How do I remove this white residue from my black pants?

Asked by livelaughlove21 (15724) December 12th, 2013 from iPhone

Yeah, yeah. White residue – hardy-har-har. Moving on…

I have a pair of brand new black slacks that I washed for the first time last week. When I removed them from the washer to hang them to dry, I noticed white residue stuck on them that I could scrape away with my fingernail. After they were dry, I stuck them in the dryer for a few minutes to see if that stuff would come off, and it didn’t.

I use liquid detergent, but I thought excess soap may have caused it. So, I washed them again with less soap and a power rinse. The same thing happened. I took a wet rag and got as much of it off as I could and then hung them to dry again. Again, I threw them in the dryer to remove any wrinkles and there was still some residue, and I can’t get it off.

I have an interview today and another tomorrow and these are the only nice pants I have. It’s not fading because they’re brand new. The same thing happened to my jacket, but I got it off of that with the rag.

I’ve had plenty of black dress pants in the past and this has never happened. I don’t use fabric softener, so that’s not it. How can I get it off? Am I going to have to take them to the dry cleaners?