Some possibilities:

1. Sun screen
2. Hard water
3. Old fabric softener sloughing off your machine
4. Transmission grease from your washing machine (note: Fisher & Paykel washing machines do not have a transmission to cause this problem.)

-Grainlady

If it's not rust, the only thing I can think of is some kind of crayon, marker, ink or tomato sauce of some kind.

I would try soaking the clothes in the warmest water they can stand in a bucket with an 1/8 of a cup of oxi clean and a full tablespoon of charlies overnight. Usually gets everything out if the pretreatment isn't working.

I think it's something to do with aftershave. My husband gets this all the time, only on his clothes so it's nothing to do with the washing machine or water. Also, have had 2 washing machines. I'm convinced it's aftershave bleaching the clothes. I'm going to do a test.

I know it’s not after shave as these orange stains only show up on my clothing and the bedding I lay on. I thought at one time it was the bath gel I use, stopped using that and went to another. It went away for a while, now it’s back! It’s a mystery to me so if anyone comes across a solution please post and let me know!

The collars of Hubby's golf shirts have some horrible orange stains from sunscreen, that refuse to budge. Could it be sunscreen or sunscreen residue getting on your fabrics? Some of that stuff is like glue and has to be scrubbed off the skin.

Show us a picture please

I also have random stains that appear on mine and my wifes clothing. Nothing seems to get rid of it. We do hang dry our clothes but like the original poster, we have tried drying, hanging inside, hanging outside, different detergents, stain removers, etc. The spots just randomly appear and for us its it's usually in the same area. The upper butt area of pants and shorts or the lower back of shirts. We occasionally randomly get it elsewhere too. Here are a couple of pictures. If anyone has any ideas, I would appreciate any suggestions to prevent his from happening.

I find orange stains on things that have been in storage. Nothing seems to remove the stains. I suspect that the stains are excretions from insects, maybe stink bugs. Or bug poop. Every fall, the stink bugs try to invade the house. Never had a problem with them when I lived in Oklahoma but do have a problem with them here in Wisconsin.

Try squeezing fresh lemon juice onto stain and putting it in the sun. Only if textile is white of course. I removed even rust this way.

Hello,

I have a similar issue. I get these orange stains on my pants same area (my right thigh) it’s been driving me crazy because it only in that spot even if they haven’t been washed. Any help?

This has started happening to me too! I have two identical pairs of cotton/poly blend knit capris. Started with one pair getting a small circle dot of orange where my behind would be. (I'd had these pants for the entire summer and this only showed up a couple of months ago.) Nothing would remove it (and I never put these in the dryer). Second pair got one on the behind and one on the leg. Wore the first pair (with a long top that covered the spot) the other day. They were freshly laundered. Looked at them today before washing and they now have three more spots! They were only worn in my friend's car, at the nail salon and a restaurant that day. But the other pair was at different places, so there is no pattern. I'm so perplexed. Can't be washer because this happened after/while wearing them. By the by, my friend changed cars recently so the spots wouldn't likely come from her car seats as I'd worn the pants in both cars.

I am having the same issue also with a speed queen washer. It’s not on every load but it happens periodically and nothing I have found gets the Orange out. I have tried whink rust remover and every kind of stain remover I can think of. It doesn’t look like rust- it looks like some kind of fluid because where it lands on the clothes soaks all the way through. I am calling repair today. I can’t keep losing clothes like this!!

The lady that washes my bed sheets at the laundromat says these mysterious orange stains are from a chemical reaction of laundry soap with sunscreen. She hasn't been able to pinpoint which soap because it appears that soaps on the market have this ingredient that reacts with the sunscreen

It's an ingredient in sunblock. https://dappered.com/2010/06/how-to-prevent-sunscreen-stains/

I read lemon juice and salt help. I'll try and see... And find a brand that won't react to iron in water.

I just searched the web to see if anyone had a solution to this problem. It’s crazy! No one in my house has used sunscreen. The bug thing might be a consideration, we have spiders in Seattle. But maybe spider poop while in the hamper or folded in the closet. I just put a new set of sheets on my bed. They had been washed only a couple of times. As I was putting them in the washer, I noticed spots that weren’t there before. This never happened all my life until the last few years. Disgusting!!! Maybe newer material has something to do with this. I’ll try some of the tips. Thank you

My clothes it happened too. All white and is putting holes in them. This is a brand new shirt!

I just got Brand new white boxers and it happened on the third load. Orange almost the color of pizza sauce

I don’t use sunscreen And there is no rust in my washer or dryer that I can see. Today it also appeared on my sheets

I usually pour bleach directly on my white towels when I load them, and today, I poured from a new bottle of Clorox bleach on them, and I watched the towels turn orange in front of me. I went ahead and ran the wash in hopes it would go away, but no luck. Any towel touched is ruined. No sunscreen involved.

I think it is liquid fabric softener!!! Today I used liquid soap with fabric softener which I threw away. I was reluctant to use it because of these “tang” stains. But I took a chance and once again on a gray shirt around the neck area, stained. I truly believe it is the fabric softener doing it. I use Downey Calm fabric softener dryer sheets, now.

I don't use fabric softener and only natural ingredient laundry liquid and suddenly got these orange stains on one area of my duvet cover. I use sunblock on my face, neck and chest only (but wash it off every night) so I'll check if it's the area of the duvet that covers my chest. But it can't be fabric softener because I don't use it.

I live in North Texas and have been trying to get an explanation from pest control. Why? I have had some kind of "thing" on my property and house...cars, garage and house plus yard. It has driven me CRAZY for over two years! And YES I know the tang color often with circles. Just recently in our
neighborhood have been attracted by this tang color on neighborhood fences with black streaks and circles included with a cream white....all down our alley and two miles away from my home. One neighbor has a black iron fence and it also has tang coloring along the top but it is not rust because it is a fairly new fence. Also in the garages I am noticing orange stuff on the concrete. I also had little pieces of something on my car and when I tried to get it off there was an orange or tang color...from this "piece of nothing" ! Now inside my house the wood and furniture seems to be affected. I noticed the wood on benches in church being affected. Now I sound completely INSANE but after two years or more of trying to figure this all out (and driving my male neighbors crazy) I am no closer to the answer. I have had pest control say it is not termites and not an insect. However when pressed for an explanation these men have seemed testy and reluctant to give ANY answer and one literally ran out of my house. Would this make a person suspicious? I even asked them to look at the small cream marks on my den paneling because it is looking weird. They totally want to be evasive and one told me my problem is anxiety...just as a dermatologist did. Both weird answers. I taught school for a very long time and just retired before this all began. I am not happy with what I have been told. And did I say that the benches in my nearby church shows the wood is being eaten up...disturbing and unnerving to me. Would tang mean fresh "weird thing" and more faded orange on fences and wood and garage concrete hours old stuff? I wish I knew the answer to this. I am still trying to put this all together. And yes, I too have had strange appearance of orange on pieces of clothing but have connected it beyond the simple to what is the greater mystery. I have tiny amounts orange show up under washing machine. We cannot figure this out. Hope somebody can connect my weird posting and connect or jog their memory or experience of something that unravels this whole mystery.

The same thing has been happening to me and I've never had anything like this happen in my whole life I do have a dog that I've gotten in last few years or I thought that my fish tank had gotten some type of bacteria that was getting into the air and causing these stains I also thought maybe mold that I can't see I still have not been able to figure it out I've kind of gotten a hold on the problem with peroxide and rubbing alcohol but it still comes back and is not completely gone if you have figured this out please let me know

Also have been the appearance of tiny holes through my clothes too even brand new ones that happens

There is a cleaning powder called Bar Keepers Friend. Make a paste of this by adding some to a bit of water and rub on orange spots. It takes a bit of work but is the only thing we’ve found that will completely remove the orange. I do think it’s a reaction between sunscreen and laundry soap because it doesn’t happen in the winter

I have a Speed Queen as well. Do you have city water or well water? It is making me crazy!

Hard water? Too much iron in the water?

I was finding orange stains on every pair of white capris or shorts I'd buy. I read online recently about either hard water, rust, or a film in the washer. I do have hard water, even with a fridge filter (when my ice cubes melt, there is sediment in the bottom of my glass). I bought brand new white towels -- paid $40 for two. Just saw an orange stain on one after last wash. I am going to buy water conditioner (Borax or Calgon) and start using in every wash.

Years ago, we bought a new wsher from Sears. i washed my favorire white blouse along withbother white clothes. When i took them out, theyvall had rust stains on them. i threw them out. On inspection, Sears showed me tge drum of the washer was fully rusted and gave me new washing machine. Something different, my clithes in our closets have smll or big orange spots. i believe they are the begining of mildew. I m trying dufferent things nd looking for a solution besides Damp

Rid that gets expensive after a while.

yes, the orange stains are something else but what. I have orange circles in my garage, yes and in many sizes. They are also on the walls and shelving...totally weird. I have been saying this for months to neighbors. Also I have orange streaks on my carpet. From time to time there are streaks on my kitchen counter tops. Recently our neighborhood has orange streaks on many wooden fences! Mildew from what? I am going crazy trying to figure all of this out. If I spray vinegar on the concrete the orange fades a lot. But more orange circles develop. Is this an insect or a form of mold? It is so strange.

I have a vintage tshirt that i pulled out of my drawer with an orange stain on it. My mind is boggled as to the source. i tried using bleach on it but that didn’t work.

I read you can try Barkeeper's Friend. You have to wear gloves to use it. I also read you can use Calgon or Borax in your wash to prevent hard water mineral stains. Haven't tried it yet.

It seems that we all have speed queen washers inn common. however some items have been hand washed. i have tried oxiclean, bleqch bleach, clr and nothing. i use only natural soap and no dry sheets or fabric softener only distilled white conegar. i do beli it is the be of some sort of mold. i live in Texas and my windows are open 3/4 of the year so i cannot run my dehumidifier. i do use damp rid in the closets but not in the drawers. . i think that is our sourse maybe our extension agent may have a cure

HU-163561260 I have a SQ TL washer and also live in Texas; the issue for me started while we were living in VA and had an LG FL. For our household I believe it is something we have introduced such as a toothpaste or face cleaning product.

Please have your water tested. I think it's hard water. You can buy a water softener system of use calgon or borax in the wash.

Debra, we have a whole house W/S. It regenerates regularly and I add salt as needed. I am not sure that is the problem for us. I mentioned earlier we experienced this in a different home and different washer. We have some white towels that we bought when we moved here, and one or two have the orange spots. In our case I really do think it is something specifically while bathing/cleansing, because none of our clothes have had the issue, only towels and hand towels.

Half my shirts have been ruined. Everyone saying it's rust. It absolutely isnt. I'll tell you what else it isn't . Stains. They are not stains. The original fabric dye is being taken out and leaving an orange or red mark that goes right through the fabric. Essentially a hole in the fabric. So nothing will 'remove' it.

@John Mellor, have a lab analyze your water supply.

we get this on bedsheets but also occas on other clothes. Only since we moved to the country a year ago. We suspect it’s mice, as we know we have them, accounts for holes too :-/

Test your water.. I’ve been told its high iron in the water. Our city has horrible water and they have to fix rusty water pipes in our area all the time.

Orange inside three dressers and a book case...very strange. Dressers being damaged by something destructive...eaten up with holes and splitting wood. It is also on kitchen cabinets. Orange spots on garage floor and circles o white wooden shelving with splitting. Pest man said orange circles on wood a definite kind of mold. Orange streaks on wooden fences. Black holes and split on fences. Stuff in my cars...finally tried ozone generator...orange circles on the OUTSIDE of the car! Orange spot on new shirt...a white shirt being eaten up and also socks. My house is clean and cars too. Just found strange blob of sticky white stuff on top of pulled out drawer...I seldom get in it. Beside tiny blob a spot that has dried and has super tiny black bugs? Now in my car a a super tiny black bog or ? Left sticky or smudge mark. Also have larger smudge that will not come clean...very near tiny bug.Dark black markings on some wood in kitchen and den...weird and pest control says no termites. Feel like I am totally going crazy.

Wow!!! i have Exactky!!! the same problem! i havr this light orange soda looking stain on whites. i just washed new white linens and they came out with orange splotches everywhere. i did add a bit of bleach. has happened before! so weird. we have hard water, why does this happen sometimes and not others? how do u clean the hard water residue out if that is the problem?

Hi, had the same problem. my washer cycle didnt turn on and i accidentally left whites in the wash water for several days. i have Bar Keepers Friend and decided to try it as 2 previous posters suggested. i put about a half a cup of piwder in a plastic bowl and added water. i then put the shirt in and soaked it in the mixture. Within minutes all the orange stains were gone! BKF contains several types of acids that somehow almost immediately neutralized the stains!!

Thus far I found my stains come from fertilizer. I have special clothes just for yard work and they cannot be washed with other clothes or the rust stains transfer. Even sitting on a chair may transfer the fertilizer, so they come off immediately. Fertilizer gets in the water used for the sprinklers eventually, so my walkways and patio pavers get orange. This could be why cars mentioned are getting it. I do have crappy Florida water too. I don’t really use fertilizer but my HOA does, especially on the grass, and new plants will come with it.

i keep on having an orange stain appearing on my jeans all on the same spot on my right thigh. nothing will get them out and they keep on popping up. has anyone found a solution or at least an answer as to what it could be

I had the same issue with prange/yellow stains on pair of light colored denims. after reading about deterhent build up ”Crud” i checked my machine and i do believe this was the cause. although it resembles rust, it was an oily paste.

Hope this helps.