Yellow Spots on Washing

We have, for some time now, been noticing small yellow spots appearing on white washing. We recently bought a few new sets of white bed linen and every single item has now been spotted with yellow marks. This is becoming very frustrating as the marks cannot be removed. We run a hot wash through our washing machine regularly and mostly wash at

30 degs, with the occasional 40 deg wash for some towels or bed linen.

Having googled this problem, it seems that it's quite common but no-one seems to know the answer. Can anyone here enlighten me at all?

Jo

Reply to
Jo
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What you haven't said is how you are drying the linen. Outside? Consider pollen.

Reply to
Rod

Bee droppings, probably. On the first warm day after winter, they emerge from the hives in large numbers and unload a whole winter's worth of bee crap en-masse. The first warm-enough day would have been some weeks ago. Probably other insects leave similar yellow deposits as well. I believe they may also rest on laundry to suck up moisture. Any hives nearby? Is it under any trees (honey dew, aphid excreta)? Any flowering crops that would place you under the bee flight-path?

Reply to
Onetap

My bet is rust in the washing machine drum or a stray bit of iron in it.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

If you can find something relatively unimportant (like a white hanky) or something which will withstand bleach such as a teatowel or a white towel try putting the item in a bleach solution for an hour or so - does the stain change colour or reduce?

Reply to
Peter Parry

Something melted in the tumble drier? What detergent are you using? Could this have started with a new box/bottle of detergent?

Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

In message , The Natural Philosopher wrote

Quashed bed bugs?

Reply to
Alan

Trying washing two white pieces of material without any detergent. Dry one in the drier and one on the line. This *might* prove the contamination is coming from inside the washing machine or far less likely, the drier.

Andy C

Reply to
Andy Cap

I've been noticing for some time, that flannels seem to develop yellow spots even when bleached. Don't know why: its as if there is a phantom turmeric source somewhere in the house!

S
Reply to
spamlet

Nothing has melted in the tumble drier, that's for sure. I've been using various detergents so I can't really put it down to that either. It's a mystery!

Reply to
Jo

Yes, that's what we thought as it looks like little rust spots, but there is nothing rattling around in the drum and nothing obviously rusty to note in there either.

Reply to
Jo

It's probably iron spots caused by your local water supply. Ask your water company if they're aware of any iron content in the water. In fact the Drinking Water Inspectorate (I believe) publish analyses of water for various areas.

Reply to
Frank Erskine

Surely better to wash one in the machine and dry naturally (line/airer) and wash the other (same detergent) by hand and dry in the drier. If they're both marked, it's the detergent. If only one is marked, it's the relevant machine.

Reply to
Him & Her

As Frank Erskin says above, it may be your water supply, but not just at the water company's end. If you still have an iron pipe between your house and the road it may be this that is gradually rotting. If it gets very bad you will start to hear a hissing noise when the pipe starts to leak (That's how they detect people defying hose pipe bans.). In our road the pipes all went within a fairly short period - as they would all have been installed at the same time - so ask your neighbours if they are having similar problems or if any have had to have their supply pipes replaced recently.

S
Reply to
spamlet

Or a galvanized steel water storage tank? Galvanized steel hot water pipes?

The bee poo theory was promising.

I'd be looking at the water supply and storage inside the house. Is the cold water supply from the mains? Is the hot supply from a combi or a storage cylinder?

I once heard of a problem with a leak from a district/council heating system. It eventually turned out the family wearing brown clothes had plumbed their washing machine in themselves ;-).

Reply to
Onetap

While possible, that is far less likely at this time of year, it is more common in February or March (you try holding it all in for three or four months!) During the rest of the year I rarely see any voiding

- having a greenhouse right next to some of my hives and with a regularly used washing line less than 10 feet away any voiding would be really noticeable.

Returning foraging bees (carrying nectar/and or pollen) quite often rest for a few minutes either to clean themselves up or just to get their breath back before a final short flight to the hive, usually this resting place will be within a few tens of feet of a hive. A bed sheet on a washing line is a visible target and being grippy on a bee scale it makes a good resting place. If there has been a dry spell you can also get water carrying bees sucking up water from damp washing, they might have a bit of pollen debris on their bodies.

Maybe my bees are better toilet trained and use the adjacent field, but In twenty odd years of keeping bees, marking of washing hasn't ever been a significant problem.

Reply to
The Other Mike

Have you taken the filter out & had a look?

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

Reminds me of an interview of Michael Caine talking about making The Swarm (which I've never seen). Aparently, the bees were boxed up for rather a long time on set. When they were finally released, a million bees who had been waiting patiently with their legs tightly crossed for too long (bees are very clean and don't crap at home), all relieved themselves at once as they took to the air. The actors were all wearing white lab coats, which instantly all turned yellow...

Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

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