It started with a strange neon-orange spot on my gray hand towel. At first, I thought it was rust or a forgotten spill, but the stain stayed stubbornly after washing. Soon, more towels had the same orange marks, making my bathroom look like a Halloween scene.
If your towels or linens have similar orange stains, one common culprit is benzoyl peroxide, which is used in many acne treatments. This chemical works by bleaching—meaning it actually removes color from the fabric and leaves behind orange or yellow patches, especially on darker towels. The weird part is that normal washing won’t remove these stains because the dye itself got stripped away. My stained towels made sense once I connected them to my acne routine where skin touched the fabric.
Rust or iron in water is another frequent cause. Homes with well water or old pipes often have iron particles that stain towels with small orange specks during washing. I experienced this firsthand while visiting a friend; her water clogged my towel with tiny rusty spots. The trick isn’t more detergent but using laundry additives designed to capture iron before it stains the fabric.
Haircare products and self-tanners can also leave behind orange residues. I noticed my hair towels became stained even though I don’t use self-tanner—turns out my pigment-rich shampoo caused it. Cleaning agents like bleach or hydrogen peroxide can also bleach fabrics and cause permanent marks if towels are used to wipe hands after cleaning.