I’ve had that! On some white pyjamas; it looked like singe marks. I was completely baffled. I put Ace Gentle Bleach (which really is ace) on the stains and they came out. Good luck!
Thanks for suggestions but it's none of those things. It was just bed linen in that load, washed at 40. Thing is this has happened to several items in our old machine and new one. Bleach doesn't get it out, it's like a rust inprint.
If it's happened in both machines it must be something not to do with the actual machines. And yes, it looks like rust to me. Is it always only on bedding?
Does anyone know what causes this to my washing? It's a new machine, as my old machine did it! They don't come out - it's a proper stain!
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Suze5052 hello ? I'd recommend napisan , soak for an hour or 2 then put it through the wash again it may dissappear, I use it on stained clothes as well as grandsons nappies x
Try soaking the affected area (not the whole sheet) in a bowl of bicarbonate of soda solution. I find bicarb gets rid of virtually all stains, but this rusty mark looks hard to remove.
I seem to remember my mother called similar marks “iron mould” in the 50s and 60s when they appeared on bedding stored in her old airing cupboard. She is 92 now and still has funny names for things - and still lives in the same house with the same old airing cupboard, but I haven’t seen such marks on bedding for years.
A bit more info — if you look up Iron Mould on Linen on Google there are a number of solutions to help your problem. A mixture of Salt and lemon juice seems to be a popular solution. Or White Vinegar. Good luck.
If it is rust you could try lemon juice and salt on the stain. Leave for a few hours then wash. I got rid of a stubborn rust stain on a carpet with this mixture, result of a leaky radiator. It annoyed me for about three years and I’d tried all sorts of cleaning products on it until I read about this remedy in a book of natural cleaning.
I'm probably being silly here but could it be caused by water coming from old pipes that may be rusted leading to your washing machine since it's been both appliances. Apologies if it sounds daft....
Don't think that it is rust coming from iron water pipes (Must be old, copper or plastic these days) The outer rim looks to so circular that it could almost be made by a stamp. Watch is good suggestion, but watch cases tend to be from Aluminium alloys or stainless steel, neither of which would produce what looks like a rust mark.
So something being rested on, or against, it while waiting to be washed?
I'd be looking at anything that shape and size in the house to check if that could be causing it. Maybe a hair care product stood on the bed? or something similar?
I have got some similar colour stains, only very small and just spots really, but on a brand new pure white long line cardigan, one on each side of the front and one on the hem of the sleeve. I tried a weak dilution of bleach and the stains went bright red!!! Deciding I had nothing to lose, I put it in my next white wash and they reverted to their original shade of rust! Nothing shifts them ether!