Case solved: Where the tiny holes in your shirts really come from – and no, it’s not moths!


Have you ever reached out for a nice top and discovered tiny, mysterious holes in it? It’s such a bummer, eh? But really, where do these holes even come from?! Well, several online sleuths came together to get to the bottom of this and spoiler alert: it’s NOT because of moths.

People have previously pointed their fingers at closet critters such as moths, silverfish, ants, and cockroaches as the suspects for the t-shirt holes. Others argued that the holes are most likely the result of shirts getting caught in washing machines and dryers. But these guesses don’t clarify why the holes are usually scattered in the same area…


While consumers have been scouring the internet for an answer, one woman caught the attention of millions with her TikTok video on the subject. In her footage, she captioned “It’s not moths” and asks why all of her T-shirts have tiny holes in the same spot.

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Image Credit: Reddit

“There are these little holes in the same spot on almost every shirt I own,” reads the second caption in the video before cutting to several different shirts with identical holes.

It quickly garnered over 13.4 million views and thousands of comments from users who correctly theorised the reason behind the peculiar holes. Can you guess what it is?


Video Credit: @starrynoisy


Surprisingly, the answer is a lot more simple than we think – it’s due to friction.

Apparently, the most common cause of pinholes in tops is friction against the metal hardware of our jeans such as buttons, zippers, rivets, and even the tough knots of thread around the fly.

Add the number of times we wear seatbelts, a heavy crossbody bag, or rub against a table to the scenario and the holes are more likely to appear.

The rise of fast fashion or how hundreds of retailers are turning to lower-quality fabric to keep their prices competitive is a major factor as to why these tiny holes in our shirts are more common nowadays.

One textile researcher Elizabeth Easter has spent over 30 years observing clothing quality. She works as a researcher and a teacher at the University of Kentucky, where she set up a textile testing lab in 1988.

Based on the studies she’s conducted, Elizabeth discovered that fabrics have indeed become thinner. “For instance, T-shirts are much thinner or lighter than they were in the past,” she said, referring to two recent studies done by her department.


Are there ways to prevent these holes from appearing? Definitely!

Wearing an apron while working at a countertop will prevent friction between your shirt and the bench. Tucking in your top also helps prevent pesky holes as it stops the fabric from rubbing on your jeans’ button or zipper.

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Image Credit: Pinterest

So, if you’re a fan of the “French tuck” (tucking the bottom of your shirt into the front of your jeans), you’ll be delighted to know that doing so will drastically help reduce the friction that causes these holes.

If you don’t mind shelling out a couple more bucks for your fashion pieces, then getting your hands on high-quality cotton tops will also extend their lifespan.

And if the worst has already happened, you can always stitch them back to life! Don’t throw your tops away just yet!

Did you know that friction causes these tiny holes beforehand? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.

Want to know how you can repair the tiny holes in your t-shirt? Watch the video below:


Video Credit: Encircled
 
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Discovered this fact over 20 years ago when we moved into a house with stone bench tops - seems the zip or button on jeans rubbing against the stone was the biggest culprit!!
 
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I must admit that I did know that about how the holes happen, I have actually noticed it as it was happening. I am just the right height for my jeans to rub on the bench and kitchen sink 😂😂.
 
Wah! I thought it was from low quality short threads China used that broke or wore out quickly.
I hand wash most of my clothes, bcz
I do not hv a washing machine.
No more towels, as I use Body Chamois that take a tiny amount of room and dry quickly on a hanger rack. A laundromat does for big items like sheets/doonas, sneakers and jeans.
 
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A few years back I saw an internet piece about jeans buttons causing holes in tops. That explained a lot! I deal with these pesky holes by covering them with some small sparkly sequins from Ebay. The sequins are tiny plastic domes with a hole on either side. They comes in black and a variety of colours. I sew one across the hole and then sew a smattering of them over the rest of the top, making it look like it was all meant to be there. Recently I bought two new black cotton-knit tops. Very quickly, each developed a hole caused by the jeans button. I sewed coloured tiny sequins across the holes and spread some over the front of the shirts. They now look fabulous with their bits of shiny colour on the black background. Instead of having two tops I cannot wear, I now have two lovely unique tops with a new life ahead of them. It’s probably taking the easy way out, but it works.
 
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Those little holes used to be my friend! My husband would wear his clothes till they literally fell off him (he's even been known to retrieve things I had binned!!) If I could show him the holes, that I said were unrepairable, he would grudgingly agree that they had to go! It was nothing for him to keep clothes 15, 20 years or more. I might, if I'm truly honest, have been guilty in the past of putting some of those little holes there myself!!:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 
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Discovered this fact over 20 years ago when we moved into a house with stone bench tops - seems the zip or button on jeans rubbing against the stone was the biggest culprit!!
SEAT BELTS are the culprits!! My clothes do not suffer the problem of developing those rotten little holes in the way described, and it has taken me bloom in’ ages to work out the problem! Today, in a flash of Divine Inspiration, the answer became clear. It is SEAT BELTS that make these wretched tiny “friction holes” in my lovely clothes!! For me, it is more prevalent at the belt lap-connect point when clipping in the buckle!
Please announce this discovery to all other sufferers.
Now, how to fix as I am not a sewing person, and pieces of iron on tape show through. May hv to buy little iron hearts or animals instead?!!😁
 
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