Mysterious Towel Black/Brown Stains

[Darragh17]

Hi!,

I need your help solving a mystery. 

I'm a fairly new host but have already run into two groups of guests who have stained multiple towels (6ish per group) in the same way, and I can't figure out what is causing the stains. I'm not terribly concerned about charging for replacing the towels (they're only around $40 per 6), but I would like to know if it's due somehow to smoking or vapes or some such thing that's prohibited in the unit. (These guests seemed fond of the Febreze). Sometimes it looks like the stain is caused by a liquid (i.e. lots of little droplet spots) and sometimes it looks like streaks (see below) with larger blotches (see below). It does not wash or bleach out. 

The guests were otherwise pleasant guests, and I have no interest in complaining, but I really do not want people smoking inside. I'm also just wondering what on earth could be happening to the towels.

Thanks for your help,

Darragh

 

[Emiel1]

@Darragh17 

It is difficult to say. Is it everywhere on the towel or just in one 1 specific area ?

I just list some posibilities which i can think of:

- a product for make-up / hair coloring etc..

- towels have been hung / laid on something that gives off paint (or rust or dirt), when becomes wet

- fabric error in the towels

- mould

- towels wrapped around something hot.

[Darragh17]

Thanks. I suppose it could be mold, though they were only in the apartment for 3 days. The color is what you'd expect from mold. That'll be my working theory. 

It's sporadicly distributed. Some towels are really soiled (like the one pictured) and others are only slightly. 

[Deb216]

@Darragh17, Check your washing machine. Sometimes dirt or grease or rust forms around the underside of the drums of washing machines resulting in similar marks.  

[Darragh17]

Thanks! We haven't had any problems with the machine staining linens/clothes. And it's only a problem I've encountered with 2 groups of guests, so my guess is that it's not the machine. Maybe I'll give it a good clean just to be sure. 

[Lorna170]

@Darragh17  We have this problem from time to time and found that it happens when the guest washes a load that contains dirt off their dog.  Yes, the dog gets a cleanup while at our cabin and the debris goes with the towel straight into the washer and leaves enough residue to mar the next wash load as well.  Ugh.

I purchased a washer cleaning product and run it in the washer before doing the laundry generated by the guest.  Yes, it adds a half hour to my cleaning time, but means that I spend less time treating or rewashing linens and towels.  

[Darragh17]

Ah, so maybe the other commenter Deb is right and it's a laundry machine issue. The previous guests seemed to do an extraordinary amount of laundry (used about half of a 42 laundry pod container in 3 days) so I wonder if they got up to something particularly muddy or otherwise messy and it just ended up in the machine. 

[Helen744]

@Darragh17 looks like they have been cleaning their shoes or cleaning burnt pans . Do you offer tea towels or kitchen paper rolls .The sharp lines would indicate oil and lawnmower blades or butcher knives but who knows. I dont do white and suggest you dont either . Offer flannels and maybe some small darker coloured small towels in the kitchen and bathroom drawers.H

[Helen744]

If your machine is not regularly cleaned it can make these stains on your clothes. H

[Darragh17]

Thanks for the tip. I'll be cleaning it more thoroughly just in case. 

[Darragh17]

Yeah, we provide tea towels and paper towels (as well as makeup remover wipes and gray hand towels). Not sure what's going on. 

[Mariann4 · Accepted solution]

These are stains from the washing machine, @Darragh17 . I have them too on occasion. Have to rinse the rubber around the door to the machine. The fabric is dragged down in the rubber being used as a cleaner itself.