Removing Powdery
Clothing Stains

Tips for removing powdery clothing stains. If you regularly find powdery stains on freshly washed laundry, the cause can usually be traced to one of two things:

using too much laundry detergent;

or using the wrong type of detergent.

Here's how to make powdery clothing stains a thing of wash days past.

Tips For Removing Powdery Clothing Stains - Use Warm Water

Set the wash water temperature to warm for the best results. This is because laundry detergent is designed to be activated by warmer water, allowing it to dissolve completely in the wash water and be carried away in the rinse water.

When the water temperature does not fully activate laundry detergent, powder detergent remnants can remain on your freshly washed clothes.

Repeat the Rinse Cycle

One way to prevent this is to add an extra rinse cycle to each wash load. This can help ensure your laundry detergent is thoroughly washed away in the rinse cycle.

Don't Overload the Washing Machine

Often, placing laundry detergent directly on garments in the washing machine can cause powdery residue. To prevent this, add detergent first to a wash load before tossing in dirty clothes.

The most common culprit, however, is usually an overloaded washing machine. Too many clothes in a load don't allow the machine adequate space or water to thoroughly clean the clothes. As a result, laundry detergent often lingers on the clothes after the wash cycle is complete.