I recently inspected a home in San Clemente where I found some water stains in a bedroom. On the other side of the wall was the garage where the clothes washing machine was located. I immediately assumed that the washer had something to do with the stains, I assumed that it leaked and the water seeped through the wall and stained the base board next to the carpet. I examined the water hook-ups (the faucets); they looked fine and I started to scratch my head wondering how and where this plumbing might have leaked because there were no stains around the faucets. As I stared at the wall I looked up and there was empty shelving above the area. I looked closer and I saw what appeared to be stains from a liquid making a circle with the circle leading to a drip path down the wall. Bingo! It seems there was a can or bottle of some liquid that at one point leaked out of the container, down the wall, and into the wall cavity and into the bedroom. The container was gone but the stained remained. This explains why my moisture meter showed the area to be dry and free of moisture. Both the home buyer and I were relieved to discover that there was no plumbing leak at all.