Mystery Solved: This Is Why Tiny Holes Appear In T-Shirts

It’s one of the great mysteries of the modern world – where do those tiny holes in the front of t-shirts come from?!

There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to their appearance, and they don’t seem to discriminate – expensive tees and cheap and cheerful tops all seem to fall victim to the pesky little holes. It’s such a strange phenomenon. The holes always appear in the same spot; in the middle of the lower belly. But just how do they get there?

We decided to ask our Mouths of Mums community to help us solve the mystery – and we had literally thousands of responses!

What causes tiny holes in t-shirts?

Here are some of the most common reasons the MoM community gave:

Silverfish
Rubbing on bench tops
Seatbelt friction
Zipper friction
Moths
Washing machine abrasion
Ants
Belt friction
Pegs
Dryer
Cockroaches
Delicate threads
Getting caught on bra hooks in the washing machine

While theories about critters gnawing away at t-shirts abound, it just doesn’t seem plausible. Why would moths and silverfish all choose to attack tees in the EXACT SAME SPOT?! It doesn’t make sense, and therefore we can probably discount that theory.

What about the washing machine and dryer? Some have suggested that the tops can get caught in the small holes of the appliances as they spin around. But, again, why always in the same spot? We’re not convinced this is the reason.

The peg theory doesn’t fly either – because I never peg my t-shirts in the middle of the belly area, only at the sides.

So, what does cause the little holes in t-shirts then?

The most likely cause is friction of some kind. It could be from rubbing against bench tops, or seatbelts. But most likely it’s probably from zippers and buttons.

Bayard Winthrop, the founder and CEO of basics brand American Giant, told TODAY that part of the tee is a prime spot for abrasion.

“The fabric there is (rubbing) against the hardware: your belt, the tops of your jeans, all points of wear. The friction, repeated over time, has caused the fabric to deteriorate. The real culprit here is often the T-shirt fabric itself. The garment itself might be produced as cheaply as possible, cutting costs where possible. Bummer, right?”

How to avoid little holes in t-shirts

So, now we know the cause, how do we stop the little holes in t-shirts from appearing? Here are a couple of ideas:

Tuck your t-shirts in (luckily this is on-trend!)
Wear an apron when working at the kitchen bench
Buy high-quality cotton tops

So there you have it! Do you agree with this theory? If not, let us know in the comments below.

66 Comments

- - tessie said
  - 22 Oct 2022
    12:37 pm
I used to think it was silverfish but it only ever happened on tops that I wore a lot. I had others in the same area but they weren’t affected and they weren’t cheap ones either. Friction makes much more sense.

- - WilFox said
  - 22 Oct 2022
    9:37 am
Omg! This holes frustrate me. Mine pop up under the arms, at the bottom of shirts, even on the chested part of clothes that haven’t been worn out yet! I have never had any of these holes appear so consistently before until I moved into my new built home 5yrs ago.
I am stumped to what causes the holes, and always assume its the tiny moths.

- - mom101628 said
  - 22 Oct 2022
    12:08 am
Personally, I think it is the seat belt in the car chafing the t-shirt across the tummy and on to the belt buckle, pants zipper or whatever. We are all driving a lot more than we used to do when we never had those annoying little holes, aren’t we?

- - mom489365 said
  - 21 Oct 2022
    9:40 pm
Good read, but I found all mine happen from the bench top washing dishes or being at the sink. Putting on an apron definitely helps.

- - mom223151 said
  - 21 Oct 2022
    8:56 pm
Interesting article. Now it makes sense with the tiny holes in my tee shirts.

- - karen t said
  - 21 Oct 2022
    8:35 pm
Omg I thought I was the only one having this problem. I think it is one of my jeans, I’m thinking that they may have an unusually rough zipper.

- - mom485340 said
  - 21 Oct 2022
    8:35 pm
It’s so annoying!!! I really should just get out an apron as I’m sure my bench is the culprit!

- - meedee said
  - 14 Sep 2022
    11:07 am
make sure you use a laundry bag so that you dont have to worry about bras damaging other items in the wash

- - Mumoftwo said
  - 10 Jun 2022
    11:55 pm
This was always thr washing machines fault but now I have other things to blame aswell.

- - My Littlebuttons said
  - 05 Jun 2022
    11:27 am
Yes I have had to throw out some tshirts due to this happening I always thought it was from the clothes dryer usage

- - Zmijka86 said
  - 03 Jun 2022
    1:28 pm
I was always blaming washing machine…

- - mom400215 said
  - 02 Jun 2022
    8:25 pm
I’ve always wondered about this ????

- - Sevinc68 said
  - 01 Jun 2022
    6:57 am
I think mine is due to my dryer also I’m quiet clumsy so it could be me walking into things.

- - mom461384 said
  - 13 May 2022
    3:11 pm
I think seatbelts is one of the most reasonable theories. Seatbelts can cut people’s skin so it wouldn’t surprise me that this would be highly possible!

- - romvar said
  - 02 May 2022
    1:23 pm
Interesting! I have always thought they were silverfish.

- - Forgetful Mumma said
  - 02 May 2022
    1:02 pm
I did mention it was probably the material itself. This only happens on my tops that seem to be more of a thicker knit type material, than my cheaper cotton polyester blends.

- - rovermum said
  - 02 May 2022
    10:26 am
Yayyyyyyy… thanks for addressing this. For years I’ve wondered what it was. I didn’t think it was any kind of bug due to the location but agree some friction with the button or similar.

- - sharna_booth_weinrowski said
  - 02 May 2022
    7:49 am
ewwww i hope not bugs!
- Mum2archer replied
  
  22 May 2022 , 11:11 pm
  I know! I thought the same thing
- - Bitsnbobs said
  - 02 May 2022
    7:45 am
I’m pretty sure mine are from my front loader washing machine. I didn’t have this problem prior to getting one. The spin speed on cotton setting is very strong and I think they get caught in the little holes in the drum. That’s just my theory anyway!

- - Mom466555 said
  - 02 May 2022
    7:30 am
Eep hope it’s not bugs lol