Discolored Towels

[Suzie Q]

I've had this bnb for about 4 years. I've usually had red/maroon towels. I also offer cheap white washcloths, since that is what the guests seem to prefer.
With the addition of the new room, I've purchased tan/beige/buff/taupe towels. From the very first day, those, and other brands of towels have become discolored, orangy in spots. My red towels have never done this. I bought Penney's, Younkers, and even (Sam's washcloths) in an effort to stop it. All the brands have discolored. The red ones were from Penneys.
Hubby hates white, as the walls are off white. Your thots?
C

 

[EmptyNest]

What is in your water? Is it hard? Lots of iron???

 

[Penelope]

You don't mention it, but did you change detergents?

 

[Tim_Toad_HLB]

A couple of possible culprits.
Thanks to the others for mentioning your water. We have extraordinarily hard water with lots of iron in it, but have never had anything like this happen from simple washing. We do have a water conditioner and whole house multi-stage filtering, so I really can't speak to the effect of your water chemistry.
These new acne treatments like Pro-Active Solution are loaded with bleachy, hydrogen peroxide based ingredients and create a splotchy, bleached out effect like you've described.
We've seen the stuff amongst the guest's other body care products during a stay when the staining has occurred so we're not dreaming it.
Some skin rejuvenation, wrinkle reduction products have similar ingredients, so that could be another.
The fact that it isn't happening to red towels is weird, but could just be a coincidence that nobody in one of the rooms with the red towels has used these products yet.
Does your place have a hot tub?
Some sanitizers will have the same effect because they have chlorine in them.

 

[Suzie Q]

A couple of possible culprits.
Thanks to the others for mentioning your water. We have extraordinarily hard water with lots of iron in it, but have never had anything like this happen from simple washing. We do have a water conditioner and whole house multi-stage filtering, so I really can't speak to the effect of your water chemistry.
These new acne treatments like Pro-Active Solution are loaded with bleachy, hydrogen peroxide based ingredients and create a splotchy, bleached out effect like you've described.
We've seen the stuff amongst the guest's other body care products during a stay when the staining has occurred so we're not dreaming it.
Some skin rejuvenation, wrinkle reduction products have similar ingredients, so that could be another.
The fact that it isn't happening to red towels is weird, but could just be a coincidence that nobody in one of the rooms with the red towels has used these products yet.
Does your place have a hot tub?
Some sanitizers will have the same effect because they have chlorine in them..

We do have very hard water, but do not treat it. The very first time I gathered towels from the new room, I noticed the discoloration, even before they were washed! Now our beige rug near the tub has a "bleach" spot on it!
There is no noticeable iron in our water. We are semi-rural, but next to a cities of 50,000 and 500,000 population.
We do not have a hot tub, but do have jacuzzis. We use dishwasher detergent (recommended by the manufacturer) to clean our tubs. (Run a wash, then a rinse cycle after each guest.)
C

 

[Tim_Toad_HLB]

A couple of possible culprits.
Thanks to the others for mentioning your water. We have extraordinarily hard water with lots of iron in it, but have never had anything like this happen from simple washing. We do have a water conditioner and whole house multi-stage filtering, so I really can't speak to the effect of your water chemistry.
These new acne treatments like Pro-Active Solution are loaded with bleachy, hydrogen peroxide based ingredients and create a splotchy, bleached out effect like you've described.
We've seen the stuff amongst the guest's other body care products during a stay when the staining has occurred so we're not dreaming it.
Some skin rejuvenation, wrinkle reduction products have similar ingredients, so that could be another.
The fact that it isn't happening to red towels is weird, but could just be a coincidence that nobody in one of the rooms with the red towels has used these products yet.
Does your place have a hot tub?
Some sanitizers will have the same effect because they have chlorine in them..

We do have very hard water, but do not treat it. The very first time I gathered towels from the new room, I noticed the discoloration, even before they were washed! Now our beige rug near the tub has a "bleach" spot on it!
There is no noticeable iron in our water. We are semi-rural, but next to a cities of 50,000 and 500,000 population.
We do not have a hot tub, but do have jacuzzis. We use dishwasher detergent (recommended by the manufacturer) to clean our tubs. (Run a wash, then a rinse cycle after each guest.)
C
.

We do have very hard water, but do not treat it. The very first time I gathered towels from the new room, I noticed the discoloration, even before they were washed! Now our beige rug near the tub has a "bleach" spot on it!
There is no noticeable iron in our water. We are semi-rural, but next to a cities of 50,000 and 500,000 population.
We do not have a hot tub, but do have jacuzzis. We use dishwasher detergent (recommended by the manufacturer) to clean our tubs. (Run a wash, then a rinse cycle after each guest.)
C

It just has to be something the guest used on themselves if all other possibilities have been eliminated. The iron or mineral content of your water seemed very unlikely or you'd be seeing it in all instances from day one.
Wish I could say something more positive but its the Murphy's Law of Innkeeping that the minute you put a new set of anything in a room, the moons will align and one of the first guests to use your brand new stuff will damage it.
There are sets of towels and sheets we've had since day one that don't have a single blemish on them, but almost every time we put a new set in a room, BINGO!.
Among all the multitude of things we innkeepers know and learn on the job, clairvoyance is not a skill we all can add to our bag o' tricks.

 

[Willowpondgj]

My guess is pro-active. Lost a brand new set on a guest a few weeks ago, very frustrating.

 

[Tim_Toad_HLB]

My guess is pro-active. Lost a brand new set on a guest a few weeks ago, very frustrating..

My guess is pro-active. Lost a brand new set on a guest a few weeks ago, very frustrating.

Don't mean to go off topic. Sorry.
I didn't want to start a whole new thread for such a regional thing, but do you get goat heads there?
If so, how do you deal with them?
We've been hand pulling for years with the claw side of a hammer and have contained them to one area but its the area the dog runs around in and our vegetable beds are near there.

 

[Willowpondgj]

Yeah, I've seen it, but I've never given it much thought, it hasn't taken anything over here, yet... Now I'll probably see it everywhere since you mentioned it!

 

[Somewhere in Paradise]

It sounds like pro-active to me too.
I friend of mine who also runs an inn actually sent someone a bill for ruining his towels with proactive and they paid it.

 

[tedwin]

We just introduced new white organic cotton towels for our guests. In one room, a guest had a massive nose bleed and used our new towels to stop the flow. Fortunately, stain remover got that out. In another room, a pair of motorcyclists left their towels smeared with black stains. This often happens with our guests that arrive on motorcycle. Anyone know what it is they're doing? Wiping grease off their boots? Does anyone offer special "clean up" towels for motorcyclists?

 

[muirford]

We just introduced new white organic cotton towels for our guests. In one room, a guest had a massive nose bleed and used our new towels to stop the flow. Fortunately, stain remover got that out. In another room, a pair of motorcyclists left their towels smeared with black stains. This often happens with our guests that arrive on motorcycle. Anyone know what it is they're doing? Wiping grease off their boots? Does anyone offer special "clean up" towels for motorcyclists?.

We have old, dark towels which we provide to the bicyclists who come through here but only if they ask. I also recently had two hand towels ruined with greasy stains, I'm assuming from bicycle tires or shoes. I am planning to get one of those outdoor deck boxes to store the towels in near the bikes, with a sign on the box as to its contents.
You guys busy over there?

 

[tedwin]

We just introduced new white organic cotton towels for our guests. In one room, a guest had a massive nose bleed and used our new towels to stop the flow. Fortunately, stain remover got that out. In another room, a pair of motorcyclists left their towels smeared with black stains. This often happens with our guests that arrive on motorcycle. Anyone know what it is they're doing? Wiping grease off their boots? Does anyone offer special "clean up" towels for motorcyclists?.

We have old, dark towels which we provide to the bicyclists who come through here but only if they ask. I also recently had two hand towels ruined with greasy stains, I'm assuming from bicycle tires or shoes. I am planning to get one of those outdoor deck boxes to store the towels in near the bikes, with a sign on the box as to its contents.
You guys busy over there?
.

We're all staying fully booked. The closure of the hotel coincided nicely with the downturn in the economy. I suspect that has driven a lot of business our way.

 

[gillumhouse]

We just introduced new white organic cotton towels for our guests. In one room, a guest had a massive nose bleed and used our new towels to stop the flow. Fortunately, stain remover got that out. In another room, a pair of motorcyclists left their towels smeared with black stains. This often happens with our guests that arrive on motorcycle. Anyone know what it is they're doing? Wiping grease off their boots? Does anyone offer special "clean up" towels for motorcyclists?.

We have old, dark towels which we provide to the bicyclists who come through here but only if they ask. I also recently had two hand towels ruined with greasy stains, I'm assuming from bicycle tires or shoes. I am planning to get one of those outdoor deck boxes to store the towels in near the bikes, with a sign on the box as to its contents.
You guys busy over there?
.

We're all staying fully booked. The closure of the hotel coincided nicely with the downturn in the economy. I suspect that has driven a lot of business our way.
.

YEEHAA!!!!!!! so glad to hear that. May you always be as busy as you want to be.

 

[gillumhouse]

We just introduced new white organic cotton towels for our guests. In one room, a guest had a massive nose bleed and used our new towels to stop the flow. Fortunately, stain remover got that out. In another room, a pair of motorcyclists left their towels smeared with black stains. This often happens with our guests that arrive on motorcycle. Anyone know what it is they're doing? Wiping grease off their boots? Does anyone offer special "clean up" towels for motorcyclists?.

Try pouring some Murphy's Oil Soap on those stains and rubbing it in, then wash as usual. It may be grease from polishing road dirt off their "baby". My motorcycle guests have - so far - had their own polishing rags with them and have not used my towels nor even the offer of wipe-down towels. Mother Murphy usually worked for me when I was a tire buster at Sears - and I DID get grease on my shirts and jeans.

 

[viviaan]

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[viviaan]

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