Why Towels Turn Bright Orange (and How to Prevent It)

Have you ever noticed strange bright orange stains appearing on your towels or pillowcases that won’t wash out? The surprising culprit behind this is often benzoyl peroxide, a common ingredient in acne treatments. Unlike typical stains, benzoyl peroxide doesn’t add color—it bleaches fabrics, causing bright orange or yellow patches where it comes into contact with towels, washcloths, or bedding.

This explains why towels used after skincare routines or pillowcases that brush against treated skin suddenly develop those odd blotches. But benzoyl peroxide isn’t the only offender. Iron-rich water, tinted shampoos, self-tanners, and cleaning sprays containing bleach can also cause discoloration, often subtly at first, then more noticeable after washing and drying.

The good news is that preventing these orange stains is easy. Using white towels specifically for skincare products, allowing treatments to fully dry before coming into contact with fabrics, and installing water filters to reduce iron content can help protect your linens.

If discoloration has already occurred, don’t throw the items away—they can be repurposed for cleaning rags, re-dyed, or carefully bleached back to their original color.

By understanding the cause behind those stubborn orange blotches, what once seemed like a mysterious laundry nightmare becomes a manageable, even solvable, problem.