White marks on clothing after washing: Why your laundry detergent is the hidden culprit causing it

We all know to separate our ‘colours’ from our ‘whites’ when it comes to doing laundry. More delicate pieces may get a gentle cycle or a hand wash.

There is, however, one laundry step most of us don’t give much thought to, but that can lead to less-than-ideal results when it comes to darker garments.

One woman found this out recently when she did a load of laundry, only for the clothes to come out with white marks all over them.

READ MORE: Toddler’s handiwork with chalk leaves parents at loss for words

“Every time I wash my clothes, they look dirtier than before,” she shared on Reddit’s ‘Cleaning Tips’ thread.

She also shared a photo of her wearing black leggings with white streaks all over them.

“I wear a lot of black or dark colored fabrics, and every time I wash my clothes they have these marks and stains EVERYWHERE and it drives me crazy,” the post continued.

“I have to hand wash my clothes after I machine wash them. I have no idea what this residue is.

READ MORE: Mum wants daughter to pay $300 fine for vehicle ‘mistake’

“The only thing I can think of is that my partner’s shirts all have waxy deodorant build up on them. I’m thinking that could be coming off in the wash and building up on the machine?

“We wash separately but use the same detergent; says he doesn’t have the build up on his clothes, so I’m just dumbfounded.”

Her post ended with her pleading for help.

“PLEEEAAASE I need tips on what I could use to clean my washing machine. Preferably something I could run through a cycle instead of hand cleaning every time. Also if you have any ideas what this could be, please tell me.”

Redditors were quick to point out what the problem was: she was using too much laundry powder.

“You’re putting in too much laundry detergent, this happens to me when my husband does laundry and just dumps the detergent in without measuring it, the rinse cycle can’t get all the detergent off and it leaves residue,” one said.

Didn’t we all just hang our heads in shame at memories of us doing the exact same thing? Who measures out laundry powder and liquid when doing a wash?

Well, we should be, it turns out, and some Redditors suggested using even less than the packaging recommends to avoid outcomes like that pictured on this thread.

“I saw a video on soap companies and their whole profit model is people who use too much product,” one person speculated.

“I had someone in Reddit comment ‘all you need is 2 tablespoons’ and it works for me,” they added.

“Really? 2 tablespoons? I use more (I measure in a cup and use 75-100 ml of powder, depending on what I’m washing) and I never have stains. But I might try it and figure out how much mL 2 tablespoons are,” one person shared.

Some commenters pointed out the white streaks on the poster’s clothing could be a build up from previously laundry powder overuse.

“Personally I use 1 tablespoon and have never felt like my clothes weren’t clean! On the contrary, if you open the door right after the wash cycle completes and you see suds, that’s always when my laundry ends up feeling tacky and nasty even after fully drying,” they said.

For a daily dose of 9honey, subscribe to our newsletter here.

“Cold water works fine for me (modern detergents are formulated to work well without needing the hot water cycle).”

Inspiration and ideas for a laundry room makeover

When asked if the same issue occurs for laundry liquid, many Redditors said it does.

Others also pointed out placing too many clothes in one wash could also result in these detergent marks.

”Yess too much detergent and often too many clothes per wash,” they said.

READ MORE: We got hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE+

Another suggested they “dilute the detergent before putting it in”.

“Laundry detergent isn’t cheap and he’s pouring cash money down the drain when he over pours the detergent,” one said.

“Your machine needs to be cleaned, you are washing too large of a load at a time and using too much detergent. Clean the washer, do smaller loads, and use a lot less detergent,” added another.

FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.