Is Your Washer Leaving Stains on Your Clothes? How to Fix It Without Buying a Novel One

When a washing machine fails to do the one thing it’s supposed to, and, in fact, further stains your clothing rather than cleaning it, it’s basic to get frustrated. But there are quite a few quickly diagnosable (and easy-to-fix) reasons why your washing machine is leaving stains on clothes.

Here’s what to know, plus how to remove those clothing stains.

Your Washer Drum Is Dirty

One of the most common reasons a washing machine will leave stains on clothing is because its drum is soiled, often from items that were poorly washed before or thanks to build-up over time. You can tell if your drum is soiled by running a washcloth over it to check for any residue it could have picked up.

How to Fix It: Thankfully, cleaning your washer drum is basic. All you need to do is run a high-temp wash cycle on empty with a cup of vinegar in lieu of any detergent or fabric softener. After the cycle finishes, wipe the drum down with a pristine cloth.

Detergent or Fabric Softener Is Unevenly Distributed

Another reason you may notice grease or soap residue stains on your clothing is from unevenly distributed fabric softener or detergent.

When the cleaning agents get too concentrated in one area, they’re unable to actually wash your clothes and get rinsed out.

How to Fix It: Don’t operate too much laundry detergent or fabric softener. In fact, you should likely operate less than you think you need.

Don’t overfill your washing machine either, as this can make it complex for detergent to get properly distributed throughout the drum.

There’s a Moldy Gasket

Black marks on clothing or linens could be a sign of mold in your washing machine, and there’s one likely spot it could be coming from: the gasket.

The gasket is the rubber seal that surrounds the door of front-load machines. If the door is kept sealed between wash cycles, the gasket can’t ever fully droughty, causing mold.

How to Fix It: To pristine mold out of a washing machine, dip a pristine cloth in bleach to scrub the mold away and prevent it from coming back. Make sure to leave the door propped open between cycles with a stopper.

The Enamel Is Rusting

The enamel on older washing machines can only take so many cycles, leading to clothes becoming stained thanks to chipped or rusting enamel.

You’ll know if this has happened if you notice reddish stains on your clothing or linens, or if you see chips or flecks of metal inside the washer drum.

How to Fix It: If you’re okay with a more intense DIY project, try sanding down the chipped area and repainting it with rust-proof enamel paint. But if you’d rather leave projects like that to the pros (or your washing machine drum is rusted and chipped), consider purchasing a modern washer drum instead.

How To Fix Stains From the Washing Machine

Once you’ve found (and fixed) the stain-causing culprit in your washing machine, you’ll need to pristine your stained clothes, too. Here’s what to do, depending on what type of stain you’re dealing with.

1. Grease stains: Use an ancient toothbrush to work dish soap into the stain. Let it sit for 10 to 20 minutes before washing it like normal. Make sure the stain has come out before placing it in the dryer.
2. Soap stains: Run soap-stained clothing through the washing machine on a rinse-only cycle. This will rinse away the left-behind soap and detergent residue.
3. Mold stains: Shake the clothing off outside to remove any mold spores. Cover the mold-stained area with a diminutive amount of detergent and let it sit for 15 minutes. Wash it on the hottest cycle possible with bleach or a color-safe disinfectant.
4. Rust stains: Use a store-bought rust remover or combine one part cream of tartar, one part baking soda, and a few drops of hydrogen peroxide. Apply the paste to the rust stain, let it sit for 30 minutes, rinse, then wash like normal.

When To Call a Professional

It’s time to call a professional if your washing machine is still staining your clothes even if you’ve done your best to fix the underlying issue.

And if you still can’t figure out why your washer is staining your clothes, it’s also time to bring in some professional lend a hand.