What Causes Holes in Clothes After Washing

Do you wonder why you keep finding small holes in your clothes? It's a possibility that your washing machine is causing holes in your clothes or it's something you're putting into your washer that's causing the clothes with holes. Read on to discover the reasons this problem appears after you do your laundry, and how to stop it from happening.

7 Reasons Holes Appear in Clothes After Washing

1. Chlorine Bleach

   If you are using too much chlorine bleach or not allowing the bleach to thoroughly mix with water before putting in clothes, holes can appear. 

2. Abrasive Surfaces

   Abrasive surfaces at work or home can snag fabrics and cause small holes. Then washing the fabric makes the holes more evident. Have you gotten a new table, desk, or countertop? Improper installation, faulty finishes, or scratched surfaces may cause uneven areas that catch on fabrics.

3. Belts and Fabric Embellishments

   Is your clothing catching on belts, zippers, snaps, or grommets while you're wearing the garment? Check suspected culprits for rough edges. You may be able to smooth surfaces with a metal file or sandpaper. 

4. Spin Cycle Speeds

   Are you using a final spin speed in your washer that is too high for the type of fabric you are washing? Cotton clothes should not be spun higher than 600 revolutions per minute (sheets and towels can use a higher spin at 1400 revolutions per minute). Jeans should spin no higher than 900 revolutions per minute and delicates and silks should use a 400 revolutions per minute spin cycle. If you don't have your washer manual with this information, call the manufacturer or find one online. Spinning too rapidly can pull clothing into the tiny holes and crevices of the washer drum and cause fibers to wear and tear.

5. Overloading the Washing Machine

   Are you overloading the washing machine? This not only affects the cleaning level of each cycle but can also cause garments to get hooked on zippers, decorations, and buttons on other clothing. Always zip, button, and fasten all clothing before washing and turn items inside out.

6. Bra Underwires

   Are you missing an underwire from a bra? Underwires can get caught between the drum and the side of the washer and then poke through the washer drum holes. You may not feel it when the washer is empty but the agitation of the washer may cause the wire to snag clothing. To remove the wire, you'll have to remove the outer housing of the washer.

7. Dryer Drums

   If you see dark streaks on the fabric that look like burn marks along with small holes or broken threads, check your clothes dryer drum. Remove the outer housing of the dryer and have a helper shine a flashlight at the back of the dryer drum. If you see any light shining through into the drum, you have a problem. If the dryer drum is not perfectly aligned and balanced, fabric can slip between the drum and the dryer housing. This causes the streaks and can tear holes into clothing. 

   Collar tips and hems are the most likely to get caught between the drum and housing.

One Last Thing to Check

If you are sure that you've checked everything and all looks well, take a few minutes to survey your closet. Clothes need a bit of space so if you have everything crammed together, snags from other clothes can happen that get worse after laundering.

It could also be critters eating holes in your clothes. If you see some insects, check them out and then get rid of them. In addition to moths, insects like silverfish, crickets, roaches, and carpet beetles can all cause holes in different types of fabrics.