What is happening to my clothes?

[PivotPivotPIVOTTT]

Clean top straight out the washing machine and onto the radiator last night. Have just gone to put it on this morning and there are holes in it (definitely weren't there when I wore it a couple of days ago) and the area around the holes is hard and sticky.

The other day I had a pair of pyjamas that I had to put back in the washing machine as they had the same stickiness on them but I didn't think anything of it until now.

I'm certain this is happening during drying rather than there being a problem with the washing machine.

Please reassure me that I don't have rats or mice

Sounds more like burns / melting - what fabric?

Both items both from Primark so I assume a mixture of polyester and cotton? The sticky area smelled a bit like urine which made me think mice (I also live right beside a field and a neighbour told me they sometimes get mice in the Winter) but the more I think about it I'm wondering if something has been spilled down the back of the radiator (I have a clumsy 7 year old and an 18 month old) which the clothes are sticking to and maybe caused the t-shirt to rip.

I have just hung another washing up so will see if anything else comes off that radiator with the same thing.

Wouldn't it be better to give the back of the radiator a good clean instead of seeing if it ruins any thing else?

The radiators are very close to the wall I can't get my hand down there. I always clean the top of the radiator and as far as I can slide the cloth down the back so if there's anything it will be further down than what I can reach.

Which now makes me think that it's even more likely this is what happened as I usually just tuck my clothes a few centimetres down the back but I wanted to make sure my (long) t-shirt was fully dry in the morning, so I slid it right down so that it was fully covered. I have short radiators and the bottom of my clothes take longer to dry. Am I even making sense?

Also I used old clothes and pyjamas that I don't mind getting ruined for my test. I will do anything to rule out the possiblity of mice

Where there are mice there is mouse poo. No poo, no mice.

It is highly unlikely it's mice. If anything it's moths that leave holes,however they don't leave a sticky residue, so that sounds like a chemical burn,

Can you not remove the radiators from the wall? They’re heavy but reasonably easy to slide off and lay flat to clean.

Obviously this assumes they’re those type!

Could you buy a clothes dryer and put it next to the radiators instead so you don't have to put the clothes directly on them? I feel for you - mystery holes are effing annoying!

I had this - I had just switched to a new washing tablet, and it wasn't dissolving fully in the machine, leaving little bits of the outer shell on the clothes. If it wasn't removed ASAP it left a hole and a very sticky residue.. could it be this?

Agree with Daffodil. I stopped using liquitabs because of the plastic bits being left on clothes.

No poo, no mouse. This is what I keep repeating to myself

I wouldn't even know where to begin with removing the radiator from the wall I can only imagine the chaos I would cause

I would have assumed moths but it was the stickiness and the smell that made me think otherwise.

I already have 3 clothes dryers in different rooms next to the radiators (there's only me and 2 children I have no idea how we have so much washing!!)

But I think Daffodil may have solved it. I'm using Fairy liquitabs at the moment. I've only been using them for the past week or so I usually use the Aldi liquitabs. Actually I definitely think it's this.

No mouse, no moths, no sticky sweets/drinks lurking behind the radiators

Phew! Mouse hunt over and your radiators can stay firmly attached to the walls..!!

You can buy racks that hang on the radiator, saves getting the muck from the back on your clothes

Removing radiators isn't as hard as you might think, you just need a couple of big bowls, a beed key, and some mole grips. Youtube it before you try.

I don't believe it after writing this thread my washing machine has broke! I wonder if maybe it's been on its last legs so it wasn't dissolving the tabs as usual.