I have an older Frigidaire dryer. Clothes, light colors naturally, are coming out with brown stains (mostly in a streak or stripe but sometimes in a larger smudged area). Are the clothes possibly getting stuck around the drum or is there some other problem? Help!! Thank you!!

check the drum on both ends to see if the felt wore down or ripped,when this happens your clothes can get into the space and causes the marks on your clothes,also check to see if anything is on the drum,door or back wall,anywhere that the clothes can touch as they spin in the dryer but most likely there's a worn out felt on the drum and clothes are slipping though the space

Liquid fabric softners usually cause spots and/or marks on light colored clothing . If you rewash the clothing and the marks dissapear , then try using dryer sheets instead . However , if you have an older dryer , then clothing could be getting rubbed between the rear drum seal and panel , but that would cause streaks but no spotting .

This sounds like the infamous "Frigidaire Flaw" (they make some of GE's washers). The likely culprit is that the bearings on the drum's spindle are leaking.

To diagnose, call a repair man, or pull it out and remove the back cover. If you see brown streaks from the center spindle - that's it.

Repair is cheap if you can do the work yourself (inner and outer bearings), but $300+ for a technician

Eat more fiber!

ck rear (or front if it has one)drum seals they tend to develop rust stains over time the rust comes off on clothes leaving brown streaks ..seals will need to be replaced although you may try a bleach and water solution first drum will need to be removed to replace seals

is it possible that something was left in a pocket that ended up in the dryer check inside the dryer for any ink gum or stains inside the drum because there is no way the dryer left these stains other than from something you accidentally put inside

rear seal on drum needs replacing front 1 too if it has one the felt seals tend to turn brown and the "rust"will come back off on clothes leaving brown streaks

The cause of these stains is worn seals. Over the course of time debris & chemical residues left from the wash process are deposited into the drum seals. The continual heat applied to these residues causes a reaction which turns the seals a reddish brown in most cases. The time this takes varies with the amount of laundry done. Clothing is then brought into contact as they tumble in the dryer. To remedy the problem you will have to replace the seals on the drum.

Each manufacturer has different designs so what is involved is determinant on the manufacturer. The most common domestic manufacturers are Whirlpool, GE, Frigidaire. Most of the brand names seen in stores are derivatives of these. This includes Maytag. It was purchased by Whirlpool in 2006 who has been incorporating their design into Maytag since. Only the Maytags since 2006 have the Whirlpool design. In 2006 they were still selling the old Maytag stock while retooling to manufacture the Whirpool design so you have to tread carefully when determing what you have if purchased in 2006 & possibly into early 2007.

Whirlpool--Some other derivatives--Roper, Kitchenaid, Estate, Kenmore.

Frigidaire--Westinghouse, White-Westinghouse, Gibson, Kelvinator, Tappan, Magic Chef, Electrolux

GE--Hotpoint. GE also manufactrurs some appliances by using off-the-shelf designs. As an example some of their dryers use a GE--Frigidaire derivative.

This is not meant to be a comprehensive list. It is also not meant to say they are all equal as long as you buy any brand from that particular manufacturer. The reason for having so many different brands is that while you incorporate some basics of design similarity you can also add or subtract features to have a particular brand serve a niche in the marketing scheme.

To all victims of the brownish colored streak marks: I share your frustration!!! I have the same problem with my dryer which started when my dryer was only 3 or 4 years old - - totally unacceptable for an expensive top of the line dryer! A repair guy showed me how the brownish streak marks come from the felt liner which goes around the drum. Look inside your dryer for the beige or tan colored felt which sticks out around the circular drum. If you rub the felt with an old white t-shirt or paper towel, you will see the same brownish colored marks. My repairman recommended getting the felt replaced eventually, but until then, he gave me the following tips which really help avoid getting the streaks: For white or light colored clothes susceptible to the brownish streak marks: I dry these items as part of a very lightweight dryer load - with just a few other lightweight items. By doing a small lightweight load, clothing is less likely to get caught up & rub against the felt edges. For example, I dry 4 light colored men's dress shirts with 2 or 3 other lightweight shirts. OR for white or light colored athletic "dry fit" type athletic apparel, I dry 6 - 8 total lightweight shirts/shorts. If I throw my white Nike top or white pair of summer pants into the dryer with all my "whites", they will be doomed to getting brownish streaks due to the heavy load pushing them against the darned felt liner! Whenever possible, I wash susceptible items on permanent press to avoid wrinkling, then hang dry. Prior to putting these clothes in the dryer, I also "pre-clean" the felt with an old white cotton t-shirt by reaching into the dryer and rubbing along the felt edges until I'm not getting as much brownish color on the t-shirt rag. For a permanent fix, call a repairman or see the following do-it-yourself YouTube video on "Dryer Repair - Replacing the Lower Front Drum Felt Seal": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoYP_YsGP68 . I have a repair person coming today to fix 2 other appliances, so I'm finally getting my dryer fixed, and I will post an update soon.

The 417 dryers have two seals on the front panel, the top seal has drum glides which wear down over time. Because the drum rests on those glides, when it wears down it leaves a gap between the drum and the seal, clothes will drag in that gap and come out with rust and/or seal adhesive stains. Try replacing the top and lower seals, this works most of the time...sometimes though, if left unattended long enough, the lack of support from the front glides causes too much strain on the rear drum bearing, and even after replacing the seals clothes may still catch, although the brown spotting will stop for awhile. You can feel the gap if you run your hand along the inside of the drum at the seal point.