What are these marks on my (line dried) towels from?

[Thatsnotmymammoth]

Took my washing in yesterday and this is the third one with the same orangey stain on. I’ve tried stain remover and washing on a high temp but they won’t budge. Any ideas what’s causing them and how i can get them out? I’m presuming it’s something outside rather than from my machine but I’m not 100%sure. TIA

Sorry, forgot to attach pic

My old washing machine started doing this, like rusty marks that ever came out. The affected towels have now been demoted to dog towels as I've not found anything that gets it out! The washer was on its way out and as soon as we replaced it, no more marks

I've had this. It turned out to be the washing machine leaking oil. The marks got worse and worse, and I had to replace the machine.

Hope it's not that, OP, but it certainly looks like it - especially as the marks won't come out. Mine wouldn't come out either.

Has your washing line got rust on it?

I’ve cleaned my washing line so no rust there. Oh dear I don’t like the sound of it being the machine 😱. It’s about 5 years old the machine.

Rusty peg spring?

calamity the marks aren’t where the pegs have been and they’re newish pegs.

Pollen from bees?

(Wild guess)

Do you use wooden pegs or pegs with exposed metal bits? Sometimes a stain can leach from those (especially if washing left on line for a long time or when it's raining) but that looks a bit too dark a stain for that.

Sorry as interrupted before I posted that! See it isn't from pegs!

Spider willes (sorry)

Glad I’m not the only one, I knew the answer would be spider willies 😂😂

We got marks like that on our towels from drying them over very old cast iron radiators. If it's a rust stain there's nothing I've found that will remove them sadly. We switched to black towels

I get that one my washing sometimes. Always assumed it was some sort of insect shit. Or bird wee.

*on

orange did the marks come out?

Have a look at this. It appears it can be caused by sediment in water pipes.

That's assuming it is rust that's causing it of course.

Thanks solitary. We have had all the gas pipes replaced on our road over the last month. Wonder if that could have had any effect on water pipes too? The water pipes to these properties are old. I’m in the middle of running the washing machine at 90 degrees on empty with a cupful of white vinegar in the dispenser to see if that makes any difference. I replaced my old towels with lovely white ones last year. Such a shame that half of them now have these flipping marks on.

@Shannith 😂😂😂

Yes the marks wash out. So prob not the same as yours. I’ll read the op properly next time

I have the same thing on my white bottom bedsheets and not sure where they came from I have used varnish and washed few times but still no luck. My line is under the trees so could be be from anything. Someone said been pollen

Bee not been

My washing machine does the same every now and then. Luckily it's not been on anything important so far as I really can't afford to replace it right now

It looks like the stuff ladybirds excrete to me.