A perplexed individual took to Reddit after repeatedly finding mysterious greasy marks on their freshly washed clothes, sharing an image of a purple hoodie marred by such stains and asking for advice: “They’re not there before I put them in the wash. They’re not grease stains because I tried getting them out with Dawn [dish soap] but it doesn’t work. I use Persil detergent. I make sure I don’t use too much too. [I don’t know] why my clothes are getting ruined.”
The post resonated with many, as they chimed in with similar woes. One person echoed the sentiment, saying, “Are you me??? Literally the exact same. I only use Tide Free and Clear and vinegar as a softener. Happens every time. Makes no sense.”
Another frustrated user added: “Ugh same!! I have a sweatshirt the same colour as OP’s [original poster’s] that this has happened to. It’s so annoying.”
However, fellow Redditors suggested that the culprit could be an excess of softener or detergent, which is known to leave such marks. A commenter advised: “Softener can cause stains like this too, in case you used it.”
The original poster revealed that they don’t, but their roommate does. In response, one person advised: “It’s probably built up in the washer, try running a cleaning cycle.” Many concurred, with comments such as: “Excessive detergent and softener build up in your washer.”
Another individual recounted their own struggle: “Try using less detergent. I was getting these as well for years. Tried all the things and nothing worked. Shout got them out for me eventually after letting it sit over night. I changed detergent and starting using slightly less than the recommended amount and then puff no more stains.”
Some suggested that “dryer sheets” might be the culprit, with another confirming: “Do you use dryer sheets? I find they leave weird stains on my clothes and have ruined a couple of nice shirts myself.”
Another theory was lip balm, as someone claimed: “This happens to my clothes if a chapstick accidentally ended up in the wash! ” This sentiment was echoed by others who said: “Chapstick! Every. Damn. Time,” and another chimed in with: “I second the chapstick.”
The Spruce notes that oily marks can result from too much fabric softener or drying sheets. Their advice for removing oily streaks from clothes post-wash is to rewash them without any detergent or fabric softener, adding 2 cups of distilled white vinegar, and running a full wash and rinse cycle, which should make the stains vanish.
