Just recently our Kenmore elec. dryer started leaving stains on our clothing. The stains look like the little guy that lives in the dryer and steals socks takes a grease pencil and makes little marks that are from a half inch to 3 inches long. There is usually only one mark on each garment and they are in various locations. We have checked the drum and see nothing obvious that could be causing it. There is kind of a seal thing between the drum and the back of the dryer that looks stained, but I've cleaned it as good as I can and the stains continue. Any ideas, and if you do, is it a diy job?

Go this this web page with "Black Smudges Left on Clothes After Doing Laundry" problem.

http://fixitnow.com/2005/03/black-smudges-left-on-clothes-after.htm

See if this helps

I get the same brown marks and they are from the dryer. The edge of the rotating drum causes them. You can make them yourself by wetting a white towel and pressing it into the edge of the drum. I don't know if it's a seal problem or what. Anyone get it fixed? I'm about to buy a new Non-Kenmore dryer.

We had a retired Kenmore repairman look at it. It was the seal in back of the drum. It was like a $30 replacement seal that had to be glued in place on the outside of the drum. No more stains.

Thanks Joe. Many of the problems here, nobody has successful experience with exactly the same problem. The more reports of what worked, the more everybody knows. I often post what I think will work, even if it is nothing I have done or read about.

I was a little skeptical about the ''its the rollers site''. My 73 Kenmore quit turning because of a badly worn belt. The idler pulley was bad too. I replaced the rollers too, partly became they came as a kit. They weren't in that bad of shape. We raised 2 kids, cloth diapers and all with that dryer. Those rollers were still chugging along over 30 years later. I soured on Sears long ago, but not over that dryer.

I see this problem often. It is bad rollers or bearings depending on the model of your machine. I would replace whatever your dryer uses. What happens is when the clothes are being dried, the drum shifts from side to side by rollers or bearings being worn. And the clothes get stuck in-between the drum and frame of the dryer. Causing them to get stained.