Common skincare product believed responsible for 10-year towel stain mystery
A mysterious stain appearing on towels for more than 10 years has finally been solved thanks to the internet.
Fed up with buying new towels every time they notice orange and yellow marks, one confused person asked Reddit's Laundry thread for answers.
They shared images of the towels and explained nothing else they wash in the machine gets these stains.
A mysterious stain on towels has finally been solved, thanks to the internet. Reddit/laundry/Difficult_Welcome_81
"For 10 years plus now, every single towel I'm my house sooner or later ends up getting what looks like bleach splotches or something in random places as you can see from the photos. I am losing my mind, am I just crazy?" they posted.
"Some additional info: All other fabric items that are washed and dried in the same machines, do not have this problem, including all the clothes, so it could be much worse, but I just don't get it!
"I've been known to ruin a towel or two bleaching my hair over the years, but I don't do it at my home enough, nor would I get little bits on every towel somehow... could it be our hand soap? We change soaps all the time willy nilly so it still doesn't make any sense.
"I'm tired of buying new towels all the time, help."
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A skincare product rather than the washing machine is thought to have caused the stains. Getty
It didn't take long for them to get some answers, with a skincare product blamed.
"Do you use acne products?" one asked.
"This looks like classic benzoyl peroxide staining."
The response suggests acne products containing benzoyl peroxide can bleach towels, clothes and bedding when they come into contact with skin where it has been applied.
This was a shock to many people who have also had their own stain mysteries solved by the Reddit thread.
"For decades I've lived with the mystery of why as a teenager I used to bleach all my clothes and bedclothes, and why it stopped. Today it ends," a Redditor said.
"I thought my bangs were naturally blonde for like 15 years – nope. Bleaching from face wash," one commented.
"Gosh, so many little white dots on my clothes while visiting my sister before I realised 'oh yeah, she uses benzoyl peroxide on her face'," another said.
Unfortunately bleach isn't possible to remove from towels, clothes and bedding once it's there, but there are ways to reduce the chances of staining.
There is one simple way to prevent bleach stains appearing on coloured towels.
"Buy white towels next time. This is caused by your acne products with benzoyl peroxide. You may see these spots on your sheets/pillow cases too. Or the neck/collar area from when you take your shirts off," a Redditor said.
White towels makes it harder to see bleach stains. Getty
The post prompted others to share when products containing bleach has affected their clothes, towels and linens.
"Just realised that one of my towels kept getting bleached because our cleaners use a product on the outside of the shower and that's where the towel hangs," one said.
"I was so confused because it was only the single towel that hangs there, despite using the same face/laundry products with all the towels."
Other products listed include whitening toothpaste and laundry powder with oxygen bleach.
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