What causes small holes in clothes after washing

Has it ever occurred to you one time after finishing washing your clothes and notice some tiny holes on them and you are like OMG! what happened to my clothes? I’ve got holes in them! You don’t have to be so crazy about it though because it is a normal occurrence especially when you wash your clothes in the washing machine. However, you may want to know, why do I keep getting holes in my clothes after washing?

Well, if you have always wanted an answer to that question, you are at the right place because here in this article, detailed information will be provided regarding the possible why you may have holes in your clothes after laundering, as well as providing useful tips on how to prevent tiny holes in the shirt. Keep reading for details.

Why do my clothes have holes after washing?

Well, there are several reasons why you may have holes in your clothes and it’s a good thing that you are probing for answers because if you leave it that way, you will keep getting similar results anytime you wash your clothes. Carefully explained below are the possible reasons you have holes in your shirts.

1. Wrong use of detergent

One thing most people don’t understand about cleaning is that making the right choice of detergent is equally as important as knowing how it can be used. If you have holes in your cloth, it may be because you have misused the detergent of choice. For instance, if you excessively used chlorine bleach or it is under-diluted, it may cause holes to appear on your fabric.

2. Rough surfaces

Sometimes, the holes on your cloth may have been there before laundering but because they are too tiny, you may not have noticed. At times, these tiny holes are caused by sitting on maybe a desk, table, or countertops with rough surfaces and you might not notice until after you washed them.

3. The speed of the spin cycle of your washing machine

At times, the final spin speed we set for our washers may be too high for the clothes we wash in them and this may cause holes to appear on them. If you are washing cotton clothes, the maximum spin speed should be within the range of 600 revolutions per minute, while the spin speed for jeans should not be more than 900 revolutions per minute. When you spin your washer beyond the standard requirement for each fabric, the clothes will be dragged into the crevices and tiny holes of the washer’s drum which may cause them to wear and tear.

4. Overloading the washer

If you overload your washing machine, it will affect both the cleaning cycle and the cloth. Overloading the washing machine may cause clothes to be hooked to the decorations, buttons, and zippers on other clothes. Therefore, before tossing your clothes in the washer to launder, always make sure that they are zipped and properly buttoned so that they don’t end up causing damage to one another.

5. Dryer drums

In some cases, the washing machine may not be the culprit but your dryer. If you notice small holes with dark streaks that looks like burn marks on your fabric, the problem may have emanated from the drum if your cloth dryer. Check the alignment and balacing of the dryer drum because if it is not properly positioned, your clothes will slip between the dryer housing and the drum. And when this happen, steaks will form on your cloth and may also tear.

What causes tiny holes in a cotton T-shirts?

At some point, you may start noticing some tiny holes in your cotton t-shirt and may be completely lost in thought about the possible cause. Trust me, it can be hard to figure out! However, after doing some research I have been able to discover a few possible reasons which will be discussed below.

1. Pant accessories

I don’t know if that is the right word for them though, but that stuff that is normally affixed to your pants like belt buckles, zipper, buttons, studs, and hooks is one of the major reasons you have holes on your T-shirt. When these accessories come in contact with and rub against your t-shirt, they create constant abrasion that may cause your t-shirt to wear and tear.

2. Laundry

Your t-shirt may have tiny holes if you wash them together with other clothes with broken straps, undone zippers, and loose bra fasteners. When your t-shirt comes in contact with these clothing items in a laundry cycle, they may get punctured and holes will be formed on them.

3. Quality of the t-shirt

It may surprise you to know that about 80% of the tiny holes on T-shirts are caused by the poor quality of the fabric. Most T-shirt makers are so obsessed with making is much money that they forget about how important it is to produce products of good quality.  In the bid to increase their purse, they make use of thin fibers,  cheap production, and embark on aggressive dyeing which will affect the quality of the product. Hence, when such clothes are put through constant friction in the washing machine, they start to wear and tear.

4. Moths

After attributing the possible cause of holes on T-shirts to the washing machine, what you should consider next is the possibility of moth infestation. If you are thinking along that line, you are on point because those tiny annoying insects called cloth moths are notorious for that. If the holes on the T-shirt appear irregular, they are the culprit and you can get rid of them by using moth traps or repellants.

Can moths make holes in clothes?

Yes, moths can make holes in clothes. Your closet is the perfect breeding ground for moths for many reasons. Cloth moths create holes in clothes when they eat them and adult moths make holes in clothes when they lay eggs.

Can mold grow on dry surfaces?

Yes, mold grows on dry surfaces. Although it is like molds to grow in moisturizer areas because their spores require oxygen and warmth to multiply. However, there are several species of mold and they require different amounts of moisture to survive. Some of these species require little or no water to survive.

Holes in my clothes but no moths

Well, the moth is not the only reason why you may have holes in your cloth. There are other reasons like washing machines, pant accessories, overloading, and cloth quality. Each of these possible causes has been explained in the previous section.

Can dry cleaning cause holes?

No, dry cleaning does not cause holes in clothes. Dry cleaning is often recommended for dry clean only clothes because the process of stain removal is gentler compared to laundering in the washing machine. Most holes on clothes due to the washing machine is as a result of intense agitation which is absent in dry cleaning.

Can dry cleaners fix holes in shirts?

Yes, dry cleaners can fix holes. In addition to removing stains from fabrics, dry cleaners also make necessary adjustments to clothes like, mending rips and patching holes. However, you should know that amendments often come with extra charges.

Can my washing machine make holes in my Clothes?

Yes, your washing machine can cause holes in your clothes. As explained earlier, spinning your washing machine too fast can force your clothes into the tiny holes and crevices of your washing machine drum. Also, the washing machines can contribute to holes in your clothes if you stuff them with too many clothes at once.

How to prevent tiny holes in shirts

To know how to prevent holes in shirts, we first of all have to find out the possible causes. Since so far in this article we have been discussing possible causes, all we have to do now is bringing those causes forward and processing solutions. Check below for details.

• Washing machine

Your washing machine may be the reason why your clothes have holes for two reasons, overloading and rapid spin.

If yours us because you are spinning your cycle too fast, you can re-adjust the setting to the standard requirement of the fabric. To solve problem with overload, before putting your clothes inside the washing machine to launder, sort them. Separate your delicate T-shirts from other clothes with items like hooks, buttons, zippers, studs and others. And also make sure all buttons and zip are fastened before washing.

• Moths

If after thorough investigation you found out that the cause of the holes on your cloth is due to moth infestation, you can get rid of them by dry cleaning affected clothes. Or you can wash them in the washing machine with bleach or any other detergent that disinfects. Another way you can curb their spread is by setting moth trap or spraying affected clothes with repellant.

• Fabric quality

When you go for shopping always check the quality of the clothes you intend to buy to avoid going home with low grade clothes. You can test the quality of the cloth by slightly pulling the cloth apart if after doing that, there’s loose threads or lint on pulled surface, know that it is made of substandard material.

Curious to learn what causes dark stains on clothes after washing or how to get rid of white marks on black clothes after washing?