'rust' spots on towels

[muirford]

This is making me a little crazy but small rust spots have started appearing on some of my towels and robes. I have looked all over the washer and can find no sign of what is making it happen. Any suggestions from anyone, either for stain removal or finding the problem?

 

[Morticia]

Look in the dryer. The gasket may be worn. We had the same problem and replacing the gasket made the problem go away.
For the stains themselves use 'rust away'. It smells horrible but it works.

 

[Morticia]

That's it! Iron Out! Not Rust Away...hmmm, there's C&W song in that somewhere...

 

[Landmark]

Your washer probably has rust behind the holes in the basket and you can't see them. I replaced our equipment years ago with the same problem. I would suggest either stainless or plastic on any new equipment.
rustgo by alwilson.com works great. It removes rust instantly & then you rinse with water

 

[seashanty]

i had an old washer up in maine. those spots started appearing - i pulled out the bleach dispenser thing and there was rust in there. i bought a product called iron out. you run it through the machine for one cycle. i KNOW there are rusty pipes in different areas in that old inn, but replacing all the plumbing was not an option. i don't know your setup.
the other question i have is, do you have well water? there is iron in the water at my sister's home and it makes the white porcelain sink in the kitchen look 'dirty' so we installed a filter at the different faucets, esp the kitchen one.
good luck

 

[muirford]

i had an old washer up in maine. those spots started appearing - i pulled out the bleach dispenser thing and there was rust in there. i bought a product called iron out. you run it through the machine for one cycle. i KNOW there are rusty pipes in different areas in that old inn, but replacing all the plumbing was not an option. i don't know your setup.
the other question i have is, do you have well water? there is iron in the water at my sister's home and it makes the white porcelain sink in the kitchen look 'dirty' so we installed a filter at the different faucets, esp the kitchen one.
good luck.

No well water. We're on city. Have been for all of most of the seven years and have just started having this problem recently.
The washer is a front loader, relatively new - about 5 years old.
We will check the bleach dispenser and the dryers - although I didn't suspect the dryers because we have two of them and it happened today with items dried in each one. Will definitely look for the Iron out stuff.
Thanks for your help. Replacing all the pipes is definitely not an option, but it seems to be an intermittent problem. Got a rust spot on one of my robes today - that is more aggravating than the towels.

 

[Skamokawa]

Oxyalic acid is the active stuff that does the trick. Any product that contains it should work well.

 

[brighteyes_22]

You might check your towel rods or hooks (whichever one you use) I had a problem with that a while ago and discovered rust on our hooks. It was just a tiny little spot, but enough to be noticeable on white towels~

 

[egoodell]

We have two dryers and on of them does the same thing
RIki

 

[cedarhouse]

Some washers have a little screen in the back where the water comes into the machine. The little screen sometimes gets a little dirty and creates a rust stain.
I have not verified this on our machine but was told by someone else we I complained about rust spots on towels. Ours relates to the well and I just have to keep an eye on the filter.