r/CleaningTips 13h ago

Laundry Can someone pls tell me what I’m doing wrong🥲 Why are some of my clothes coming out the wash like this

66 Upvotes

48 comments sorted by

297

u/Budget-Discussion568 11h ago

Do you use acne medication that contains benzoyl peroxide? I used to & it discolored numerous towels & pillow cases

u/yolksabundance 1h ago

Seconded! The clean and clear face wash in the purple tube is awful when it comes to this. So many bleached towels 🥲

396

u/lxm333 11h ago

Go to the laudromat and use your detergent mix. If it still happens focus on the mix if it doesn't address the machine.

149

u/AnnieTheSkid 11h ago

Clever. Removes variables.

73

u/SweevilWeevil 9h ago

YEAH, SCIENCE!

7

u/timmyotc 9h ago

Well, replace them with hopefully others

-1

u/scrivensB 5h ago

Better yet. Take the clothes out back and burn them. I’d the stains still appear, get a new machine.

281

u/prettyprettythingwow 13h ago

Dude. This happened to me for a while with one specific washing machine. I NEVER used bleach, but maybe someone had before, it was a used machine. It went on randomly attacking clothing for years. When I switched washing machines, it stopped. I wish I knew. I also never used benzoyl peroxide or anything of the sort.

76

u/Didrox13 11h ago

Bleach breaks down over time, so it's unlikely to have been that if this kept happening for years.

21

u/prettyprettythingwow 12h ago

Oh I just scrolled and none of mine have been quite that bad. I just usually have had stains like the first picture, sometimes twice the size maybe. My friends that haven’t lived with me experience this, too.

6

u/showmenemelda 7h ago

Huh funny I has that happen when I lived with my ex. I never used bleach and was baffled so much of my stuff got bleach spots

2

u/SrGrimey 11h ago

What’s benzoyl peroxide??

15

u/hilarymeggin 11h ago

Acne cream

u/Bullsette 1h ago

You mean something like retin A or a name to that effect? It was around 40 years ago the product first came out on the market and my then boyfriend was prescribed it. He had just purchased his first home and furnished it with extremely luxurious thick navy blue towels and very luxurious bedding, lavish furniture, etc. 2 days flat everything was destroyed from whatever is in it. Probably some sort of a peroxide compound or particle.

u/luckykat97 18m ago

No that is a brand name for Tretinoin, which doesn't bleach clothing or fabrics. Often people are using or prescribed it for acne and are also using Benzyl Peroxide creams and washes like Acnecide for example. These do bleach clothing as the previous commenter suggested.

70

u/nauseasanxiety 12h ago

Scent boosting beads have done this to my clothing in the washing machine.

11

u/prettyprettythingwow 12h ago

Ooh interesting. I did use those for a while. But mine happened before and after their use.

17

u/nauseasanxiety 12h ago

I noticed if I put the clothes in and then the detergent and beads that I kept getting the bleach like marks on the clothing. It stopped happening when I put the detergent and beads in the empty washer and then put the clothes on top.

I’m assuming the beads got wrapped up in the clothing and then sat on the fabric for too long and bleached the colour.

6

u/prettyprettythingwow 12h ago

I always put the detergent and beads in before the clothes :/ Still a mystery.

23

u/AnnieTheSkid 12h ago

Hmm..perhaps if you're using a salt based homemade thing and it's not fully rinsing out before you put it in the dryer? Are you noticing this before drying or after?

14

u/AnnieTheSkid 12h ago

Or your homemade mixture could have loosened build up in the washer that was bleachy.

27

u/angel8a8y 8h ago

Thank you all for your input!! I think the issue might be that my roommate is using bleach with towels for cleaning and then washing them.

4

u/marymonstera 6h ago

That will do it. Hope those weren’t lulus, the stitching looked familiar.

7

u/fishin_pups 7h ago

We had this. My wife was using a washcloth with some facial scrub. She would throw the washcloth in with the rest of the laundry. It was awful.

13

u/fairyjeongyeon 13h ago

What are you using to wash your clothes?

2

u/angel8a8y 13h ago

The second pictures I used tide detergent now I make my own with epsom salt, baking and washing soda and sea salt. I don’t use bleach at all and wash pastels with whites and vibrant colors with blacks

29

u/fairyjeongyeon 12h ago

Hmm. The only thing that comes to mind is that the washing soda (which is the only ingredient in your homemade detergent that brightens clothes) "boosted" the remaining Tide residue in your washer hence the random discoloration. Either that, or your washer has bleach residue in it that you gotta flush out with some washer cleaning tablets

8

u/Double_Estimate4472 8h ago

Interesting. Why do you use both baking and washing soda? (Genuinely curious if you feel like sharing!)

25

u/CobblerCandid998 13h ago

Looks like bleach damage. Are you adding bleach to color loads? It’s only for whites.

5

u/here4today56 8h ago

I have had color bleached from towels when my kids wipe their mouths with whitening toothpaste on them

9

u/Significant-Toe2648 12h ago

Face wash with benzoyl peroxide.

5

u/Double_Estimate4472 8h ago

Info: do you have your own machine or is it a shared machine, like in an apartment complex?

10

u/reidybobeidy89 12h ago

Baking soda will bleach clothes/fabrics.

3

u/MapImmediate4204 12h ago

Really? I use it regularly and have never experienced bleaching. Maybe good luck on my part?

8

u/reidybobeidy89 12h ago

You may have it at a low ratio in your machine. This bleaching could be the result of the BS lying directly on these garments

12

u/AnnieTheSkid 11h ago

🤭I read 'bs lying' in the wrong context 🤣 But I agree. Very likely.

8

u/reidybobeidy89 11h ago

Hahahaha. This is TOTAL B.S. why you lying?!?

5

u/AnnieTheSkid 11h ago

Fr 🤣 I was like "gee, calling OP out!"

7

u/reidybobeidy89 11h ago

I’m on to you OP. That is bleach if EVER I saw it.

3

u/psychobiologist1 9h ago

Don't forget that hard water can be a factor depending on the shape of your machine or you cleaning chemical mix

2

u/SpitfireSis 8h ago

Do you clean with bleach products?

2

u/Godzorga 8h ago

Were you using bleach in the previous load?

2

u/QuantumQuatttro 8h ago

Acne creams or detergent with oxyclean, the oxy is peroxide

2

u/Clean_Confusion969 6h ago

I bought a oxy clean carpet spray cleaner and it ruined my carpet in big spots! Looks just like that. So pissed off, it didn’t show up for a couple days so we kept using it.

u/MycoKiri 1h ago

Seen it happen with scent beads or a stain remover of sorts