Anonymous wrote:Is it the case that the quality of Ts is worse now? I don't remember this from when I was a teen/in my 20s.

Yes. The quality is worse. This topic has come up before and people have made more technical observations about the state of the cotton industry and fast fashion.

Many people who write in about this never had it happen in 30 years or more of shirt wearing, then it happened to them, they thought it was something they were doing. Then they find a thread like this and discover it's industry-wide.

The first time I learned I was not alone was in the comments section of a WaPo article about problems in the women's fashion industry. There was a person who called it "belly button rot". I got a good laugh out of that. At that time, the shirts with problems mostly started near the hemline, particularly where the jeans placket ended in a point/corner near the button.

Anonymous wrote:I've read that the holes can also be caused by washing shirts in the same load as things with metal zippers that are unzipped, so jeans, hoodies, etc...I try to remember to zip everything up before washing now but I don't know if it really has made a difference

I do this, but hasn’t stopped the holes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My SIL calls these "inside" shirts. She puts one on the minute she gets home, which helps preserve the tees that don't have holes yet.

She sounds incredibly cheap.

DP but sounds smart to me 🤷‍♀️

I've read that the holes can also be caused by washing shirts in the same load as things with metal zippers that are unzipped, so jeans, hoodies, etc...I try to remember to zip everything up before washing now but I don't know if it really has made a difference

I started buying Hanes womens Nano t-shirts and don’t get the holes in those. The vast majority of my “nicer” t-shirts that are thinner and actually drape nicely on my body get the holes. The Hanes t’s are just sturdier.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:recycle at H&M. Interesting thing I read is that those little holes at waist in front are frequently caused by standing at kitchen sink with granite countertops causing them. not sure if that's what caused mine, but cannot figure out why i always get those.

OP here and fwiw, we no longer have granite countertops and I still get the holes in most every t-shirt. I think it's caused by the buttons on pants rubbing against any kind of counter, and/or seatbelts. Drives me nuts!

I don't have granite countertops and do very little food prep or dishes and still get the holes. it's mostly in thinner T-shirts, or at least those get them much quicker.

Anonymous wrote:My SIL calls these "inside" shirts. She puts one on the minute she gets home, which helps preserve the tees that don't have holes yet.

She sounds incredibly cheap.

Indoor, workout, rags, experimental toddler clothes/patches, doll clothes

Anonymous wrote:I wear them to sleep, workout in, and clean the house. Eventually I toss them, but usually only after they get so ratty that I'd feel uncomfortable answering the door in them.

Me too.

Anonymous wrote:recycle at H&M. Interesting thing I read is that those little holes at waist in front are frequently caused by standing at kitchen sink with granite countertops causing them. not sure if that's what caused mine, but cannot figure out why i always get those.

FYI - I used to recommend (and recycle) at H&M as well but it seems they don’t really recycle the textiles. See quote below. I now take textiles to the boxes at the Montgomery County Transfer Station which is less convenient. They partner with a group that recycles (allegedly).


“In January 2023, two Swedish reporters decided to hand in ten H&M garments to one of the chain’s many collection boxes in Sweden. To explore what actually happens with the clothes, they equipped all garments with Bluetooth-driven air tags to be able to trace their journey.

After five months of intense tracking, none of the garments had ended up at any of their partner’s sorting stations or recycling facilities, as promised by H&M. Instead, several garments had managed to travel across the globe, ending up in landfills in countries such as Ghana and Benin. These are known as some of the worst dumping grounds in the world. In Ghana alone, a total of 314 000 kilos of clothes, approximately over one million garments, have been dumped by H&M’s partners this year.”

Belt making holes?

Anonymous wrote:recycle at H&M. Interesting thing I read is that those little holes at waist in front are frequently caused by standing at kitchen sink with granite countertops causing them. not sure if that's what caused mine, but cannot figure out why i always get those.

OP here and fwiw, we no longer have granite countertops and I still get the holes in most every t-shirt. I think it's caused by the buttons on pants rubbing against any kind of counter, and/or seatbelts. Drives me nuts!

Mine also get them, but I dont think it's a granite counter thing.

I keep them too. I also change into comfy clothing as soon as I get home, so those qualify or I wear them as undershirts under a sweater in the winter.

Anonymous wrote:Is it the case that the quality of Ts is worse now? I don't remember this from when I was a teen/in my 20s.

how much time were you spending at the kitchen counter as a teen/young adult.

Is it the case that the quality of Ts is worse now? I don't remember this from when I was a teen/in my 20s.