Cleaning products that act like bleach
Bleach and hydrogen peroxide are not just for use in laundry — they may be lurking within disinfectant sprays, toilet bowl cleaners, and surface wipes as well. If you are cleaning your towels, and you mindlessly wipe your hands on a towel, that is just enough to create a patch.
A friend of mine who had turned her kitchen towels pink during a cleaning spree thought it all started with her washing machine, until she realized she was using a spray cleaner on her counters, and then drying her hands on the closest towel.
What has actually helped to prevent it
Once I was aware of the main culprits, I started to treat my towels like my favorite clothing. Here are the things that have helped:
Use white towels for face care: If I am using anything that contains benzoyl peroxide, I only use plain white washcloths. This way, bleach marks are invisible.
Wait for products to dry: When using acne treatments or self-tanner, I always wait for the product to be fully absorbed before touching any fabric. I find it annoying to just stand there, but it saves my towels.
Use filtered water or rust remover: If you have iron-rich water in your area, you could use a laundry additive to prevent those pesky little rust freckles.
Have a dedicated hair towel: I keep a couple of old towels in the bathroom just for drying my hair, so any pigment or dye left by shampoo doesn’t ruin my nice sets.
Can you remove the damage?
If the stain is from benzoyl peroxide or bleach, unfortunately it’s permanent — meaning the color is literally gone from the fibers. You could:
Dye the entire towel a darker color to hide it.
Repurpose it as a cleaning towel or hair towel.
Bleach the entire towel to provide a uniform appearance.
If the stain is from rust or mineral deposits, you may get lucky. There are fabric-safe rust removers that can sometimes recover the original color; I have managed to save a couple of pillowcases that way.
