Help! mystery holes in tops/t-shirts

[arfur]

Have noticed for a while small holes in my tops/t-shirts around the area of the belt buckle and assumed it was catching but have ruled that out. Have inspected areas around home that I could possibly be catching this area on like worktop in front of sink etc but can find nothing. Yesterday I wore brand new top for first time and have just taken it out of the washing machine to find about 10 small holes in the bottom centre of it!!! Definitely not the belt/jeans I wore with it yesterday. Could my washing machine in some scary way be targeting only this area of my clothes. Driving me insane and am v about new top! Any help/ideas please??? PS no one else in family's clothes affected?!?!

[DooinMeCleanin]

Is it the zip of your coat? This kept happening to me and I couldn't work out why.

I later realised I was catching my baggier tops in the zip of my coat.

[Arw26]

Just been through the wardrobe again. I've narrowed it down to two high-street retailers I frequent, but there are probably others. One top I've only worn a couple of times. I'm finding it difficult to trace importers. I think we need a proper enquiry.

[RosieQ66]

I have had this problem since I stopped work a year ago due to 2 operations. I can tell you I wasnt wearing a belt, as I stayed in pjs or trackies... It wasnt the car seat belt as I was unable to drive for a while... It wasnt bleach or any cleaning product as I wasnt in the kitchen as my family did a majority of the work...
I can tell you that I think its the laptop. It would sit on my lap for hours a day, even when I was watching tv and I would see facebook updates. I dont wear new tops at laptop anymore and it doesnt happen. I bought a top to do a test and by that night it commenced to have little holes!! Within a few days it had about 10 holes! so there it was! Laptop was doing it!! So its made me think... what else is it doing to my body???

[littledawley]

OMG - I always get this and have always assumed it was my belt. Whistles tops seem to be worst affected

[0liverb0liverbuttface]

You're right hairbearbunch it is definitely zips. Make sure that you always do up zips and top buttons (so the zip doesn't come down whilst it's being washed) then you don't get the holes.

[scrotey]

Having ruined nearly ALL my tops for over a year now, and so today, after ironing all of them and reviewing the damage, I decided to google holes in tops and came up with this discussion! I am gobsmacked! How can there be so many of us???
I have ruled out belts, cleaning fluid, tummy touching cleaning fluids on sinks orwork tops etc, washing machines, tumble driers, pets, lap-tops...what else can it be?
My tops are from Gap, White Stuff, Marks and Spencer some other random places - including some nice second hand tops bought on ebay which then got ruined when I wore them!
WHAT IS IT???
Are you all from the UK by the way?

[CarrieOakey]

I get this too and not just my tops but DH's too. Not so the the DCs

[megcleary]

I have decided mine are caused by my zip as I lean against the sink washing up. I know tuck tshirts in while I wash up fingers crossed it has improved.

[bananapirate]

yep, I started a thread about this once.
Still have no answer

megcleary, that could be the answer.
Mine are never tucked in.

[shellymelly]

I have the same problem when I wear jeans, it doesn't happen if I wear trousers or leggings.
I have ruined loads of lovely tops due to this. After reading other comments i am now convinced that the small holes are due to the stiff part of the denim where the stitching and button hole is, rubbing against the material of the t shirt when I am wearing a seatbelt. I dont think it helps when you have a little bit of a muffin top and your tummy does not lie flat (like mine)!!
I am going to do some experiments and lift up my tops when I go out in the car if I am wearing jeans or start wearing crop tops or stop wearing jeans!!

[airwalk135]

OMG
I cant believe this!! I had no idea this was a common prob!! I have had this prob for over 10 years!! I can rule out the belt because i dont wear them...i can rule out counter tops because i am paranoid about stains when i clean, so i purposefully never lean on counters. ..and i do not use harsh chemicals..only enviro friendly. It only happens on my shirts on the bottom front center, just like everyone else here..so it CANT be bra straps or zippers tumbling in the dryer because if it was that it would be on other pieces of clothing not just shirts and in different places. THATS the creepy part is that its in the exact same spot every time. AND ...i just moved in with my in laws and it still happens to me all the time...but not to my mother in laws clothes and we are using the same washer and dryer!! So what....is the washer or dryer selectively picking who's clothes and where!! lol And i can rule out cheap tops....i don't really wear cheap clothing its defiantly not that. And they only seem to pop up when i take a fresh shirt out to wear..its not like i notice it after wearing it all day and i did something during the day to rip them ..its only freshly cleaned clothes. They did not go into the washer like that! And the seats belts are an interesting idea but ridiculous. Seat belts are smooth and it would cause tuns of friction to cause holes...and these holes are pretty small...a large belt like that would not cause holes the size of a pea. If it were that, every single person would have this . THIS IS DRIVING ME NUTS!!! WHAT IS IT!!

[KasiaC]

It's the metal button on your jeans rubbing against a stone kitchen bench top. Tested and confirmed, cost me 10 tops....

[Dad2CH]

Yes same problem here. Suspect there may be more than one cause.

In my case cause of mystery holes traced to edge of enamel bath.

Underside of the lip of the bath is rough like sandpaper. When I bathed my kids the shirt fabric was trapped between my jeans button and the rough edge of the bath and a hole was 'sanded' into it. I now wear an old t-shirt when bathing the kids. Too many holes in it to count now!

Hope this helps some people.
Dad2CH

[ExpectantMumofLilo]

Sounds like your/someones bra may be catching in the washing machine. They tend to catch around the seam of t-shirt where the fabris is heavier.

[stephanie712]

Hello

Yes, it happened to me and my husband. I sent one t-shirt back to XXX, holes after one wear and wash (it cost £70) and they eventually refunded me. My husband took 11 t-shirts back to a very well-known High Street store, all with holes round the navel, most bought for a holiday in July and worn only on that. Holes appeared after first wash. The store refused to refund, blaming zips/belt.

It is ABSOLUTELY a manufacturing flaw - possibly the plastic ties used to join bundles of shirts/fabric, often only obvious after washing, when presumably the stretch a bit.

How can we make the store accept this, though?????

[Daddypigsgusset]

Argghhhhhh as if its not only me! I thought it was moths hanging about at the bottom of the clothes.
I don't have a dryer
I never wear jeans or belts. Ever. Don't own any
Can't see it being seat belt. I drive a lot but it's smooth?
I buy most of my stuff from h and m so could be cheap stuff but even the few dear tops I have, it happens to.
Drives me mad and I'm reluctant to buy clothes lately because I don't want holes in

[alemci]

yes it is definitely getting worse. Most of the materials are so shoddy and thin and if you are lucky cotton as oppose to viscose.

I have some of that betterware powder stuff that you are meant to sprinkle on and iron to repair the holes, anyone used this as i have thrown away the instructions.

it shouldn't be happening though.

plus bobbling knitwear which goes like that the minute you wear it.

shoddy, shoddy, shoddy is what I say. old tat for mega bucks

[Daddypigsgusset]

Bobbles drive me mental too! At least they can be debobbled though, holey tops just get binned :-(

[DearPrudence]

I get them too. Don't wear belts, don't use cleaning fluid on kitchen worktops. I've put it down to sitting at desks/meeting tables at work - the seat belt theory is a new one on me though...

[jodles38]

Arghhhhhh I get this tooo!! Most of my tops are from White Stuff and noticed someone here also buys from there. Have tried everything, am totally perplexed. It happens in ALL my tops that are tunic style, i.e baggy and long :S But not other styles and no one else in the family is affected. Driving me CRAZY!!!!!

[chrisjones]

This IS the answer....IF you hang your clothes over radiator .
Silverfish !
You generally don't see these little bugs anyone due to housing being less damp....but I remember in our first flat years ago, we used to get them in our cutlery draw and plate cupboard.
They love damp conditions and they eat cotton....don't believe me...Google silverfish and holes in clothes.

[MortifiedAnyFuckerAdams]

Mine are always on the sides, just behing the seam, right at the bottom. Then I realised thats where Im always pulling my tops down, quite unconciously.

Do you adjust/pull your top down using that spot at the front¿

[Laurataboo]

After lots of reading and experiments I KNOW what causes the holes. It is the edge of a hard work top AND the jeans button. Put that Holey T shirt on back to front with a pair of jeans and rub along the work top a few times. Only did this for a few seconds before the material wearing thin & a small hole appearing. Not the seatbelt, animals, children, chemicals,washer, dryer or pulling your top down. So an apron wouldn't work but tucking in your T-shirt when at the work top should. Try for yourself!

[juliasn]

I had a new kitchen installed just over 6mnths ago and since then I have 6 new T shirts all with little holes in, they r a thin material, I was gonna take the first T shirt back to the shop thinking it was a fault with them but it must be the granite/quartz worktop that has 2 bevilled edges. I don't know if getting the edge rounded off would solve the problem, I don't want to put an apron on every time I go into the kitchen, even if I just want to wash my hands. I don't want to wear old T shirts all the time in the house. Has anyone solved this problem of the granite worktop? I have just phoned the kitchen company about the tap falling into pieces and he said he hadn't heard of this, i'll research it more, he needs to look on mumsnet etc!

[juliasn]

just read that some of other peoples tops were from white stuff, yeah lot of mine are, the material is so thin.