Photo: iStock
Is the washing machine to blame?
We all know them, these little holes in our T-shirts, which are mostly in the abdominal area. But where do they come from?
Who once googled a bit through the vastness of the Internet, comes across the most varied explanations for the small nasty holes, which strangely enough always occur near the belly button.
Suggestion 1: The granite countertop is to blame
If we come with the T-shirt within reach of a granite countertop or simply a sharp edge, the surface should be responsible for causing the small holes through friction. This would not explain yet, how children's T-shirts can have these nasty little holes (but the little ones only come up from a certain height), but in the beginning this theory seems to be obvious.
Suggestion 2: The T-shirts hang on buttons and belts
That seems pretty plausible, after all, it can happen to anyone. Especially when belts are elaborately decorated, the t-shirts can hang quickly with the inside. Also, the zipper could be a potential source of danger - especially if the fabric rubs constantly in such sharp-edged places.
Suggestion 3: Moths nibble on the fabric ...
... and especially like the belly button. Because especially in the region down the waist, the holes occur most often. Although we would like to know why it is the stuff on the navel, we have to admit that this explanation seems rather unrealistic. After all, experts know that moths are more concerned with fabrics like wool and silk and are not necessarily after our cheap cotton tops.
Suggestion 4: The clothes stay in the washing machine
Mostly, the holes are only really visible after washing. No wonder the washing machine is one of the most important suspects. A possible explanation: The laundry stays in the drum due to small bumps. That then provides for the holes in the T-shirts. But a large-scale test of the WDR shows: The washing machine or its bumps are only rarely the fault. Mostly the t-shirts are already damaged before and have at least small cracks. These develop then by the swelling of the fibers during washing to holes and fall on more.
Suggestion 5: The quality of the T-shirt is bad
Or is it ultimately only the quality of the T-shirt that determines whether a T-shirt has holes or not?
The result: That's how the little holes get into our T-shirts
The WDR test shows that it is a combination of suggestions 2 and 5. Due to the friction on zippers, belts and Co., the yarn from which the T-shirts are knitted, piece by piece damaged a bit more. In the process, the stitches eventually dissolve. The quality plays a role in that, of course, inferior yarn is more susceptible to damage than higher quality and more resistant yarn.
