"rusty" mark on shirts from washing machine ?

pennymakespounds · 15 July 2006 at 7:03AM

once every few months i get a cotton shirt come out of a batch of washing with a few brown marks on .. "rusty coloured" .. and i've tried every cleaner i've got ..and nothing has any effect at all

Any ideas ??

samnmalc · 15 July 2006 at 10:14AM

Sorry, no ideas , but I would be interested in any replies because this has happened to us too.

wigginsmum · 15 July 2006 at 10:17AM

D'you know, the same thing has started to happen to us, both with our old and our new washing machines. Haven't a clue what causes it.

pennymakespounds · 19 July 2006 at 5:38PM

this response received from bosch ... but i don't have any of these grey substances on seals drawers etc .. and they don't actually refer to brown rusty coloured spots .

Thank you for your e-mail

We hope to be able to offer you this simple solution to your problem.

When washing at a low temperature (40-60'C) some of the detergent used can
remain undissolved. When this is combined with dirt and skin particles from
clothing etc. It forms a grey looking substance that can build up around the
drum, in the rubber door seal and detergent drawer. (The grey substance can
dislodge and appear on your laundry.) This in turn attracts microorganisms
that can cause a black marking and fungal growth effect and a bad smell.

In order to remove this, what you need to do is perform some maintenance
washes in your appliance.

Run the machine empty on a 90'C wash programme and use half the amount of
detergent you would normally use and preferably a biological one. (You may
have to perform this wash up to 6 times in a row, one after the other in
order to remove the build up completely if it is quite bad). Take out the
detergent drawer completely and give it a good clean with a sterilizing
fluid such as Milton Fluid. Clean the aperture that the drawer has come out
of with Milton Fluid also; pay particular attention to the top where the
water comes through from (Maybe use a toothbrush or similar small brush).
You should find that this will solve the problem completely.

In order to prevent future build up it is advised that a maintenance wash be
performed in your appliance every three to six weeks, dependent on use.

Regards,

Bosch Product Advice

Sallys_Savings · 20 July 2006 at 10:59PM

Same thing has happened to me...so i'm interested if this will work..thanks.

Linda32 · 21 August 2006 at 10:47AM

Yes and me on the bed clothes, I hoped it wasn't vinegar stains, from using that as a fabric conditioner. It never happened before I started using vinegar.

I'll try stardrops on the door seal.

msmicawber · 21 August 2006 at 12:04PM

The vinegar is probably just shifting the gunge that was already there. I've only ever had this problem when I've moved to new rented properties and used a washing machine that hasn't been maintained properly by the previous tenant.

Make sure that you regularly wash out the powder tray thingy and, while it's out, wipe the place where it sits in with Milton. Let the powder tray dry out completely before replacing it.

Clear the filter regularly, if you have one on your machine.

Always wipe the door and door seal with a dry cloth when you unload the machine.

Always leave the door open between washes to ensure that the inside doesn't remain damp.

Do a very hot wash every now and then (e.g. white cottons on a boil wash).

If you're in a hard water area, maybe use a limescale tablet (I swear by Lidl's as they're cheap and great), or I've seen other people recommend adding washing soda, which is also great if you have greasy stains on clothes.

pennymakespounds · 21 August 2006 at 12:26PM

i got a further note from bosch .. saying to check inside the machine ( haven't because they haven't explained what and how to ) ..

in case there is a piece of metail like a screw inside somewhere that is causing the problem

Sounds logical but frightened of fiddling with machinery like this

destiny_star2006 · 25 July 2008 at 1:10PM

Hi does anyone have any idea why when i wash whites do they always come out with little rusty spots on some on the clothing ive tried alsorts to stop it happening like washing darks first and then doing the whites straight after ive put vingear thru on a wash ive did an extra hot wash and nothing seems to prevent this i hate putting my new little babys clothes through as i know there going to get ruined does this happen to anyone else or just me and if so how did you fix it thanks every 1 xxx

the rusty parts are someones the size of a pinkprick or as big as a felt tip pen mark like if you were to dab it on and let it soak for a while haha god im no good with descriptions :T

aurorahelios · 25 July 2008 at 1:29PM

I don't know what causes it, but I've had it before with certain washing powders (can't remember which ones unfortunately!). So maybe try a different washing powder see if it makes a difference.

DdraigGoch · 25 July 2008 at 1:33PM

From past experience I would recommend that you have a word with your water supply company - it could be excess iron in the water. Sounds weird but it can be. As to how to get them out, try damping the spot itself and scatter a little Biotex on it, just enough to cover it, leave it for anything from half an hour to overnight and it worked for me. If the stain changes colour but is still there, then try dabbing a tiny bit of bleach [if you can use bleach on these items, check first] and washing it out as soon as the mark has faded. Works for me on white tablecloths and tea towels.

Hope that helps
DG

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"rusty" mark on shirts from washing machine ?

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