It has taken me years to discover the cause.
Brown marks on clothes from washing machine. The top cause we see in the field is bra wires and suchlike trapped at the water heating element and coins in the pump filter. While many newer homes contain PVC piping city water is often supplied using iron pipes. I would have expected gunge under the seal as the markings on the clothes that you describe suggest a build up of gunge in the tub is breaking away.
Sludge can build up inside a washing machine when the dirty water doesnt drain away properly. You need to get hold of some washing machine cleaner product something like Afresh. Various attempts to remove these flakes do not produce any results.
The water filling the machine is running clear even before. The water throughout the house was running clear however. Rust spots on clothing can occur for several reasons including.
If you have an HE machine you may need to clean your pump filter. This build up is not brought about by a fault in the machine. I have well water and the filter in the filterwater softener system was not changed for approximately 9 months.
The blotchy marks that are sometimes left on your clothes after youve washed them can be caused by scrud which is a waxy build-up of fabric softener or detergent in the drum of your washing machine. Rust and iron deposits breaking loose within water pipes or water heaters. The sap stains your clothes.
Then they are brown and permanent. It will take more than a hot wash to clean the machine up and stop the deposits on the clothes. Mold often grows when water doesnt dry around a faulty seal and it will leave a stain when clothing touches it.