Holes appearing in clothes - can it be the washing machine?

[SunnilyEnough]

Random holes are appearing in all our cotton clothes (T-shirts etc.). Have done some reading online and one theory is that spinning clothes too fast can force the fabric through the holes in the drum and tear it. Is this really true? Anyone else got experience of this?

Bought a beautiful (expensive) dress recently, it too has a hole in it now

A friend of mine was told by the washing machine repair man that she had put too much softner in the machine. Not sure how true that is .

I meant that i dont know if the repair man was right !

Hmm... Found this too - previous mumsnet conversation on same topic

I don't know about washing machines but moths are making a comeback and often people find holes in clothes and discover it's moths.

If it's just happening to cotton that would support that theory.

there's a type that uses cotton to build cocoons.

yes it's true.

Not sure it happens, but my friend's washing machine (used while mine was sulking and wiating for the repair man) peppered three loads of of our clothes with small holes.

She had speant weeks demothing her house convinced she had an infestation, but the fact that my hole free clothes went colander style as soon as they met her machine confirmed that insects were not the issue.

I don't buy the argument that it is larger drum size/ increased spinning speeds at the root of the matter, the first time this happened to my clothes is when I stuck the clothes I was wearing when I fell in the sea in a mate's washing machine and they came out holely.

In 1984.

Before the era of big drums and super high speed spinning.

not sure why it happens...

Moths are bastards & will eat any natural fabrics, I have been plagued with them alll summer & now my clothes live in the freezer.

There has been a huge increase in numbers recently, try some pheromone traps, if you catch any, you have your culprits.

THEN KILL THEM ALL.

Or resign yourself to wearing crimplene for the rest your your life......

I was told that it happens if you put too many clothes in the washing machine at one time.

That makes sense Moanna, the wieght of the clothes not against the metal might push the fabrics closest to the holes through it and stress the threads to breaking point.

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