergent stains
by: Sonia

When my washing machine finishes its cycle I get my clothes full of detergent stains. I tried everything, like put less detergent or put less clothes to wash, but still the same problem. I even bought some expensive detergents but still the same. Can you help???????

looks like splatters of oil on certain clothes
by: Anonymous

I've had the same problem. The spots have appeared twice in the past 6 months. They look like you dip a paint brush in oil and splatter it on the clothes. The stains are worse on synthetic fibers as opposed to all cotton. Soaking in oxyclean and water helps to remove it from some fabrics while doing nothing with others.

It was HE powder detergent that was causing my stains!
by: Anonymous

Having an allergy to all liquid detergents (even those that are supposedly "free/soft"), we have always used 7th Generation detergent in our front loader. This is since they are the ONLY manufacturer of high efficiency POWDER detergent required by front loaders.

After years of experiencing quarter to silver dollar sized spots in our colored clothing we finally realized that it wasn't our water - rather the detergent itself.

Stopped using the detergent in favor of a Borax based home made, and have NO issues anymore.

Yellow stains on white clothes after laundering
by: Steve

I have yellow stains on white clothes coming out of our laundry. They are in various spots so not the result of sweating. Could this be from liquid detergent or rust in the wash machine? If so, how do I get it out of the clothes, and out of the wash machine if that is the culprit? Thanks.

Bleach stain when not using bleach
by: Shannon

We have a top load machine that you put the detergent and softener in prior to starting the cycle. Lately our colors have been coming out with bleach looking stains and I am not using bleach and our detergent and softener don't contain any bleach. Any ideas why?

Black underarm stains
by: Mis Vicki

I just purchased last year an LG front load washer and dryer. Ever since doing laundry in them I have the following problems:

1. My husband's white under t shirts and his work shirts have black stains under the arms.
2. And now my t shirts and other shirts are starting to get the same black stains
3. The elastic in his underwear are stretching totally out.

I use Tide pods. We both wear gel deodorant/antiperspirant. I sometimes use liquid Downy fabric softener. If not liquid I use Downy dryer sheets. I live in Florida with hard water. I use bleach on whites and Tide OXI stain remover as a pre wash on colors. Please HELP!

Phantom redish stains after wasing
by: AlanG

I have had a consistent issue with my white t-shirts developing reddish blotches after washing. I have had this with 2 different front loading HE washers; the common here is Tide HE liquid from Costco.

Tiny silver specks suddenly appearing in our clothes
by: Anonymous

About six months ago we suddenly noticed - only in the sunshine were they're visible - tiny, silver specks embedded in our clothes. We have no idea where these have come from - could it be from the washing machine, detergent or what?? They cannot be washed or brushed out and it is a real problem. Any ideas?

Rainwater copper corrosion
by: Liz

I'm also getting blue/black stains only on dark pink, orange, red clothing. Have never used fabric softener, have changed washing powders and have bought a new machine. Still doing it! We are now wondering if it relates to rainwater (acidic pH and soft) and or copper corrosion in the pipes? Has anyone had similar?

Brown stains from front loader
by: Jody

I have had these same types of stains from my front loading machine as well. The owners manual recommends cleaning the machine frequently to prevent these. I found brown slimy growth behind the detergent dispenser even! Run a washer basket clean with bleach at least once a month. Take out the detergent dispenser drawer to clean and wipe out the space it goes in. Another thing I do is dry out the door gasket when done washing so water doesn't sit in there. I also keep the front door and detergent dispenser door cracked open so air can circulate to dry it out. Hope this helps!!!

Disgusted with Whirlpool
by: Cindy

I randomly get stains on my clothes. The appliance place told me to rinse my tub with at least a cup of bleach, now that I read this, I will not do that! I have the whirlpool duet, bought them in 2010. I have never been so disgusted with whirlpool. I will never get another front load ever again! There is a class action lawsuit against them, if you google it, you will see.

Clean my washer
by: Janice T

Ladies I came across a cleaner for my washer and with my husband working construction his clothes are a large challenge, believe me. He also has a hobby of restoring old cars too. Messy !
Anyways: I use the cleaner( LemiShine) at least every two weeks to a month in my washer. I put the cleaner into the hot water of a full load (NO CLOTHES JUST WATER) Swish it for about a minute, stop washer and let sit with full tub for about 2 hours and then restart your washer and let it go through the full cycle. It shines and smells great once again. Lemishine is for dishwashers and I have used this in both machines for over 5 years.

Just never put clothes in when doing this as it will discolor them.

Problem with LG
by: Anonymous

I get the same brown crap on my clothes. It's not rust or anything. It's not hard to get out for the most part. You need stain remover and rub it hard. It is harder on the white clothes. I get the same thing on my dark clothes but it is a lighter stain on the dark clothes. I now wash everything inside out just in case. This is a pain though. I clean everywhere I can get to and even clean the drain hose and filter. I tried today, after it happened yet again, to wipe inside the drum. I stuffed a paper towel as far as I could between the rubber and the drum. That stuff is coming from there. Not sure if it's because of my well water but this never happened with my previous smaller front loader. This one is an LG. I am going to contact the company!

Total frustration
by: Anonymous

I never had these problems until I bought a new washing machine! I absolutely hate it, the machine! I have also have clothes ruined with bleach spots. I do not like being able to put water in the machine first then the detergent and bleach in the water before clothes. I also prefer being able to put the fabric softener in after it fills with rinse water. However, I cant afford to by another new machine!

Kenmore causing issues
by: Anonymous

I use liquid clothes detergent, I don't use fabric softener but at times have staining on clothes that wasn't there prior to washing. My washer is kenmore, it's a low water washer. I think a common denominator is a new piece of clothing. I washed a new sweatshirt, grey, and it came out with pink splotches. Some time later I washed a dark blue new pair of jeans with like colors and they had lighter streaks down the legs. I was able to scratch some of the discoloration off with my nails. Some dark clothing will have the same appearance. I washed a new pair of khaki colored pants and got small dark discoloration on the front of these pants. I turn them all inside out when I wash, hoping to prevent this. Any thoughts on what's going on? I would appreciate some help!

Problem with Cabrea machine
by: Anonymous

I have a one month old cabrea washing machine. Now finding grease stains that weren't there prior to washing. I don't use fabric softener. What is causing this?

Need help
by: Anonymous

I periodically get streaky dark gray stains on my clothes that usually rub off. I don't know if they're from the washer(5 year old front loader) or the dryer which is about 15 yrs old. I no longer use fabric softener but dryer sheets instead. Any thoughts on this?

Yellow spots on linens
by: Anonymous

I get large yellow spots on my Battenberg linens after washing, or maybe they appear when I iron the tablecloths and napkins. What is going on? Takes days of soaking to remove.

Need solution
by: Gill Kilroy

Hi, I have had this happen twice only. A few brown blotches, not large, show up,on my sheets after washing. It doesn't,t happen every wash, nor on other items, just the sheets. I've tried the rust remover technique, vinegar and salt, no good. I tried Oxywash and sterilizing fluid and they also failed. Just don't know what's causing it. Surely if rust it would be on other items too. Any ideas please? Have had to hang out in the sun with some lemon juice for now, but that didn't work before. Any help appreciated.

Small black spots
by: Anonymous

I have been getting little black spots on my clothes after removing them from the washer. I don`t use fabric softener and the machine is 4 yrs old. The spots look almost like they are `printed`on the fabric, very small spots. Why?

Maybe sunscreen
by: Donna Reed

Some sunscreens cause discoloration of whites when it comes into contact with the material. Bleach only makes it worse. Is she using any lotions that use a sunscreen? Maybe that is the culprit and a change in lotion is worth a try.

Similar problem
by: Anonymous

Weekend guests have left and I just did bed linens for 5 different beds. Only after washing large blotchy brown spots appeared on 1 queen set, top & bottom sheets and both pillowcases, but no problem with any others. I washed all top sheets together, all fitted sheets together, and all pillowcases together, so this is the result of multiple loads, not due to something in the washing machine. Spots are most heavily on the pillowcases, but also some are on one end of the fitted sheet, and a couple small ones are on the top sheet near the top hemmed edge. Given this I'm quite sure it must have been caused by some type of face cream. Bleach has not worked. Any ideas?

Is it our water?
by: SPG

We are experiencing exactly the same issues with HE washer & detergent. I like the idea of adding detergent w/ water first and will try. Wondering if this has improved your issues? The other cause we have been suspecting is our water, we moved into new home a few months ago and the washer came along with the house. Have also had our water tested, we've got fairly high levels of manganese and considering a water softener, but it is quite expensive. Wondering if you had experience with manganese and if a softener is only option?

New machine causing problem
by: Carol

I have a new washer and dryer only a few months old. The first few weeks I had no problems at all but then i had the spots on the t-shirts. I can wet a wash cloth & go over them before i throw them in the dryer but that is a lot of extra work for me. I am not using bleach or fabric softener, only the dryer sheets. I started using the All Free and Clear Mighty Packs and didn't know if they could cause this? Also for my clothes i use cold water, hot for towels.

Silicone Oil
by: Conni

I have the same type of wet looking stains on my clothing. I do not use fabric softener, so that is not the problem. The problem has only started since purchasing a new machine that requires HE detergents! The silicone oil in detergent is the only response that makes sense to me. What detergents can I purchase that do not have silicone oil?

Blue on cotton
by: Annette

Yes I am also seeing blue stains on my cotton clothing and sheets. I have a high efficiency washer and use Tide he detergent. I have had no success in getting these stains out and am ready to contact Tide manufacturers about this. This is ruining a lot of expensive clothing. I have about had it with he washers also. This washer I have now is my second one in four years. The first one was a pain in the neck and was always causing me mechanical trouble. It was a Maytag. Then I got a LG and now the stain stain problem. The money I have lost using these machines could have paid for water for many years and bought me a new wardrobe.
I would love to know how to get these stains out. Can anyone offer a solution to this problem!!

Oil spots
by: Anonymous

This is a problem for me too. Only 1 t-shirt had stain blotches. I have a new washer and use he Gain detergent?

Known issue with Gain
by: Taylor

To the reader who submitted the previous comment, there appears to be an issue with Gain detergent causing these types of stains. I suggest you look at my article on the issue. Here is the link.

clear stains
by: Rita

Business shirts are showing clear stains after wash. Can you help with the reason and how to get these stains out. This does not happen with every wash.

Blotches on Dark Clothes
by: Anonymous

Hi, I am very frustrated from my top loader machine as my dark clothes like black pants, warm night suites, track suits and blankets come out with white blotches, It seems like grey or white waste of other clothes. Not getting the solution. I am using only cold load. Any solution please?

Black lines on laundry
by: Phyllis

My laundry is covered in randomly spaces black lines about 2" long. It's a top-loading Maytag if that's important. Any ideas what's causing this?

My mystery stains solved - well water in front loader
by: Anonymous

I have a front load washer. I didn't have it long when I would get spots on our clothing. I have well water so I thought maybe because I had moved from the city to a rural area I needed to ask some local ladies about my problem, so I did and this is what I was told. Wipe out around the front rim by door after every load with vinegar to remove any debris. (The rubber there had already started to turn black, yuck). I didn't know so I did this diligently and also to forget about using anything in the fabric softener dispenser. Instead put 1/2 a cup of vinegar in the same spot that turns black and it would soften the fabrics and keep the machine clean. I have been doing this for the last 6 years and have no more mystery spots.

mysterious yellow stain
by: Jill

So twice I have taken my clothes out of the wash and there have been yellow stains on my clothes, almost like someone took a high lighter to it. But it's only one article of clothing in each load. One was the white that was on a sweatshirt and one was a tan dress. Both very different materials and done about 3 weeks apart. Nothing else has been stained in between or in the loads with these two. Please help.

Mystery brown stains on blue t-shirts
by: Anonymous

I have these weird brown blotches/stains on my blue t-shirts, they appeared only after I got them out of the washing machine. What could be the cause?

Reddish/Brown hard stains on clothes from 2yr old washing machine
by: Tiffany J

I believe my washing machine is about 2 years old. We live out in the country and have very hard, brackish well water. Our water line going into the washer was leaking so my husband put new washers/seals on the hot and cold lines but while he was back there he poured some CLR in the tubes to "clean" it out. I am wondering if that is where my problems started.

I ran a load a week ago and I had what looked to be a bumped up round dime size blood stain like from a tick. Like those bloody sacks the tick lives in? It was a very dry hard stain and it did have a bit of hair on it. I don't know if the tiny hairs were attracted to it or if it was in fact a tick that had come off of our dog. GRRRR (side note, the dog has different tick meds). It was so hard I couldn't soak it enough to get it to soften up to remove and by pulling it off it ripped a whole in my slacks. I then noticed I had some of that gunk inside another pair of slacks so I took them to my mom since she is the laundry pro. She said she thought it was something from my washing machine and not tick blood. It again was extremely hard but not in a perfect circle it was more in a dashed line and had the feel of almost plastic or glue it was so hard. My mom was able to get the stain out mostly. There is still a bit of it there but as this particular stain was on the inside of the clothes it isn't noticeable on the outside so I can live with it. A few days later my next load, clothes that had no stains come out with stains. My dressy shirt got the worst of it. It seriously looked like I have a blood stain on my shirt and it is about the size of a golf ball maybe bigger. But, it isn't really hard and plastic feeling and was more absorbed into the shirt where you can see it rather than see and feel it like the other hard stains. Now, yesterday I do more laundry and my whites come out with redish/brown almost rusty colored stains and more of the clothes were affected. I have quite a few that I have been finding that have just one or two hard to see speckles of rust color stains. However, I then had 2 items get stained terribly. One item I just threw away because it had so many stains all over it. The stains are little circles but occasionally you might see a dime size stain but for the most part they are all about the size of the holes on the washing machine.

This leads me to wonder if my husband did a no no by putting CLR in our water line that goes into the washing machine. The last clothes that have staines lead me to believe they are rust after reading some of your other posts. However, the first two have me puzzled since they had a plastic feel and were darker in color.

Any ideas on what might be wrong and how to fix it? Thank you!

white sweater with brown marks from washer
by: Lisa Biery

What do I do with a white sweater with brown marks from washer?

Odd pinkish/bleach looking stains only on his clothes all of a sudden
by: gymbrandie

I keep getting these random stains on my fiance's clothes. They are usually around the neck or waist areas. It kinda looks like they've been bleached but I've never used bleach in his washer. It's just his, mine are all fine. At first I just thought it was old dark t-shirts but his khakis are doing it too now along with brand new shirts that have only been worn once or twice.

Also, another problem that started a while ago is the elastic on his gym shorts is fine and then after it's washed/dried the elastic is shot. It makes that crackling noise and "breaks" so it's not stretchy anymore. Any ideas what is causing both of these problems?

Mysterious light grey stains from NEW washer
by: Clair

I never had the problem until I bought our brand new LG washer. I use melaleuca HE detergent with no softener and Oxiclean as a spot treater. At first I thought it was a negative reaction between the soaps because they are all on the front of our lighter colored clothes. But then I noticed the spots on clothes that didn't have Oxiclean on them, but still, on the front. Like the stains are drawn to spots on clothes. Especially since they are mainly on our children's clothes and some on mine, but pretty much never on my husbands, since he stays clean while at work. I'm beyond frustrated! I've tried switching to melaleucas spot treatment and their Sol-U-Mel, I've tried spraying with vinegar, dawn soap mixed with vinegar, soaking in water. I don't even know what else to do. 😢

Brown dirt stains when I wash whites (typically linens)
by: SB

For some reason, every time I do a load of whites with bleach I seem to find brown dirt stains on my clothes. It seems to happen more on my white linens, i.e. sheets, towels etc. I first noticed it with my old washer. When we bought the house the washer and dryer came with it so I didn't know exactly how old it was nor did I know the history of the maintenance on it. So we blamed the washer and bought a new one. I've only had it for 4 months and now it's doing it again! I do the monthly self clean and clean around the rubber linings etc. I know it's not rust or mildew. My other thoughts are: could it be the old pipes? But then why does it only happen to my whites and when I use hot water 90 degrees? Could it be that I have hard water? Could it be that we have a septic tank and it's full and somehow the dirty water washes back? I've looked online, other threads and no one seems to have an answer?? Please help!!

Grey machine stain
by: Steph

I can't get a grey stain out of my clothes. Also I do not know where it came from. Is it the washing machine? How can I get rid of it?

I'm getting little brown spots on white clothes from my washer?
by: Anonymous

How do I stop the brown spots from my washer? How do I get them out, what are they from?

Yellow stains
by: Elaine

I am getting yellow stains on my clothes after washing.

HE laundry stains
by: Anonymous

This is exactly what happens to me. Usually just one item, and stained permanently.

I put the detergent in with the water, let the water fill, then start adding my laundry. No matter. Still leaves an oily dark stain on items. Frustrating, as it has ruined quite a few items. One was a brand new sweater, the other a new skirt.

I use Tide HE and purposely use less than is called for. Wish someone could come up with a good cleaning solution!

Same here! We get purplish tie dye stains
by: Jarrett Wilson

We have a Whirlpool Duet and my wife gets the exact same type of stains. Literally, they're exactly how you describe. Did you ever find the cause? We would love to know.

Same problem with pinkish and reddish stains
by: SC

I think we have the same problem, how do you get the stains out?

I put one white sweater in a plastic pail of cold water with Tide powder detergent and it come out with random pink dots, as if marked with a pen tip. This same sweater I washed previously with the same pail and same detergent in cold water with no issue. Does anyone know why this happened?

I rewash second time without detergent, works for me
by: Deb

Thank you! I agree I think it's from the He low suds detergent. I started washing the clothes a second time without laundry detergent and the marks come out. I don't like wasting water but it's the only solution for me.

HE Detergents
by: Fustrated

Just wanted to share. I have been having problems with my wash for over two years with oily looking stains on my cotton clothes. It happens in cold and hot water. I just bought a new washer and dryer trying to eliminate this and had my water tested. I am not sure of the color of the stains because on colored clothes it just looks oily. I also get yellow spots. I am not sure that this is related. I am using Tide products. I do not use any fabric softener. The repair people claim it's the HE detergent and manufacturer of the product claims there is no silicone oil in them and the products go through testing with all washers. They claim it is not the detergent. Not sure what to do next to figure it out.

White stains on black jeans
by: Anonymous

I just recently purchased some black jeans. They're not a cheap pair by all means as I've never had a problem with this jean brand before, but after I washed them some white stains appeared forming frigid lines interspersed all over the legs of the jean and the butt area. It almost looks like dust but it's not and it won't come out. I only use cold water on my laundry and Tide pods as the detergent. I've never had this problem before and I don't know what to do! HELP PLEASE!

Also I did forget to turn them inside out and washed them with a mix load of whites and colors but I've never experienced discolour like this before.

Are my new jeans ruined and a waste of money? :(

please help with black stain
by: Anonymous

I have the same thing happen to me and on my favourite dress and I can't seem to get it out. Please help.

Same problem! Black spots look like ink stains, but no ink
by: Krystian

I have the same problem! It just happened on a pair of my daughter's pants a month ago and again today on a rug! And it never effects everything in the wash! What's going on!?

I use homemade laundry detergent, no fabric softener.

But there was a machine in college that did the same thing, too!

black stains on whites but no pen
by: Anonymous

This happened to me today! I had a load of laundry and only two white shirts out of the whole load have dark black ink spots all over them but there was no pen or ink washed with the load. I'm so confused! My washer is only a few months old and we clean it regularly with Affresh.

Cleaning products possible cause of bleach stains
by: Anonymous

My daughter did a "science experiment" using Comet powder and spilled some on the bathroom rug. When I washed the rug it had bleach stains and so did some of the other clothes. Perhaps it is another cleaning product you used to clean that got into the load?

Sweat/Mineral stains
by: Anonymous

My hubby's cricket whites have stains similar to this orange/brown patches, and bleach just makes it worse. The best way we have found to get rid of stains is Bosisto's Pre-Wash Stain Remover (Eucalyptus) and let clothes sit over night then wash as normal. Not sure what causes stains it possibly is sweat/sunscreen or sweat/heavy metals minerals???

Iron Out
by: Anonymous

I tried all the others (oxy clean, grease lightening, vinegar and baking soda) but Iron Out did the trick!

Good luck to you!

Brown mystery stains
by: Anonymous

I had the same problem. It was caused by my husband who washed a huge load of garage towels (old towels he had used to wash the car, clean up after car maintenance, etc.) in the washing machine. The overly large load couldn't rinse completely and left grease and dirt behind. Of course, I happened to wash a brand new set of white bed sheets the next day.

Brown mystery streaks
by: Anonymous

I too have found brown mystery streaks on clothes. I have a Samsung washer/dryer set which I dislike. I have tried to wipe behind the rubber gasket after every 2 or 3 loads and it still happens. I also try not to put the spin cycle on high because It seems I find more of it. For me these streaks come out using Oxy Clean gel. I am hoping this is just soap build up and will soon find a way to manage it until I get rid of the machine.

pink stains
by: Carol

Clothes coming out of the dryer with pink blotches on them. Use dry fabric softener. Only washed with white underwear and towels. Nothing red.

It is from gunk around seal!
by: Janice

This looks exactly like the stains I have been getting on my white clothes. I did have a repairman come because my washer needed regular maintenance anyway. He said there was no oil leak - it is from the build up of gunk around the seal he believes.

I noticed there are two rings (inner and outer) where the gunk can collect. Even doing the machine auto wash feature didn't clean it and I ended up using a rag & q tips to get it all out.

Any hints on how to get the brown stains off of the clothes that are now damaged? Help please....

Tie dyed stains
by: Anonymous

My dark clothes have stains that look like it is being tie dyed. I use HE detergent but it doesn't seem to help.

caused by HE detergent!
by: Anonymous

The spots on t shirts and other cotton containing fabrics comes from dimethyl polysiloxane in the HE washing detergent. If you do not have an HE machine do not use HE detergent, it will spot your clothes, since it contains oil.

The HE detergent will spot cotton clothing unless it is COMPLETELY dissolved before adding clothing.

Use Dawn to get spots out.

Rust stains on dark towels & face cloths
by: Shelley

The rust stains appear after the washing machine. We don't use a fabric softener. The rust stains aren't on other clothing items. Just face cloths and towels. I'm guessing makeup? So do we need to separate face cloths and towels for everything?

White horizontal stripe marks
by: Anonymous

I find white horizontal stripe type marks on the sides of colored tees after washing & drying.

Oil stains from my washing machine
by: Charlene

I am getting oil stains from my washing machine. I don't use fabric softener on my clothes during only time while washing but I am still getting stains what could have caused it and what can I do to prevent this it's ruining my shirts?

Bleach-like stains but don't use bleach
by: Anonymous

Many of my clothes are coming out of the washer with what appears to be bleach stains. I don't use bleach or fabric softeners. What possibly could be causing these stains? My washer is about 12 years old and this problem doesn't happen every time. I always make sure I mix the liquid detergent well before I put clothes in to wash. This is very upsetting because I don't know when it's going to happen and how to fix the problem. HELP!!

stains on sheets
by: Anonymous

I have bought new sheets 3 times and have had light yellow or whitish stains, no detergent or softener used. I have the Oreck purewash.

Stain on cloth
by: Bill

I read your comment. I do not put softener in, just liquid soap, and have cut back to almost nothing. What is going on?

I have hard water stain from washer
by: Anonymous

I have hard water stains from washer. HELP!

big blueish stains
by: Joyce

My stains are big in size, and look almost a blueish color. Once on towels, clothes, jeans, whatever the item is, there is nothing to get it out.

White stain on black clothing
by: Anonymous

My black clothes come out of the washing machine with white stains that were not there before washing the clothes. I don't use fabric softener in the machine or bleach. I've used white vinegar and baking soda unsuccessfully. I've also used CLR and it hasn't helped. Do you have any suggestions?

Stains Post Washing Machine Use
by: Anonymous

I firmly believe it's the combination of using HE detergent and the lack of water our "new" eco-friendly washers allow us to use. Once the stains are there your whites and many delicates are "toast". Even adding a second rinse doesn't seem to help. Just wet your hands and put some HE on them and try to rinse the "soap" if that's what that chemical combo is, off your hands. Good luck. It feels slimy.

Looks like baby oil spots
by: Anonymous

We been having this problem for over a year after washing and drying, outfits are stained bad. Mostly whites I would say but it's on everything. Big spot ls, sometime they are hard to see
But when I iron you can see the different colors. I say they look like baby oil spots.

water stains
by: Jojo

Really could do with some help please, it's bringing me to tears. There are stain marks on all my son's white shirts. Look like water stains. I have stopped using fabric condioner. Tried vanish whitening powder, still there. Don't know what else to do I have deep cleaned washing machine. Could it be the washing powder? I tried loads different one thanks Jo x

red/pink stains on laundry
by: Anonymous

I have recently noticed that some of my whites have irregular pink stains. Today I saw odd small red clumps as I was transferring linen from the washing machine to the dryer. When I pressed the clump it would kind of smear and dissolve into these pink stains.

I have been using the same detergent (Bio-Classic) on my 100% cotton sheets for a while with out problems. Last week I started noticing streaked stains on the linen and this week after washing my brand new cotton towels, most of them had a fair amount of pink to them.

Everything is white only and 100% cotton. So I know it is not a coloured cloths fault.

I also washed with OMO Auto today in case it was my powder and that is when I noticed the red clumps.

I assume it is some kind of chemical reaction but what?

Not stains but whitish soap residue
by: Molly K. Barry

I bought a Maytag washer 3 years ago and have been
unhappy ever since. This particularly shows up on black clothing and is very frustrating. I now use only liquid detergent (and occasionally Borax also but usually only on dark towels) and no dryer for these clothing items. I usually wash the load on the highest fill, even though the load may not call for it, and I always use an extra rinse!

Still, some black clothing items come out with what looks like faint washing residue. Does anyone have any other ideas?

I'm sick of dark spots
by: Carol

After I wash my dark t shirts (mostly black) they come out with black spots only on the front of them. I think that maybe it's the laundry detergent because sometimes if I spray Shout on the spots and run them through the rinse cycle they come out, but I hate to have to do that. How can I wash them to begin with so they won't get the spots? It's only on tshirts.

small brown streaks on clothes
by: Anonymous

I find small brown streaks on clothes occasionally--streaks about 2" long and very thin. They come out with light soap and another washing. I have wiped all around the agitator; they still come. They don't seem to be rust. Machine is old but works fine otherwise.

Brown stains
by: Anonymous

Be sure to clean the rubber gasket after washing several loads. There is sometimes gunk that gets trapped there.

Another possibility for rust stains on clothes
by: Anonymous

I started getting rust stains on light clothes and sheets about a year ago. I called a repair person who gave the machine a thorough cleaning and said it might have internal parts rusting. I was inclined to purchase a new washer because rust stains continued, now having damaged items at least the cost of a new washer with rust stains.

But wait! Enter husband who does his own laundry including his pastel wash and dry Brooks Bros shirts. He said he has never had a rust stain on anything. Of course we use the same equipment.

Here is my present idea that I will test (somehow). I use a LOT of OxyClean with light wash, perhaps four times what is recommended. He uses only the recommended amount or less. Rust and OxyClean are in the same "chemistry family."
I will use some older items for test and report results.

Mystery brown stains
by: Barbara

I've had the same stains that you pictured. First was a set of sheets, then yesterday a brand new dress, cotton knit, came out of the wash with those same ugly stains. I was so unhappy, hadn't even worn it yet. But I immediately soaked the dress in cool water and added in Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap-Pure Castille in lavender. After an hour I added more & lightly scrubbed the marks and they disappeared! Was happy lady again. Previously, I had tried Oxyclean on the sheets but it took a lot longer to clean off. I don't know what causes the stains, but I believe both times I had added liquid fabric softener. I will not use it again!

stains on washing from the machine.
by: Ian

These stains are from dirt built up in the door seal squeezed out into the wash when the drum has a full load. The door seal needs wiping out with, say, a microfibre cloth before the big wash, or you could put on smaller white washes that do not thrust large duvet covers against the seal. The seals need cleaning in two places, the trough formed in the middle of the seal. Put a piece of kitchen towel in and move it right round the seal, you will find dirt. Also clean the seal all the way round just beside the the drum where there is another valley.

We struggled with this, we wash quite dirty items from time to time...e.g. dog towels and it keeps recurring. I don't remember to wipe out the machine every time so pop the affected item back in a one hour quick wash which does the trick.

mystery???
by: Anonymous

I have the exact same problem. Just started recently but is only on my white shirts or light colored shirts. Typically around the collar or on sleeves. I can get these stains out if I use a stain remover and rewash quickly but getting irritating. Kids and husband's clothes come out fine. I do use well water but we have water softener. Washer is Maytag and only a couple years old.

Same problem - light spots on dark tees
by: Tired

I was having the same problem. I went through 2 beautiful HE washers only to find an old clunker that put enough water through! So my new washer went to the shed and I took this old clunker and so far so good....until tonight. My machine was set on cold. I pulled two shirts out of the washer and clear marks. I even let my son take my new HE and they are having no issues! Now, I've done laundry my whole life with no issues until our new remodel. If it's not the washers then could something be coming through the line? The plumber was a joke! So I don't trust anything he did...yet my dad says there's no way anything can be coming through! I'm at a loss. How do You wash a tshirt a zillion times and this happen? I've cleaned the machine out with afresh. I'm starting to wonder if it's the soap. Powdered tide is pricey but doesn't seem like I was having near the issues. Since tide was so pricey I opted for a cheaper brand of powder "surf". We even drained the hot water heater to see if there was gunk in it and found nothing!!! I don't get it but it's exhausting. Geesh. I'm glad I'm not alone in this crazy mess! Lol

Brown marks on washing out of machine.
by: Jo

Well I was amazed to see the pictures posted of brown stains on washing. I have been experiencing the same problem on and off for a few weeks. It does not seem to happen with every wash. I have just removed a duvet cover and pillow cases from my machine and it is the worst ever. Some of the brown marks are actually loose and can be slid off. There has been nothing in previous washes that could account for this. I am wondering if there could be a rodent getting into the machine and leaving droppings. I am bemused!!

Oily spots
by: Anonymous

The stains I'm getting on my clothes are little brown oily spots all over my clothes.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh....
by: Kelly

Yes!!!!!! This would explain my mysterious spots that have occurred on two different washing machines. We rent, and our kind landlord replaced our washer and we were STILL getting spots. I am going to try replacing my HE detergent with some of the old fashioned stuff.

stains on white clothes after washing in washer
by: Anonymous

Can you tell us how to get these stains out of the clothes? Usually chlorine bleach helps, but this time it did not get the stains out. I do not use fabric softener so i am guessing it is the rust in the washer as you suggested. I have an LG front loader. It is so frustrating to get these spots on my favorite white t-shirts. And they are not cheap. Will powder whiteners be different/better than chorine bleach? Otherwise I am selling my washer and buying another. In addition to this nightmare, cleaning the LG front loader is a joke, time consuming, and difficult. What a crappy design.

My black pants have orange stains
by: Anonymous

My black pants were washed by their self and when they came out the had big orangish / red stains on them and they're in the same spot the stains were before I washed them. Does anyone know why this happend? Is it my washer, the detergent is oxi clean and arm and hammer ????? Plz help.

Orange stains
by: Anonymous

I'm getting orange stains on my clothes from the washer, looks like a bleach stain but I haven't put bleach in the wash. Any clues?

HE Detergent Causing Stains.
by: Anonymous

Thanks for the information you posted. This has been frustrating me for months. All this time I thought it was the washing machine and never thought it was the detergent.

I guess we are switching out the HE detergent for regular detergent. Hopefully this will solve the issue of the stains we keep seeing on some of our favorite cotton shirts.

Thanks again!

Stains in my clothes
by: Luis

My washer is staining all my clothes. The stains vary depending on clothing. If white the stain is like a splatter of gray liquid. If clothing is color or khaki the stain is same color but lighter. What can that be?

Stains on clothing after being washed.
by: Anonymous

I have been experiencing stains on my white and light colored clothing after being washed. The stains are greyish in color.

Grey blotches
by: Anonymous

The stains I'm talking about are different in size. They're blotches, it may be the fabric softener but I think something else may be going on. I'd appreciate any tips. Thanks.

can't figure it out
by: Bobby

All of wife's stains appear on the tips of collars. Brown in color, can't figure it out.

Baking soda
by: Anonymous

Add baking soda, it really works.

big brownish single stains
by: Raelph Houghton

Yes, reading previous comments. Have seen many items, not every wash, get stains. Finally one of my wife's favorite blouses is stained. Big brownish stain. Used lemon juice and then vinegar and that lightened it a bit, but only a bit. Took removable parts off and could see nothing. Time for a new washer, as it is 8 or 9 years old front end. Great machine but repairmen cost a fortune. May as well get a new one when there is a sale. Boxing Day???? New Year???

Beige stains on neck lines...
by: Anonymous

I have had stains appear on clothing like this. I have determined they come from some brands of sunscreen. They show up hours after the garment is worn or after washing, I have not found a way to remove them yet.

response re beige stains on neck lines
by: Taylor

You mentioned you feel these are sunscreen stains. You should check out my article on how to remove sunscreen stains, at the link, which explains why this orangish brown spots occur, and how to remove them.

Bluish stains only on daughter's clothing
by: Anonymous

Most of my daughter's shirts have come out of my washer with the bluish spots. Even after just wearing the shirt once. I have an HE front loader. I'm at a loss that only her clothing is affected. I do not use fabric softener, so I know that's not it. I've tried several brands of detergent, but haven't noticed any difference.

How can I remove those stains?

Neon Yellow Stains
by: Sarah

My front loading LG washing machine is leaving neon yellow stains on white and light colored clothing that will not come out no matter what we do. I'm terrified to do laundry. Any ideas what this could be?

We do have a baby who drinks formula but we've switched formula and detergents and the issue persists.

I'd be happy to provide photos of the stains... they're not spots. Almost like the items at the bottom of the drum sat on something that stained them so there are no stains in the parts that were wrinkled if that makes sense.

how I removed the yellow stains
by: Sarah

I bought a new ge washer and dryer 2mo ago and when I wash and dry some of the items have yellow stains on them. grey sweats white towels even darker towels. could this be a problem with the washer or dryer? I had yellow stains on a dish rag and took it to the sink washed it with a little bleach and it came right out. I use liquid tide and downy liquid fabric softener and dryer sheets.

Small dots on shirts coming from washing machine
by: Noha

I always get small dots scattered all over the clothes coming from washing machine which is specially obvious in my husband's plain formal shirts.

Don't know how to upload a photo to my comment, but anyway, this matter is so problematic and I would highly appreciate if you could give me any tips to how to solve it!

Yellow stains
by: Jenna

I too have this problem. Only on white clothes. Especially the kids clothes. Just about every wash there is yellow patches mostly around seams and neckline. We have even changed our washing machine and it still happens. Even without fabric softener. Could it be the detergent?

Rust spots
by: Thelma

Rust looking spots on pillow cases and fitted sheet, duvet cover. Beko washing machine only 3 weeks old, use Calgon in drawer, Persil liquid in drum and Comfort in drawer. Only use white bedding, now got to dispose of these, first time this has happened.

In the water?
by: Jeff

I haven't checked out all possibilities but we live in a new housing development. I will test this theory by filling up our white bathtub and checking the residue once the water settles. If I see rust or other signs of settlement I will ask neighbors if they have witnessed the same.

Just a thought, is your neighborhood getting new houses constructed?

Borax
by: Anonymous

Borax! This stuff is amazing! I had a brand new set of 400 thread count sheets in white of course. Took them out of the washer and they had sticky gunky stringy stains all over them. I filled the sink with hot water and a cup of borax. I let the sheets soak and scrubbed at the worst spots and boom, stains are gone! I clean the rubber gasket around my washer drum regularly but this issue likes to rear its ugly head whenever I have something new in the washer. Does the same thing with a load of brand new pajamas. Grrr.

Brown spots from steam iron
by: Phyllis

My steam iron expelled a gust of steamy liquid and left a coffee colored stain on a new blouse. I did not let it dry and soaked it in vinegar water. The discoloration remained. So I treated it with hydrogen peroxide. Same result. Any ideas for that kind of problem?

Material discolored
by: Jacinta

I washed a wine colored viscose and polyester dress at my normal cycle with only black items and it came out will light patches all over it like it had been bleached. I had the same in a different style and I've just washed it and the same has happened. I have no idea why!

Blue Stains on Orange, Red, Pink Clothes
by: Lynette

I simply cannot wash any of these colors at my house. Mysterious blue stains appear even if I wash items by themselves. Can't tell you how many things have been ruined. Have tried different detergents, stain removers, even new washer. Has to be something in my water but what? I have to haul all of these clothes to my mother-in-law's to wash and they all come out just fine there. So frustrating. I have even not bought stuff in those colors just because I of this issue. If anyone can offer advice it would be much appreciated!

Red stains
by: Pris

I have had the same problem with reddish stains all over pillowcases. They are white and cream. All different fabrics and thread counts! It is getting worse and I cannot identify what is causing them! Wish I knew how to prevent it. This is at our summer home and we have a well but also have a water softener!

only on darks
by: Paul

When washing darks sometimes they come out with a light white powder type look to them. When dabbing them with warm water the stains seem to come out, but they are the imprint of the holes from inside the washer that are visible. I've read your findings concerning rust, but would the white stains be related to rust or something else all together?

Samsung front loader
by: Anonymous

I am finding light blue stains on my husband's cotton business shirts and if I wash again I can remove it. Why all of a sudden is this happening? I soak the shirts in whitener (like nappywash) then wash it for a normal time. It is all over different places on the shirts, never the same spot (some times on the sleeve, on the pocket etc). Any suggestions please.

black stains after washing
by: Alex

Black stains that were not on my clothing before appeared on my clothing after washing. Please help -- 2 of my best white shirts are now unwearable. Thanks.

Washing marks!
by: Nicole

I've been getting marks on my clothes for the last 2 year's. I've bought another brand new washing machine and my landlord has fitted a filter to the pipe that goes to my machine and my mains under the sink and I'm still getting them. Does anyone know what these could be?

Brown stains on dark washing
by: Carin

Some times when I do my washing I will get brown stains on my dark washing (black and navy). I don't use any bleach when I do my washing, but stain looks like if something got on to the washing like bleach, but dark washing has brown stains instead of white stain on it. I use only washing powder and fabric softener when I do my washing.

brown stains on shirts after washing
by: Marcus

A shirt without stains gets washed. It comes out with what look like tobacco stains. How can I remove these?

White marks all over dark (and mostly heavier) clothing
by: Erin

Hi. We have been getting a light white marks mottled all over our dark clothes. It is especially on jeans and my husband's work pants. It's never on light or bright colours. If you wipe with a wet cloth it seems to help get rid of it, to make it possible to wear. However over time it is ruining my husbands work pants, and my jeans and cardigans. We received the secondhand washing machine (top loader) as a gift 3 years ago and think it is about five years old possibly. We have had issues since soon after we received it. In the past we had trouble with powder and tried dissolving it first in hot water. This didn't work! We then went to washing liquid. Still trouble. We used less liquid. Still trouble! We then tried dishwashing liquid and you guessed it! Still leaving marks all over dark heavy clothes! Regularly we have been cleaning the machine as in the past we had dark stains and gunk and cleaning the machine helped solve that problem. However it has now made no difference with the whitish stains. At this point we are considering getting a brand new front loader. Arg! But I would like to know if there is anything else it could be or what could be the fault in the machine? Don't want to throw aside the thoughtful gift without working out what is going on and if we can do anything else! Thanks any thoughts or ideas would be great 🙂 - E

dark stains
by: Anonymous

I use Purex liquid and Downy liquid in my front load washer. When I remove the clothes from the dryer a lot of the t-shirts have dark nickel sized stains on them. Would like to know why and how to get rid of the stains.

Brown marks on clothes
by: Connie

Dark brown streaks or clumps of what looks like mud. I have a filter on my pipe that goes from the well tank into the hot water heater, but I am still getting these dark brown streaks or clumps. It isn't rust, it looks like mud. Help?????

Brown stains
by: Thinus Kruger

We bought a brand new Samsung top loader 2 months ago with a stainless drum, there is no rust in the machine. What is very peculiar is that out of the whole wash about 10kg only one garment has stains or a stain on it! Why not the rest of the garments?

Black ink like stains
by: Anne Kerr

We moved into a new home end of September. We have expensive white bed linen, which has black ink like stains on it after washing. This does not happen every time, but is intermittent. Several bed loads have been affected. Not sure if it is washing machine or tumble drier. We use normal soap powder and vanish whitener.

Spotting on sheets
by: Anne Hedberg

I have several sets of expensive sheets that laundered fine until I bought a front loading machine. Now every laundry detergent is spotting my sheets, wherever the detergent apparently lands directly on the sheets. Nothing else in the load is ever damaged.

My question: is there a product I can use to get these sheets clean without spotting them? I don't think using only water will get them clean enough.

White residue on dark clothes
by: Sharon

My dark clothes come out of washer with white residue. I extra rinse them and it is still there. What causes this?

Stains from washer
by: Kathy Brown

I washed a light blue top and it came out with three dimensions size black stains. I did not have a pen or sharpie in my pockets.

Beach White Hotel Sheets are getting pink spots
by: Leonardo

I have a few beach hotels customers that we washed white sheets. Somehow when they are washed pink spots are coming out after being washed.

Oily stains on husbands shirts only
by: Karen

So the weirdest thing has been happening and I can't figure it out. When I wash my husband's work shirts, ONLY his shirts come out with oily splotches all over! They can be tiny, streaky, or big splotches, and only on his work shirts. No other item of clothing has this issue. They are not colored, just looks like somebody took a bottle of olive oil and sprayed it around, then smooshed all of the shirts up. I have washed them with other clothes and by themselves. I am not loyal to any type of detergent or softener, and we've had many different machines over the years. Sometimes it happens with just one shirt out of the load. And I've been inspecting them when they go in - nothing! Nothing I do gets the stains out, once I see them I end up making rags of it because I can't get the oil out. HELP!

Small blue dots after washing
by: Maggie Hardly

What causes these small bright blue dots on my white/light clothing?

Small round brown spots
by: Anonymous

I have been getting small round light brown spots on some items after washing. What could cause this and what could I try doing to eliminate them?

Getting Brownish Blotches On Clothes After Washing
by: Lisa

We occasionally get brown blotches (faded looking) on our whites after washing...any ideas?

Unknown Cause Of Stains Out Of Washing Machine
by: Elissa

For several months I have experienced stains on my clothing as I take it out of the washing machine.

Some of the stains on my cotton t-shirts come out blueish colored.

On other items the stain is pinkish.

My washer is 12 years old and my husband pulled the agitator which seems to have gunk inside.

I have also had some orange colored stains on my white cottons.

Do I need a new washer?

Yellow spots on my clothes
by: Anonymous

For the last two months I hate throwing clothes in the machine since it comes out with yellow stains on it. I have tried the tub clean cycle, washing machine cleaner, using less fabric softener and even used baking soda and vinegar on the 3 hour cycle to clean the tub, but NOTHING is working. We then tried to find all the filters and clean them, but the machine keeps on staining the clothes. Please someone help me! I have a top loader.

Yellow streaks on clothes
by: Dian

All clothes that I wash in our top load washing machine have these yellow streaks. It is very obvious on all our light colored clothes. I have done a lot of adjustments in liquid detergent quantity, number or rinses to not using fabric conditioner to no avail. All our light clothings are ruined...

My white clothes
by: Anonymous

Why is my washer staining up my white and lights...I'm having time getting the stains out what can I use???i really want the spots gone...

Brown spots on white jeans
by: Anonymous

Did laundry this AM. Both pair of my white jeans have large brown stains on them. What is this. They are ruined for sure.

brown stains
by: Naomi

I have come searching for answers myself. I just removed a load of laundry from the washing machine that had brown stains all over it. They weren't real dark like what I would expect oil to be, but will definitely be have it looked into if it persists! There was zero residue when I wiped the drum and around the ring. I'm almost certain it isn't rust because it is a pure light brown (no red/orange), and instead looks like mud was smeared over sections of most clothing items. The good news, the stains came out fairly well/easily with fels-naptha and a little scrubbing but I added some oxy clean spray to the spots and then a scoop of norwex powder detergent to the washer load. I didn't find any new stains when I removed them from the washer the next time (risky, I know) and even my white pants look pure white again!

orange spots - I thought I was the only one!!
by: Angela

This exact stain appears on all my husbands work shirts. They are the bright Orange & Neon Yellow construction cotton shirts. No other clothes get this stain?? It baffles me, I don't know what the cause is? Thank you for posting, I will try the shout spray and hope that works.

Possible Solution
by: Anonymous

Try filling the washer with water and adding the detergent and making sure its well mixed and diluted before adding your clothes. Better to use liquid detergent for better dissolving.

Orange Shirts Only
by: Anonymous

This is exactly the problem I am having!! The washer just ruined a brand new volunteer shirt I was issued. Another orange shirt has also been ruined. Oh please, isn't there someone who knows what is causing this problem and whether the shirts can be salvaged?

dark wet-looking spots on any shirts I have
by: Debbie

I am currently walking out a similar problem with my laundry from the looks of your orange shirt. My shirts when laundered, then dry, look like splotchy wet spots that do not come clean. -- My washer repairman told me that water is mixing in with the transmission oil. It would cost $500 to fix my 35 year old Maytag washer. I need a new one. -- I will check out the Advanced Formula Shout though & see if I can salvage any of my shirts. Thanks for your post!!

Rayon embroidery thread
by: Anonymous

If the embroidery was done with rayon thread, that could be the culprit. Rayon is not colorfast; for that reason, I only use polyester embroidery thread on my embroidery.

Red blotches
by: Anonymous

My navy clothes come out of the washer with red blotches and the navy color is gone.

Black marks also
by: Anonymous

I had the same black marks. Shout or oxyclean did not work. I used palmolive dish soap, poured it on a toothbrush and scrubbed like crazy. I washed it in warm water and luckily it came out. I was so happy!!

Thank you
by: Anonymous

I just wanted to say thank you so much on the tip of the peroxide and the dawn soap, it worked wonders to get the stain out of my clothes. It was awesome that I was able to find this website.

Blue/black pea-sized marks on clothes
by: Linda

I have a new pair of GE front load laundry. I don't use fabric softener and this did not happen on the previous front loaders. I first noticed blue marks on the dryer drum, looked like the jeans were rubbing paint off the finish. 2 days ago, I found dark blue/black raised marks the size of green peas on several items. When I applied alcohol, the marks ran like ink, stained my fingernails and cuticles. This morning I realized that the marks on the inside of the dryer tub were the same color. So the drum isn't scratched, it the residue from whatever is causing the spots in the washer. The spots appear to line up with the holes in the washer tub. I'm calling GE. Never had anything like this before and was amazed by the number of postings on google regarding these ink-like marks. I'm not calling them stains because I noticed that you could feel the fabric raised where the marks were.

Bleach stains and I don’t use bleach!
by: Anonymous

I understand that some face wash and stain removing products can cause bleach like stains but I have the bleach stains on my comforter that I wash alone because of it’s size. They’re also all over my pillow cases and sheets along with all my towels but I never use stain remover or bleach. I do use a face wash but I’ve used same one for 7 years and this has never happened before. I’m super worried my blankets and towels are going to be ruined along with all my black clothes.

Bluish Stains
by: Anonymous

I wash about once a week and use liquid detergent, but I notice that when I wash my whites there isn't any stains on the clothes, and when I wash the light colors I notice a week later that there is a bluish stain on certain items such as sheets, but it's not all the sheets just the sheets I put on my son's bed, I even notice it on the whites that I wash for him also, the bluish or purple stains seems to only happen with his wash and no one else. It's weird because I cannot get these stains out. I did soak his tee- shirts which had the stains and wash them over and they return, but just the other day the stains reappeared on his sheets and soaked thru his mattress. What in the world is causing this please help?

Pink stains
by: Anonymous

We are getting pink stains on 1 or 2 items in a full load and not every time we wash. They are not oily and we are not washing/drying anything with them that might cause pink/red to bleed.

BLEACH STAINS
by: Anonymous

For last three months, my washer is ruining my sheets, colored socks, cotton clothing, and towels leaving white bleach spots (sometimes orange on some towels). I have had my same washer for several years. I have been using Purex liquid detergent for several years with no previous problems. I switched to Arm & Hammer this week and second load, a nice cotton shirt was ruined with white bleach spots. What the heck is going on! I have not used any bleach or fabric softener in a long time.

whitish residue on black clothes
by: Anonymous

Have not seen a remedy to the whitish residue left on black clothes...I notice it on our dark travel type pants (Colombia, etc)...could it be the material. Doesn't happen to all dark pants...just to the travel pants and a couple of other heavier material pants. I have to use a wet wash cloth to wipe off the streaks (kind of like soap residue).. What a pain! Thought it was the spin cycle..lowered that...to no avail. Anyone out there have a solution?

Brown stains
by: Margaret UK

My machine is only 2 years old and I have had several items stained when washing. I spoke to my supplier's technical department and he explained that it is probably due to a build up of bacteria in the machine due to the fact that we wash most things at 30deg. The washing machine needs hot water to kill the bacteria. He suggested that I run the machine empty on the hottest setting possible every other month. Worth a try.

Us too!
by: Anonymous

I have had this happen too! It has happened 4 times and we have oddly enough narrowed it down to shirts that we have boughten from the thrift shop. Any ideas about that? We also use Tide and have the same washer.

Answer for silver things in sunlight
by: Jen

These are fiber glass. They itch terribly, it took me almost a year and a ton of research to figure out what was going on with our "itchy laundry". It is from microfiber mattresses they contain fiber glass. It was a horror story. We threw out the mattress and I washed everything with vinegar and used a sticky roller until all traces were gone. These are typically the mattresses that come with a zip liner, apparently you’re not supposed to unzip it. I had no idea. I’d been taking it off to wash it.

I came here looking for an answer to beige blobs now ruining my whites...it’s another laundry mystery I’ve been dealing with for months. I’ve yet to find an answer.

Pink Highlighter!!
by: Jeffrey and Cristiane

Wow! Pink spots galore on whites. Like a pink highlighter. Did the vinegar wash. Nope. Baking soda wash. Naaah!! Soaked clothes in bucket of hot water with bleach added. White as snow. I don't know what is going on chemically. Used generic bleach. Downy softener. Tide with Downy liquid. It is not the first time this has happened and it is annoying. No direct pouring of concentrated liquid. Liquids always diluted when they hit the clothes. It is definitely a chemical reaction going on with at least 2 of these ingredients. And before someone says "Did you wash something Red before this load." No. That wouldn't explain random spotting with a massive amount spots. A wash cloth completely pink but a little lighter in color. Towel 25% pink splotches and bright. Underwear with random hot pink spots. Not good.

Stains on MIL's clothes.
by: Anonymous

I've been having the same problem with light colored clothes - light brown stains around the front near the neckline. It looks like spilled tea stains, but it isn't. I wondered if it could be from moisturizer cream that I use on my face and neck.

Brownish reddish soil stains on my white clothes
by: Martha

I was getting brownish reddish stains on my white clothes. I decided to buy new washer because mine was kind of old. I purchased a brand new washer with new hose hookups and darn if it’s not continuing to happen. What in the world could be causing this problem?

Pink stains
by: Anonymous

Kenmore (LG) Front Loader leaves pinkish/reddish stains on whites and light colors. Machine has been cleaned often, bad seal, red rubber, leaking oil or grease, unknown problem, unknown solution. Seven years old excellent condition except for problem.

Greyish Spot Stains
by: sk04g

I keep seeing random grey spots on my kids clothes. I clean my washing machine often and don't know where these spots are coming from. They usually show up only on white clothes and only my kids clothes. Please help me figure out what is causing the stains, how to stop it, and how to REMOVE the stains from the clothes.

Thanks soooo much!!

Red and orange cottons get purplish blackish stains - RUINED
by: Joanna

Like some of the other posters, just moved to a new house where they left the washing machine. My first "red load" came out with several large "tie dye" blackish bluish stains that won't come out and they even get more of them if I try to rewash. Not every item in my reds is affected. I think just cottons. We have well water, on the acid side, with a water softener, copper pipes. Lots of turqoise staining in the sinks and toilets. In the next month or so we're going to install a reverse osmosis system and also a thingy to correct the pH to 7.2, where it's supposed to be. I'm VERY frustrated with ruining my shirts, pretty red Christmas napkins, etc. I'll post back once we "normalize" our water to see if that solves the "red load" problem. All other loads, even whites, come out fine. UGH.

This is possibly what my problem is...
by: Robin

I am so relieved to read a possibility of these "grease" looking stains on my cotton or cotton blend garments could be coming from the HE detergent in my front load washer.
The only suspect issue is it always comes up on the front of the garment, not the back. Could it be my spot remover OXI-clean that is not being fully dissolved in the LOW WATER front load washer? Or even a combination of both?

HE spots
by: Anonymous

I started getting oil spots on my shirts. I used liquid HE detergent. I decided to go back and start using the pods. Cost is a little more but I'm not having to rewash my clothes so I'm probably spending more on the liquid in the long run. So bottom line the pods are the way to go.

Avobenzene Sunblock Makes for Yellow Stains
by: Anonymous

This can also occur from sunblocks or lotions containing sunblock that specifically contain "avobenzene." I would try to bleach it out of whites and it'd make it even worse! I have to throw the clothes out. Now I avoid sunblocks with avobenzene.

Mystery black lines
by: Anonymous

When we wash our whites, my wife is finding black marks that look like they were drawn with a pen on her nylon undies. However, there are no marks of any kind on my cotton blend undies. What could be causing this?

Black stains from washing machine
by: Agata

Hi, please help. I already cleaned the washing machine, but now how to get rid of those stains. All clothing is ruined ;(

Mould remover didn’t helped and I don’t think it is mould. They are like sheer black stains, almost look greasy. How to make the clothes wearable again 😫 I am testing all stain removers on one pair of leggings which I will bin anyway. I live in the UK so bare that in mind when recommending any specific products. Thank you in advance.

white spots
by: Lori Rogers

My baby shorts came out of the washer with white spots, I soaked them in a sink of water, I don't use fabric softener. Any ideas how to get it out?
I use all free and clear liquid. Very frustrating!

I had this and now it's fixed (brown spots)
by: Rachael

I had these exact same stains from my top loader and tried both proposed tests with vinegar and detergent but both lifted the stains. Not knowing if it was rust or oil, and it all being too hard I booked a service call with my washer company. The service man knew straight away what it was, he needed to remove the barrel of the washing machine and clean the compartment it sits in. The compartment was filled with brown sludge. The sludge is largely due to the fact that modern washing powders that don't contain phosphate don't clean this part of the machine, whereas the phosphate containing powders used to. In my case it was added to by an accumulation of bobby pins (hair pins) that had made their way into the machine and done a lot of rusting. In short, a good old fashioned scrub clean of the compartment fixed the problem completely. There was nothing broken, rusting or leaking in the machine itself. He left me some tips for cleaning in absence of a phosphate containing washing powder (one being an appliance cleaner by scalex, and one being using dishwasher powder instead of washing powder to do the thorough machine cleans). And also I'll be checking pockets more in future!

Brown stains
by: Anonymous

Brown stains that appears after washing could be caused by a too full load in the machine, and the thing I find to fight that when it happens is to use soap made with olive oil. I wash it and let the cloth soak during the day, then I rinse or I do it again until it has disappeared.

Blue pen ink looking stains all over
by: Robin

Really hoping you can just tell me where these stains came from. I threw all my son's new summer clothes into the washing machine, along with my favorite light grey pants. When I took them out of the dryer it looked like a blue pen exploded all over them. But there was no pen in there. I drove myself crazy looking everywhere for this mystery pen that didn’t exist. Then found your website and saw a line that described exactly what happened, but it didn’t explain where the stains actually came from. If you could pleassssseee tell me how this happened I would greatly appreciate it. It wasn’t even my washing machine, it was my ex-mother in laws so I’m sure you can understand why I am hoping this was not my fault in any way. Thank you!

Yes, similarly, large blue 'ink' type stains
by: Anonymous

All white bed linen and no pens or anything else containing ink in the machine or laundry - suddenly appeared when I removed items after they were washed. Front loader machine. When bleached pink stains then also appeared. Consumers should be able to claim damages from manufacturer or seek machine replacement if still under warranty. Infuriating, upsetting and COSTLY.

Bright yellow stains
by: Anonymous

I’m getting bright yellow neon stains on items washed (alone) like white/cream silk pillowcases; air dried. My washing machine is completely clean and new. The washing powder is white and natural or clear liquid; and I often add an additional white stain remover to it; I don’t use softener with the silk. Please help!

Two different washing machines later…
by: Ingrid

I can’t locate my issue, I’ve switched to non-dyed detergents, I use very little softener that I dilute with water, and bought new machines after I gave up. Still these stains follow. They start around the back of the neck area of most shirts, some start around the center of back center of shirts. My shirts, my husband’s, and my son’s all have it. I clean out the drum with vinegar and always let it air out after every wash. I don’t buy white anymore for this reason. It’s sad.

white discoloration
by: Ashley Butcher

White discoloration on comfort color shirts. Mostly blue or grey shirts. I’ve tried washing with cold water, separately, and still no luck.

Similar problem with greyish brownish stains
by: Anonymous

I have no answer to what it could be but lately I've been getting greyish brownish stains on my daughter's clothes, only few items from the whole load and they don't disappear from stain removers, only lighten a little bit.

dark splotches only navy blue shirts only
by: Anonymous

I have the same problem but with navy blue shirts. Only navy blue. It makes me crazy because they don't have the stains going into the washer. I spray with peroxide then rub blue dawn and baking soda over peroxide. I rewash right away and they are gone. What is going on?! I would greatly appreciate any feedback!

Bleach-like stains
by: Anonymous

I have experienced bleach-like stains on black and grey clothing. Can this be fixed?

Bleach stains on dark clothes
by: Arzoo

My machine wash gives bleach stains on black coloured clothes.

How to fix stains and how to stop getting them? I am using non bio washing powder and have stopped using fabric conditioner.

Optical Brightener Reaction
by: Anonymous

Could the pink or reddish stains be a reaction with the optical brightener in the detergent?

brown random stains
by: Joan

My HE LG washer and dryer are 9 years old, and on a couple of things I’ve gotten these brown random stains. There is a tub clean cycle which I am going to run. These items I love have been ruined! I use high energy detergent and do not use dryer sheets nor do I use fabric softener. I use the wool "tennis balls" and do not know what to do!

Crusty washer stains
by: Anonymous

I’m getting a powdery/linty tan/brown staining on clothes coming out of my washer. It looks like it collects in creases. I don’t use fabric softener and I use a liquid detergent. HE top loader. It will often come out in the dryer, but not always, especially on thicker material like fleece. It tends to be on smoother materials like polyester workout clothes.

The Dreaded Polyester
by: Cari

I have recently started getting some dark random stains on 100% polyester clothes. I wash them in cold water, with like colors. No fabric softener. On low heat. I don't get it. Do you think washing them in the sink with Oxiclean will get rid of the stains if they've already been dried?? Because they did not go in the washer stained!

Me too
by: Anonymous

Large Black Stains On Clothes After Washing - This happened to my brand new set of sheets!!! Help!
Can I just put a cleaner like bleach into washer and run it or do I have to reach in and wipe it out? I’m healing from a back fracture so I hope not.

yellow colored stain on white clothing from washer?
by: Phillipa

I used Oxy wash but it didn't remove the stain. I don't use fabric softener or any added substance to the wash.

Unidentifiable stain
by: Racheal H.

I washed a pair of light gray sweatpants and they had no visible stains before I washed them, but afterwards when I went to put them on I realized there was a dark brown stain on the pant leg. I have no idea what it could be, can you help me with some ideas on how to get it out?

Orange stain after doing laundry
by: David

I bought a khaki pair of joggers from H&M last week (7 days to be exact). I wore them, and they had no stains I could see. I washed them and noticed that they had these orange stains in it. My best guess after researching is rusted iron in the water. Second guess is somehow bleach was left in the washer (I used a laundromat).

small grease like marks shaped like circles
by: Ashley Chism

I have a front loader washing machine and I am getting stains on my clothes after I wash them. I have tried different washing detergents (Gain, OxiClean, Tide) and these stains are still appearing. They look like grease marks. Small circles all over my clothes. Am I putting too much detergent? Or am I putting too many clothes in the washer? How can I stop this from happening? And is there anyway to get these stains out if I have already dried the clothes with the stains on them? I usually don't notice them until I am folding and hanging up clothes after they have been dried. I don't use fabric softener and I usually use the hot water cycle on the machine.

what is causing grey stains on white socks?
by: Sharon

Looks almost like when pouring something in washer it's that shape. Long and oblong. Also several pair of dark underwear had rust or orange colored stains. I use Gain soap powder, Clorox 2, Ultra Downy. It doesn't do it all the time, sporadically and just on whites.

rust stains
by: Marybeth

It is quite plausible that the stains my clothes are suffering is from rust in the machine. If could be high mineral water but I don't think so. They are light brown blotches here and there. The magic potion of Blue dawn and peroxide isn't working. Other ideas?

Brown spots on white clothes after washing
by: Carolina

I just ran my washer with a load of whites the same way I always do: hot water, soap, bleach. Clothes have been pre-treated with stain remover. I left them soaking over night and finished washing in the morning. Only this time, my clothes came out with brown spots!! Some pieces have more than others, but as of right now they are ruined! What can I do? Why has this happened?

Remove stains from new sheets
by: Caroline

I have some new white sheets and was washing them before use and when I dried them they had large yellow marks as if the detergent had stained them. Have you heard of this and is there any way of removing these marks?

rust stains?
by: Anonymous

When washing clean clothes in washer, rust stains appear on some clothes. How can this be eliminated?

Unknown stain on jumper after wash
by: Anonymous

I took a black jumper out of the wash and hung it outside to dry. When going to take it inside I noticed a blue stain down the front (it was thought to be ink but no pens were found). There is no idea to what it may be, so any help to remove it would be great. Again I have already washed the jumper so I hope there is a way to remove the stain. (There is a possibility it may be a chemical as there was chemistry experiments taking place while wearing it during the week).

Brownish colored stains on whites
by: Anonymous

I washed a full load of whites, which included socks, t-shirts and dress shirts. Several of the shirts came out with brown blotches that looked like mud but are not coming out even after rewashing. I have even soaked them in Oxi-Clean for 18 hours. Any suggestions on what it could be, and how to get the stains out?

Grey stain
by: V

I am not sure if it is my washer machine or dryer but all my white clothes end up with gray kind of looking like mold spots on my clothes. They didn't look this way before I washed them and I didn't notice it when I took it out of the washer machine or maybe I wasn't paying attention but all my white and beige clothes now look very light gray or have darker spots of gray. How do I remove this? Or where could it be coming from?

White detergent stains on clothes
by: Anonymous

My dark clothes come out with white detergent stains on them. It looks as if I use powder detergent but I use either Purex or Tide liquid as well as a liquid fabric softener. Both the detergent and the fabric softener go in compartments to be released gradually and the machine is an extra large capacity Kenmore with no agitator.

yellow/brown spots on white clothes
by: April

I put in a load of my whites in the laundry and they came out with yellow/brown spots on them. I tried using Oxiclean and other stain removers but nothing does the trick. How can I get rid of these weird spots??

Dark blue ink looking streaks and stains after washed khaki shorts
by: Anonymous

I’m quite sure there was no pen in the shorts. Wouldn’t the pen be in the washer after it finished, because I don’t see a pen.

Washed khaki shorts with a white knit top. The shorts are all dark blue streaked. I washed with Woolite liquid on delicate.

Very odd.

No fabric softener.

I don’t see obvious blue marks in the washer.

Do you think my washer swallowed the pen if there was one? Or what can cause?

The Only thing I can think of is previously these shorts were cleaned at dry cleaner.

Any help is appreciated, as I don’t want my clothes in future to be ruined.

I’m doing a quick towel wash now to check if anything transfers.

Bob J
by: Brown Tint on Whites

My white towels, socks, etc. receive a dusty brown tint after washing. I add Clorox but it doesn’t help. I’ve used both pods and liquid detergent.

Why is my washer adding grey stains to my laundry?
by: Anonymous

It's driving me crazy and I want to know why some clothes come out of the washer with grey stains everywhere? They never appear on my clothes, or my husband's. The stains only show up on my toddler's clothes, and they are only on her clothes that I got second-hand from a neighbor. It just boggles my mind that the stains are so specific. Is there maybe something that can be applied to clothes to make stains "vanish", that is eventually being washed off these second-hand clothes? I can't understand why it's only happening to those.

Brown stains after washing
by: Virginia

I get small brown circle or streaking marks on clothes, not always but sometimes, that never come out. I now wash clothes inside out to avoid severe staining on outside of clothes. But sometimes it goes through. I even bought a new washer thinking it would stop, it didn't. I hang my clothes on line to dry so I know it isn't the dryer. I also own a very old house with cast iron pipes. After reading up on this I suspect it could be the the drum of washer. You think?

scum spots on white clothes out of washing machine
by: Anonymous

How to stop getting scum spots on white clothes out of washing machine?

stains on dark shirts - they are not grease
by: Anonymous

When I wash my dark knit shirts, after they are dried, they have what look like grease stains on different places on the front of the shirts. They are NOT grease but appear to be so. What do I need to do to remove them and make sure it doesn't happen anymore when I wash them?

Reddish brown/orangy stains on white clothes are washing/drying. Please help!
by: Katy

I live in a college dorm with communal washers and dryers. They are fairly old, but they look clean enough (except for the lint traps, which never get cleaned except by me). Whenever I do laundry my white panties come out with faded reddish-brown/orangy stains on them. I always check the washers and dryers before I wash to make sure nothing was left in there, so I don't know what could cause the stains. I don't typically use fabric softener, and I use Tide and hydrogen peroxide color safe bleach on my clothes to keep them clean, but I almost always get 1-2 pairs of panties getting stained. What could be causing this and how do I fix it?

Spots from my machine
by: Anonymous

I've started to see little black dots on my clothes when I get them out of the washer. Can you tell me what it might be?

Weird stains
by: Kathy

All of a sudden I am finding stains on sweatshirts and T shirts that aren't there before they are washed! I wash all of my clothes in cold water, with Woolite and I do treat stains before they are washed. But these are stains that weren't there to begin with! I also use Clorox II for colors to keep colors bright. Any ideas where they are coming from? They aren't a color, they look like a grease or wet spot on the shirt.

Rust stains??
by: Sam

I keep getting stains on just the knees of pants. It appears on my jeans and my hubby's khakis, possibly look like rust stains. Any idea how I can fix it or figure out exactly what it is? I'm not sure if it's from the washer or dryer.

Orange discoloration
by: Cam

I've been noticing that some of my shirts have orange discoloration spots and I was wondering how I could remove them. The orange discoloration happens after I wash my shirts in the washing machine.

green stains on washing
by: Anonymous

My washing is coming out of the machine with green stains.

Whites getting dark stains or darkening entirely
by: Tim Duffey

We have a brand new washer and dryer and the washer requires HE detergent. All of my white cotton T-shirts have either dark stains or have entirely lost the bright white color and have darkened considerably. I also have other whites that the same thing is happening. I have had to constantly replace these shirts. Is the cause of this from the HE detergent? We do not use fabric softener with whites. Is there a way to get these stains out of my existing shirts?

Any help would be greatly appreciated as I'm spending a lot of money with replacing shirts all the time.

Black stains on wash cloths
by: Kim

I keep getting black stains on my wash cloth. It only appears on mine. Towels and other wash cloths seem fine. It starts around the edges but seems to spread. Could it be mold? If so, why doesn't it appear on all towels and wash cloths. I've only noticed it since I got a front load washer. I don't see mold in my bathroom either so not sure where it would come from. I don't use fabric softener on my towels. I clean my washer once a month as indicated in the user manual. Any suggestions?

Red dots on white clothes
by: Anonymous

Help! I just washed a load of whites and tiny red dots appeared all over 2 of my shirts. What causes this and how do I get them out?

small orange marks
by: Leslene Dunn

My son has white linen and when I wash it in the top loader after spinning and when I hang it, I often see a very small orange mark here and there which never seems to come out. I use Ariel detergent and Vanish for White. What can it be?

Looks like oil stain like the orange T-shirt
by: Anonymous

Anyone finds the reason behind the oil stains after washing? I have an LG front loader almost new, but getting oil stains every second or third cycle. Please help if you know the solution.

Is water-conserving machine the problem?
by: BE59

My new washer has never had bleach in it, but some clothes have been coming out with bleach spots where the color is gone but the fabric is intact and not damaged. I think it is being caused by my fabric softener dispenser and the very small amount of water used by the new machines. I have no control of the water level. I am going to try diluting the fabric softener and carefully adding it by hand during the rinse cycle. New is not necessarily better!

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CAUTION: This website is provided for informational purposes only. It is provided as is, without warranties or guarantees. Some stains and messes just won't come out, and are permanent. Further, some cleaning methods can harm your item, so if what you want to clean or launder is sentimental or expensive call a professional. See disclaimer of liability for more information.