How to Remove Lotion Stains From Bathroom Towels

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Written by Rich Fitzmorris

Question: My white bathroom towels have a lot of yellow stains that I’ve been unable to remove. Increasing the chemical dosage did not help. The stains are from guest’s lotion. 
 - Salim Miya, Shangri-la Barr al Jissah, Oman

Answer: A question pertaining to a specific stain is nearly impossible to answer in this format, but I would suggest that you have a chemical specialist check the following:
Test the towels for iron staining – You can also do this yourself by using an iron-removing spotter.

Test the towels by dropping water beads on the stained areas and the non-stained areas to determine if there are oils still present in the textile. Test your bar soap on a towel by rubbing the soap directly on the towel to the point that it leaves a visible stain.  Mark the towel in some way and wash it with a normal load.  If the towel comes out with a yellow stain in the place where the bar was rubbed on, than you know you have to change bar soaps.

A chemical specialist can also check the stained area for concentration of quat.  If added before the machine is completely filled, the softener could be attaching itself to the textile and not dispersing throughout the load.  If you are using a liquid dispenser that has a sour and softener, make sure that the sour is injected after the fill and before the softener is added to the machine.  Have the softener dispensed approximately 2 minutes after the sour.  If the two products are injected at the same time the sour can kick-out the brightener in the softener, and will attach itself to the textile causing a yellow stain.

Finally, I would see if an emulsifying degreaser would remove the stains.  Spray a good citrus degreaser on the stains and allow the product to soak into the fibers for an hour, then wash the towels and see if the stains are removed.  If the spotter removes the stains, you may be able to add this product to the wash step and achieve good results.