It might not be the same on the boys jeans - the jeans I had problems with were not all cotton - somewhat stretchy - while boys jeans may be actual "good 'ol" jeans that are all cotton.

@mamapinky0, that's so interesting you did a test :) You could try with a dark t-shirt, as that was the main culprit for me, but I do think there are also other factors, which might include the buildup of the product (perhaps after repeated warm washes the product gets moved and more fused in rather than washed out) but I think could definitely include the temperature/weather. My white patches (which as I mentioned in previous posts have now been resolved) all seemed to appear around the same time in the spring/summer here in the UK, although I had been wearing those clothes with the oils primarily in the winter, and had been using less oil since that time. I actually would have expected the patches to appear more in the winter, when it was cooler, so this surprises me, but I still think it might be a factor.

I am sooo glad to find this site. I've been noticing white residue on my slacks and jeans that have some spandex in them. It never would have occurred to me that it was the coconut oil I use on my legs and feet. I should have figured it out, though, because the residue was only on the lower part of the legs! I use sensitive skin All in cold water -- no wonder it wouldn't come out! I'll change that mistake!

I can’t believe I have finally found a reasonable explanation for the white marks on my dark clothes. I put dehumidifiers, washed clothes twice, put in other closets my darks, but my husband kept asking why only my dark clothes and not his... yes I use my home made body butter with coconut oil, Shea butter and all those white things, I will sleep peacefully tonight hahaha.

Wow, thank you so much for this forum. I thought my OCD was making me crazy because my roommate is not experiencing these white stains. I also thought it was mold and I bought a dehumidifier for my closet. I kept spraying my closet and drawers down with tea tree oil. I use shea butter 1-2 times a day! But I'm curious if there is also mold because I do notice that the longer I leave something the more white stains it will have. That does seem more like mold then a stain from an oil? However, I'm very sensitive to mold and it doesn't smell like it to me. I wash my clothes on warm so I"m going to try washing on Hot and see if it goes away!

For me, if I hit the affected area with hot air (i.e. from a hair dryer), it disappears (presumably melts) pretty quickly.

I don't really use shea butter/coconut oil any more so I don't have too much of a problem with this. I think hot water will melt the existing residue but might deposit it elsewhere on the garment.

I think the oil needs to be extracted. If someone has time, they could try out the following:

1. Melt the white residue using a hair dryer on 'hot' setting

2. Use Facial Oil Absorbing Wipes/Sheets to attempt to soak up the (liquefied?) oil. Hand pressure should suffice. If anything was absorbed, evidence could be seen on the wipes.

Long thread to read. But we have tried everything to remove when washing. I do find putting in dryer for a couple minutes allows garment to be wearable. But does not remove oil. And when you continue to use homemade body butter it makes more white residue. Sadly gave up my own body butter of Shea coconut and olive oil. Followed many suggestions on this site for a couple of years. Miss very much. But ruining my clothes.

Jenna,

Don't worry about it being mold. It's not. It's the oils that have solidified and oxidized. Simple as that. I've used coconut, shea and almond oil for years and I never have these issues of the white substance on clothing that is in regular rotation.

However, I can have a pair of black pants for example hanging in the closet that have been there a lot time without being worn and I'll see a white smudge. From where the white smear is, I can tell I had coconut oil (even a tiny amount) on my hands while I was rooting around in the closet to find something, touched the long-not worn pants and later on, the smudge appears. It's hard to connect an action from a while ago to pants that seem to be minding their own business hanging in the closet (for example). But I've been in this "oils" lifestyle for ages and it's part of the trade off.

Because I use 120F for a warm wash and 140F for a hot wash, I'm melting the oils in the wash cycle. The melt point on coconut oil is 80F for example, I think shea is slightly higher and almond stays liquid most of the time. Once you've melted the oils in the wash cycle with HOT ENOUGH water, you have to use a top quality detergent such as Tide, ALL or Cheer powder, or use a good dose of top tier liquid detergent such as Persil or Tide. These are heavy oils, and using a natural type of detergent is not going to be enough surfactant to wash the oils away. You need to use high enough temps and a heavy duty enough detergent; together. Another example I can offer is I have a drawer where I keep clothing that I'm not really presently using but I'm not ready to toss yet for whatever reason. I went through the drawer recently to see what I want to keep and what to pass on to charity. I saw some fav old shorts of mine that had the dreaded white stains on them. At first I was gasping, afraid I had mold in the drawer, then I realized I hadn't worn these shorts in 3 1/2 years. That means I had only washed them in my former and crummy washing machine that didn't get hot even on a hot cycle. I calmed down realizing I was seeing oxidized coconut oil on the shorts. I washed them in my newer washer that is able to get a real hot temp with ALL powder detergent and they are good as new now.

For note, in case it helps, I've been giving Cetaphil cream a try, in the tub (not the lotion) for a few months now to see how that works for my dry skin in my dry climate and I'm pretty pleased. I call a miracle in a jar. I've been very surprised that it works as well as it does for me. I'm not sure if it would cause phantom white stains on clothing because I use serious laundry practices with my newish washing machine that allows me to use extra hot temps which cause any residue to wash away anyways, but the point is I'm not having any skin issues because of Cetaphil cream. I have sensitive, dry, cranky skin. In fact, my skin seems happier using Cetaphil than the oils, I am likely to continue using it.

I hope that helps.

anyone know how long this effect last. I've been washing and rewashing my darks and it still appears after hanging in my closet or draw for a few days. this is a black cotton camisole after maybe 5 days in my drawer. horrible.

Does not go away until

oils are removed. Which I have never find a way to do without damaging clothes. Hot water and strong detergent ruined clothes I tried with. A couple minute in warm dryer before

wearing allows me to wear clothes.

I used to have this problem (commented some time ago), but I don't any longer. First, stop using the shea or oil. I have switched to an Aveeno 24 hour lotion (Aveeno Sheer Hydration Daily Moisturizing lotion - no shea) and it gets the job done even though I live in a very dry area. Wash the clothes in warm water, and I recommend Tide stain release detergent. It will most likely take several washings before all the oil gets washed out, but it did work for me. I did not have to use super hot water or harsh detergents. Glad you found this thread. It's a weird and disturbing problem, but it is good to finally know what it is - oil - not mold or something mysterious or gross.

many of us on this thread made our own body butter to get away front the very long list of ingredients in products on the market. So used primarily coconut oil and shea butter. Which was so lovely on our skin. But causes the white spots from the oils not washing out of clothes.

check out EWG Environmental Working Group to find products that are safe for your body and home

thanks

Well I'm still having this issue after washing only in hot water for a few weeks. I'm wondering if anyone has tried cleaning their washing machine with bleach for a cycle and then vinegar? Maybe there is just a lot of residue in the washer from the butters. I'm also wondering if anyone has found a good natural alternative to shea butter because I only want to use natural products and that works the best for my dry skin.

@Sarah L what do you think the summer has to do with it? I'm also noticing this summer is the first time I've seen these stains but I've been using shea butter for 3 years

@Jenna Anjali Sorry for the delay, and happy new year!

I can only speculate about why I first started noticing it in the summer - maybe the air was drier and that has something to do with it? Maybe that's when I started to pull certain items out to wear that I hadn't worn often the previous season? Maybe the buildup of oil hit a tipping point?

You probably wouldn't do any harm giving your washing machine a cleaning wash. Just don't mix bleach and vinegar.

For me, the effectiveness came from washing the clothes in not just hot water, but also with baking soda and white distilled vinegar in the wash - so I would recommend you try that. I use a non-bio pod, so that goes in the drum, and then I put the baking soda in the main wash tray and the vinegar in a different section (so they don't interact in the tray). I don't use heavy oils presently, so now I only do this occasionally if I feel like something feels a little 'heavy' or 'cold' to touch when it should be clean.

This stream of comments is so helpful. I am going to give the Aveeno 24 hour lotion a try as opposed to the shea butter to see how that works. Like everyone else the white spots were driving me crazy. I know everyone hates ironing but if you use a steamer or a burst of steam from your iron on the white spots on the clothes the spots do disappear.

I also going to try running white vinegar through my washing machine a couple of times to see if that helps.

@hinkson1 If you can get hold of it (either prescribed or over the counter), I find Dermol cream works well for me, I even prefer it to Aveeno now, which to me always 'sat' on the skin a bit. I use the Dermol lotion as a soap also. I find the Dermol to be light and quickly absorbed (so not affecting my clothes) and only need to apply it once a day, after a shower. If course, everyone's skin is different, but thought I'd mention it anyway.

The Aveeno lotion I use is the Daily Moisturizing Sheer Hydration. It absorbs immediately and is the closest to "dry" lotion I've ever come across, and it still moisturizes very well.

so glad I came across these posts! I’ve been using coconut oil on my skin for a while now. I cleaned out my closet today and found several pieces of clothing with this strange white powder. I was worried this was mold. Thank you for all the info!!!!

I just want to let everyone who has posted on this thread know that I LOVE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU. I can sleep like a baby tonight knowing my coconut oil is the problem and NOT MOLD. I have been stressing over this issue for over a year. Thank y'all so much! LoL

I'm glad this thread exists and can be found by those (like me, once upon a time) searching out this mystery! Hope you all are safe and well.

Thank you so much!! I have been going crazy for more than 4 years, trying to find out what this stuff is? I had people come and try to fix it, but no one did. I do use cocoa butter. I will stop using it. Stay safe.

Just an update: Since eliminating the use of shea/coconut butter from my "skin routine" I have mostly solved my problem but, as others have noted, the spots will occasionally show up again on some of my "older" pants. The quickest solution for those that I've found is to just toss them straight from the closet to the dryer, and let dryer run for 5-10 minutes, doesn't even have to be at a high temp...voila, remove the pants, and spots are gone!! (They may show up again later, but not until they've been hanging in the closet again after some time)

I have this problem. I live in a very humid climate and I do not use any type of bett3rs on my skin. I find white things on various items and cant figure it out. Some things can’t be washed in hot water so I have to dry clean.

Soledad, please clarify, as I don't understand most of what you said. Are you promoting using cotton, and then it doesn't react with the butters? I have no idea how the silicone comments fit into this discussion.

Happens on cotton for me. Any material really. Have tried all

solutions suggested though this blog. But still put pants In dryer for a few minutes before wearing.

Happens on cotton, polyester on anything. On certain colours you see it more than others obviously. Since the butters are non negotiable I just clean up the items with a wet warm water cloth. It does the trick for me.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this post. Like many, I am hugely relieved to discover that the white spots on my clothing are merely oil stains--not some disastrous mildew problem in the closet, for example.

Question: Has anyone tried RLR Natural Powder Laundry Detergent to remove the oil from clothing? This is a "stripping" agent that I began using recently to strip my baby's cloth diapering materials. The detergent is also recommended more widely for removing residue from all kinds of laundry buildup. Thanks in advance if anyone has feedback on this matter!

This has nothing to do with coconut oil......have been to discover that heat can cause this white stain on black fabric and again the fabrics it self can be the problem. Thanks

This has been happening on my clothing for about 2 years, which coincides with the beginning of making my own body butter that includes coconut oil, beeswax and honey. I did suspect that this might be what was causing the strange film on my clothing (lighter colours and darks as well, and yes mostly on the stretchy-type of material, maybe even only the stretchy. I didn't examine this that closely.) As I too was worried that it may be a kind of mold or mildew, plus that the natural detergent I was using wasn't doing a good job, I washed everything with Tide and a half cup of vinegar per load. It didn't make any difference and now, a week later the film is back. The clothing I wear and wash regularly within a 3 day period do not suffer this problem. Now I will try again with hotter water, baking soda and a good detergent, though I really do not wish to waste a whole lot of water and time again for those items I have already washed. Since it does appear now, from reading the majority of the posts that it is simply residue from the coconut oil, I will simply wash those items in circulation and perhaps do the dryer trick on the others as I come to wear them. As many others have expressed, I would like to thank all who have contributed to this post. You have helped greatly in settling a matter that was beginning to weigh heavily on my heart as I considered for a while that I may have to throw out all of my clothing if I couldn't figure out a solution. Thank you, again. All is much appreciated.

Glad you found the post. Miss my own body butter so much. But clothes no longer have the white residue.

pleased to have found this post. have used body butter for years but problem with dark trousers has got much worse recently, now explained i suspect either build up of product or change of ingredients of either the butter or the eco washing pod i use. Jut tried hairdryer technique and white marks disappeared, be interesting to see how long till it comes back but will now wash in hotter wash. Thanks

I'm so happy to find this thread. I have been seeing white residue on my dark slacks for 3 or 4 years now. I have been using coconut oil on my body every day for years now so if this is the culprit I wonder why it hasn't showed up before now but I will cut out the oil and see if it helps.

Thanks @divandan for posting this question and @rjfrik for your response. were the results of the study published? coujd someone provide citations? that woukd be super helpful.

I can’t believe I only found this forum/discussion now! I have been searching for answers on exactly why my dark clothes have white stains and never would have guessed the culprit-coconut oil!! Thank you for all those who shared this experience , this explanation and solution 😊I actually felt relieved knowing the answer now! Like the rest here, my dark clothes (including dark jeans) have been getting this white stain spots. I have been using coconut oil in my body for years now. I never had this problem until it started to bother me last year that its being widely spread in my dark clothes! My husband’s clothes don’t get any of these (I have been washing his separately because his clothes are dirtier than mine) and so I was wondering why. I tried so many things- changed the detergent, bought silica gel and spread it my drawers, changed drawers, let the closet door open for air circulation, don’t fold the clothes too hot (after drying) nor put it straight to the closet /drawer (let it cool off first), use baking soda in the washer, use distilled vinegar in the washer-none of these work! white stain still re appear! little by little I donated my dark clothes due to this problem! I only kept the ones that I really like , still the left ones get white stain and what I do is just tossed them back to the washer because I just have no words for it! Tonight it got me again! frustrated, upset, so I said to myself -there gotta be an explanation and someone in the planet must have encountered exactly the same as this! and holy molly!!! bam! I found this and the explanation! I was so happy that I told my husband about this forum and finally the case closed! LOL!!! It makes sense-the coconut oil is what’s causing it!!! I hate to give it up because I found that my skin is much softer after using it for years and also I don’t want anymore chemicals in my body hence I switched to coconut oil. But the white stain gotta go, I cant take it ! I’m gonna have to look for a coconut oil alternative that will not cause white stain on my dark clothes. I wrote this to thank all of you peeps who shared the problem and the solution!!!

After all these years I still get excited when someone finds this site and the answer to the mystery. Not that it's funny but I did laugh at the hoops you went through because I remember doing the exact same thing. I was just about to take soil samples from my crawl space thinking there was mold seeping into my closet from below...it is such a relief knowing it wasn't something toxic. Glad you found us.

I too had been having trouble with white residue on my black slacks. And like many others had been using coconut oil on my whole body for years. After finding this thread I stopped using the oil and switched to body lotion. I also stripped my clothes before hanging them back in the closet. Fill a bath tub with hot water then add 1 Cup powdered detergent, 1/2 Cup Borax and 1/2 Cup washing soda. Stir well and then add the clothes. Leave them in the water, stirring occasionally, for at least 4 hours. The water starts to get dark almost immediately. I was afraid it would take the colour out of the jeans but it didn't. After that wring out the clothes and run them through a wash load with just water. It's been about a year since I did this and it seems to be working.

@starfish1948 - like you, it also excites me every time people find this thread and have the same reactions every time :) I get nostalgic thinking of my own discovery of it!

On a related note, some dark blue shorts I have, have been showing white marks recently. But so great to know that it just means that some creams haven't washed out fully, and I can either ignore them or put it through a hot wash with vinegar and baking soda and that'll probably clear it all up. :)

Without the internet in general and discussion boards and internet search it would have not been possible for us to have all gotten together here to at least understand the problem and communicate it to (relatively) so many people. I too am thrilled when I people find this discussion and are able to understand what might be happening to their clothing.

I find there's so much junk on the internet (and I'm in technology) and then there is this beautiful, pristine example of collaboration.

Go TEAM! lol :D

My brother Security pants same thing. Try turning them inside out before wash and dry. Works for me. Good luck.

Wow! I have been baffled dor months as to why this is happening to my clothes- a and mine only. it happens to all of my black and navy pants and umdergarments… panties, bras and camisoles/tanks. nothing happens to my husband’s clothing. your answers anout body butters make perfect sense to me as I have almost exusively used pure shea butter as a moisturizer over the past year. I don’t know what my solution will be. but at least I can now rest easier about the probable causation. Thanks everyone!

Omg!!! i cant believe i found this!! of course after i bought a new washer because i thought that was the issue. shea butter is the culprit for me. i will be reformulating to see if using less shea butter will help aleviate this issue.

Also this may be helpful to some! i reached out to my distrubutor and asked if she had this issue. She said yes and that her and her team use a little dawn dish soap added to their detergent to break down the oils that we are dealing with. i havent tried this yet but i will be! and i will do my best to report back here!! thanks everyone

I too have the white residue only on black, and navy polyester pants and shorts that are hung in the closet - not the shorts that are folded in an wite drawer unit. i do use a body bar (probably has shea butter in it), live in Texas, and the closet is on an outside wall. Is this the same as everyone else - shea butter is the culpret?

I'm glad I found this forum. This is literally the only thing I found that directly addresses this problem. I knew I couldn't be the only one. Since I switched to using shea body butters, I've been having this issue.

After some research, I think I found a solution that has been working so far: Tide Hygienic Clean Heavy 10x Duty Liquid Laundry Detergent & Nature's Miracle Laundry Boost. I chose these two based on reviews that stated how well they work on oil stains. So, I put my clothes on the soak cycle in the washer (using these two products) and let it sit for most of the day (about 6-8 hours) in hot water. Then I wash on the longest cycle in hot water. So far, I have not been getting the white residue after several days like before. I also tried this method with Oxiclean (swapped it for the Nature's Miracle), and it worked pretty well too. A couple of shirts had a small dusting of white residue after a few days that I could easily brush off. Also, I make sure to loosely load my washer; I use around a medium load for a large wash cycle. I'm going to experiment with warm water to see if I can save some energy and help decrease the fading over time. And possibly see if it works without soaking.

This has happened to me. All my clothing was affected - you see the white residue on dark clothing because of the color. I thought it was mold and spend a lot of money having the clothes tested. Not mold. I got new washer and dryer and the problem continued. I changed my detergent - the problem continued. I tried every variation of doing the laundry - I used hot water - no luck. If I put the clothing in the dryer or iron it, then the residue disappears for a day or so, but comes right back.

Finally I stopped my frequent use of shea butter. The problem disappeared within a few weeks. I stopped using shea butter for 3 years. I just started using it again, and the problem started again. I don't know of anyone else who has had this problem. I don't know if it is caused by my chemistry with the Shea butter, but it is the only connection I can find.

This is the only forum I have found that talks about this...in many years.

Firstly, I want to start by thanking EVERYONE on this forum. You guys have added about 10 years to my life expectancy. I was banging my head against the wall, and even bought a new washer (that helped to a degree) but couldn't figure out what was going wrong. I use a homemade blend of Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter and Coconut Oil, it works with my eczema. I'll have to find an alternative that doesn't irritate my skin or a stronger detergent.

THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN!

It is so coincidental to come upon this thread! I was having white shadows appearing on my dark clothes. I could brush off most of the residue from the shadows and wear the clothes, but it suddenly dawned on me a couple of weeks ago to blame the shea butter i had received from Amazon to review.. I stopped using the stuff and noticed that the shadows had diminished or disappeared completely after one or two launderings. I have since dumped the rest of the shea butter into the composting bin, and am happy with Citaphil cream again.

This happens to me too. Black stretchy material pants are getting a fungus/white coating on them after being in the closet for awhile? Kind of scary.

I found this thread a few years back when I used to make my own body cream but like most people here, didn't connect the white stains on my dark clothes with that. It was such a relief to know it wasn't something nasty in my wardrobe.

I make all my own desserts, many of which contain coconut oil, and use a red silicone baking form which is washed in the dishwasher. If I haven't used it for more than a week or so, the exact same white coating appears on it that used to be on my clothes. Same as with the clothes, it always takes a while to appear. Knowing what it is, I don't panic and just rinse it off before using the form again, but I thought it was interesting and wanted to post here as so far I've only ever seen talk about the white stains on fabric.