What Causes This?

[dirtybuck]

I've noticed some of my t-shirts have taken on somewhat of a film (or whatever you want to call it). I've brought them home from the laundromat and tried re-rinsing them, but whatever it is on them isn't going away.

I've used All, Sears Plus (orange box), and various brands of liquid detergents to do my laundry. I was using Downy, but thought that might've been the cause of this, so I went to a dryer sheet (Cuddle Soft), but only use them like every third or fourth wash.

Can this situation be remedied? Is a good old fashioned vinegar rinse in order (I hate the smell of it, but in a situation like this I'll bite the bullet).

I hope you guys can help me out! Thanks!

 

[dirtybuck]

Another pic

Here's #2. Kinda hard to see it, but almost like the first one.

 

[dirtybuck]

One More

Back of the blue shirt

 

[dirtybuck]

I'm somewhat surprised no one has commented on this thread yet. Perhaps some additional pictures may be in order to view the problem a bit better?

Please let me know. Thanks.

 

[rp2813]

I've seen something similar but only on one navy blue tee shirt of mine.  Instead of a whitish blotch it has a dark pinkish tint.  No idea what caused it, and it hasn't happened to any other shirts.

 

[DADoES]

 
Effect of OBAs (optical brightening agents) in the detergent?

 

[ovrphil]

One for Lauderess

Lauderess might chime in and know, but I can only take a guess that your detergent wasn't fully dissolved and/or the rinse wasn't as complete(are they cutting back on water useage to maximize profits?...you said laundromat, right?).

It looks almost like it permanently altered the color - rinsing again might only heighten (?) those contrasts.

I'm "shootin' in the dark" - but someone will surely have a better idea

 

[supersuds]

I'm sorry for not commenting, Buck, but I can't really see very clearly from the pictures whether the problem is a residue or whether the shirt has partially faded.

If the latter -- Of course, colored T shirts fade over time. It almost looks as if these areas of the shirt were more exposed to something that faded them. I don't suppose there could have been some chlorine bleach residue in the laundromat washer?

If the former -- my experience with Sears detergent isn't recent, but when I did use it the stuff would never dissolve completely except in HOT water. I always had some whitish residue visible on dark clothes. So many people here swear by it, I assumed the problem had been solved, but maybe it hasn't?

 

[dirtybuck]

Some More Pics

I took the shirts and put them on hangers so maybe you all can get a clearer look at them. With the green shirt on the collar area, I know some of that may be attributed to sweat but not all.

Supersuds, in thinking back to when this problem first started, I seem to remember using Sears Ultra Plus on these shirts. Even though I'm one of these people who puts the detergent on the clothes while the machine is filling, I ALWAYS lift the lid more than once during the wash cycle to make sure the clothes are being "rolled over" and not staying on the top. But even if the shirts had not rinsed properly, wouldn't putting them in a basin or tub re-rinsing them solve the problem? I guess not.

 

[dirtybuck]

Back of Blue Shirt

 

[dirtybuck]

Back of Blue Shirt

 

[dirtybuck]

Green Shirt

Front

 

[launderess]

Looks like detergent residue and or product having come into contact with the fabric. Did you use a product with OBAs? Was the washer tightly loaded?

This problem is not new

http://askville.amazon.com/Small-bleach-stains-colored-clothes/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=9173109

 

[brisnat81]

I have that occur on sleep shirts that I wear a week at time.

If I overload, it seems to be that the body oils in the shirt, react with the detergent and create this scum on just that item. It happens more up at Michaels mums where the water is very soft.

It only ever happens with things that I wear for a few days at a time, like a sleep shirt. These days I just add half a cup of Ammonia and wash a little warmer and I don't have a problem.

 

[dustin92]

It's the Sears ultra plus. I had the same exact problem- it was leaving what looked like undissolved detergent on the clothes, no matter what cycle, water temp, or clothing. It will eventually come out, but will take many washes in another detergent. I have a favorite T shirt that I wear a lot, and it got the soapy streaks this spring. By the end of summer it had washed out, obviously with different detergent.

 

[launderess]

One Wants To Use Powdered Laundry Detergent

With caution on darker coloured laundry.

Those loaded with washing soda, fillers, Zeolites and whatever can often not dissolve well and therefore not rinse out completely. This can leave marks and or splotches that you probably wouldn't notice on whites or light coloured items, but on darker things it is more apparent.

 

[dirtybuck]

Thank You!

I appreciate those who gave me ideas on what might have caused this problem. I'll try a few things and see if it can be eradicated, but if not, it looks like I'll have a few extra shirts with cut off sleeves to wear to the gym.

 

[anthony]

i have had this happen

i cut down the amount of detergent and dont overload the machine it worked for me some of those powders are really harsh if you dont believe me put a bit on your hands and see what happens

 

[neptunebob]

Could also be caused by too much fabric softener from the previous user. My mother uses too much softener in her machine and if I wash in it my golf shirts would look like that too.

Joan Crawford would be proud of you - No Wire Hangers!