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| My husband and I have been perplexed for over a year with this mystery, and it finally occured to me that the laundry experts at GW might know the answer for us!
We are finding small holes - maybe 1/4" across - on my husband's t-shirts (both underwear-type Ts and clothing-type Ts) and on the cotton lining of my, ahem... unmentionables. It only happens to all-cotton knits that aren't "beefy". It occured to me that perhaps they were getting snagged in the washer because I do have some chips on the enamel of the wash tub. But wouldn't I be seeing holes and snags on other garments? I'm not. We did a Google search about cotton-eating insects. Now DH is convinced that we have crickets eating the laundry, but I've assured him we do not have crickets in the basement. Spiders, yes - crickets , no. (We had crickets in the basement of the house I grew up in, and they don't hide for a year. You do see them - or a corpse - eventually.) Is it a body oil thing? The holes on the Ts are very random, they can be anywhere on the shirt and don't show up in the same spot on every T. I generally do laundry once a week so things can sit for 5 or 6 days. I have a TL, use All detergent, and only occasionally use bleach if that info means anything. So what do you say, laundry experts? Any ideas on solving the mystery of the holey cottons? Nicole |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Looks like you answered your own question, it is only on the lite fabrics. Panty-hose syndrome. One little thread breaks and it looks like 50 went. I think from reading your post I have finally figured out where those little t shirt holes are coming from. I usually, 80% of time get the holes at waist level, that is where you tend to rub against say a rose plant in the yard. Now the trap is set, what has happened is one tiny little thread has broken. when you wash and tumble dry the hole is born. Tucking in your shirt will do it. A tiny bit of chemical splashed on cloth can eat through the thread, or dry on it only to be re-activated in the water and eat a hole causing one to think it is the machine. I recently epoxied the garage floor because chemicals were eating holes in the cement, half inch deep. Holes are just inevitable. You can even buy a new shirt with a thread already broken. I am getting much less fraying in the H-Axis then I got with the agitator, which I would mostly notice around the collar. |
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| This would be a good explanation if the poster was doing her gardening in her underwear. Are the holes only in natural fibers (like cotton) and not in poly? If so, then insects are not a bad hypothesis, though more likely moths than crickets. Try moth balls (which repel many insects, not just moths) in or near your dirty cloithes hamper. - DR |
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- Posted by nigel-bigel(gw:nigel-bigel) onSat, May 13, 06 at 11:44
| Moths eat cotton? Who knew! Thanks for your feedback... Nicole |
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| Maybe just the vegan moths:-) They also use the cotton fibers to make their pupal cases. - DR |
Here is a link that might be useful: Clothes moths
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| Do you leave any zippers open? Maybe they snag on clothes. |
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- Posted by nigel-bigel(gw:nigel-bigel) onTue, May 16, 06 at 1:00
| Thanks for all of your feedback! I read about those clothes moths and they creeped me out - I don't think that is my problem because the holes don't seemed so irregularly shaped. However, I'm heading down to the laudry room to go double check! Thanks again, Nicole |
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- Posted by bettyfriedan (My Page) on Wed, Jul 12, 06 at 9:02
| Nigel-Bigel - you are not alone! Since the last time I did laundry, I've found five pairs of underwear with mysterious holes! I am completely baffled, particularly because they seemed to appear so suddenly. These were some of my favorite pairs, too. In case anyone has any more advice on the subject, here are some facts: *Holes are only appearing in cotton or cotton-lined underwear. Some pairs were under a year old, some were a few years old. *Holes are completely localized in the most unmentionable of unmentionable regions. In one case, the holes appeared in the cotton lining, but not in the cotton outer layer! (You can see why this is getting spooky.) *The holes don't look chewed - more like something in the fabric had a reaction and just dissolved. I've been using the same bottle of concentrated laundry detergent for months. *No moths in the laundry or mice in my drawer, although there are probably mice in the house. (I am a college student living in a house with 11 other people, go figure.) Any advice would be greatly appreciated; this is absolutely the weirdest phenomenon I ever hope to have with my laundry. |
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- Posted by Jason Hirsch(hirsch@inorbit.com) onSat, Jun 30, 07 at 12:22
| Betty- My wife and I just noted this in some of her garments. I too said simply it was a snag, and so she threw another shirt at me- and these holes are the size of a quarter. It does indeed look as if the fabric has just dissolved. We don't use alot of chemicals around the house but I'm going to grab an old tshirt and test them all. |
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- Posted by caflaherty (My Page) on Wed, Jul 23, 08 at 7:23
| I think I've figured something out about this, though it's only a theory. Before I get to that, I have to say that I felt so validated when I came across this discussion, because I have been experiencing this phenomenon in my home for the past couple of years as well. And like many people, I also assumed at first that something in the laundry had snagged the clothes, but even after controlling for that possibility (by thoroughly inspecting the inside of the washer and dryer and washing all zippered items separately) the holes kept occurring. Besides, as someone pointed out above, if there were something sharp in the machine, it wouldn't be only one item in the whole load of laundry getting snagged. And these are clearly not snags--the edges of the hole don't fit together as if the fabric had merely been ripped; there's actually a hole, as if someone took a scissors and cut a piece out of the garment. And the sizes are inconsistent. Some are tiny pinholes, others as big as a coin. It happens only in the all-cotton knit garments, like t-shirts. Anyone who suggests this is chemicals or snags is not understanding what we're describing, because I really don't use harsh chemicals in my house or laundry, don't use bleach, and this is happening mostly with clothes from my daughter's closet (and she is most certainly not coming into contact with cleaners or chemicals, as they are kept well out of her reach). Furthermore, if I ever had contact with such chemicals it would be an infrequent occurrence, while the appearance of these holes is quite regular, so that doesn't really add up. It's also quite sudden; a shirt I just bought my daughter five days ago and which she wore only once came out of the laundry last night with an enormous hole in the middle of its back as well as several smaller holes in other places. There was nothing in that load of laundry that would have snagged it, and no sharp surfaces in the washer or dryer. Plus, I think I would have seen a hole like that when I put the shirt into the hamper, as I usually inspect her clothes for stains before throwing them in. It occurs to me that this is true most of the time: I don't notice these things when the clothes go in the hamper, but I notice them when they've been cleaned and dried. I've come to the conclusion that the moths (or whatever they are) may very well be living in the hamper rather than in my closets and drawers, which was my original thought. And the more I think of this, the more it makes sense. I read that the clothes-eating moths are mainly attracted to dirty clothes, especially those that have sweat and/or urine on them. Where are your dirty clothes? In your closet or in your hamper? And I hate to be indelicate, but this would explain the tendency that some people have pointed out other postings; that when they find these holes in their underwear, it's only in one particular area. #1: the thin, cotton liner in ladies' undies is a little thinner material and easier to chew through than the rest of the underwear, and #2: that's where there would be a higher concentration of perspiration and traces of urine, which are the very smells and flavors the moth is most attracted to). And if these laundry-eating pests are indeed living in our hampers, where the dirty clothes are all balled together, things that have traces of sweat or urine are pressed against all of the other clothes, which means other clothes can end up soiled with these substances even if they weren't when they went into the hamper. Obviously then, the longer the dirty clothes wait around in that environment, the more opportunities the moth (or other pest) has to eat them, so if the wash is done every day or every other day, there may be less incidence of holes. I generally wait until the hamper fills up before I do the wash, and this would give the moths lots of time to make holes--and also explain why there are holes coming out of the laundry that weren't there going in. I think I will wash the lining of the hamper (and buy some bleach for this task, since I don't usually use the stuff, but it seems appropriate here) and then put some sacks of moth balls at the bottom of the hamper. This will, I hope, have the effect of protecting the dirty clothes that get thrown in, and the added benefit is that the moth ball stink is only in our dirty clothes. When I take the clothes out of the hamper it will be to wash them, at which point (I hope) the moth ball smell will be removed. So anyway, that's my recommendation, people: attack the hamper, since that's where the smells and substances are that are the most attractive to moths. Try to clean/disinfect that area to kill existing moths, and then, if you don't want to use moth balls in the hamper, at least try to wash more frequently, giving less time to the moths to snack on your dirty clothes (which is the kind they find most irresistible). And ladies, try spraying just the crotch of the underwear with Spray-n-Wash or Oxy Clean, or some other pre-treating product before you throw it in the hamper. This may neutralize the bodily scents on that part of your undies and the moths probably won't want to eat cloth that has a soapy product on it. Pre-treating will also ensure that this part of your underwear gets extra clean, because as we all know, sometimes even after things go through the wash they may have a trace of a smell -- if you overload your washer your garments may not be getting sufficiently clean, which means you might have items in your clean clothes drawer that are still moth bait! Since I've just come up with this hypothesis, I haven't yet tested it, but I'll be doing so at once. And I'd love to find out if anyone else tries this and gets any results. |
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| Jill, I've had this happen also. Very frustrating to have random holes appear in your clothing! Have you read this thread? This is thread one of a two thread discussion. Good luck! |
Here is a link that might be useful: holes in clothing discussion
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| I've had the same random holes appear in the liners of my underwear! At first I figured it was a problem with the washer in my new apartment, but when my other roommates all discovered the same problem, and the fact that it was only happening in underwear, I investigated a little further... We determined that it is mice that are making the holes. We've seen a few mice in the apartment, but have been unable to catch any of them. All of us keep our dirty laundry in typical (holey) laundry baskets on the floor. (Not anymore, though!) We dont all use the same laundry detergent, and there's nothing wrong with our washer or dryer. We definitely don't have moths or other bugs in the apartment, so the only logical explanation is the mice. I've also read in other places that cats and dogs tend to do the same thing. |
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- Posted by alixcollier (My Page) on Thu, Aug 21, 08 at 13:06
| I'm still looking for some kind of answer, and hopefully a solution, because none of the above seems to apply to my case. I, too, have found tiny holes in the front of thin cotton t-shirts or other fine cotton wear, like thin cotton summer wraps. The holes that appear are always on the front of the garment, either one or in a cluster of three or four tiny holes occurring about waist high. Now, the conundrum is most, if not all, of the shirts are new, some never having been worn, or only worn once or twice, and haven't been laundered. So, then, if I rule out laundry and cleaning agents, snags and imperfections in the fabric, what then, would cause these holes to suddenly appear from one day to the next after simply hanging the shirts in my closet? Assuming for a moment, that it is some kind of moth, worm, insect or mite eating through the cloth, does anyone have an idea of how to eradicate them? Is there some kind of moth ball or repellent that doesn't smell like a moth ball? Stranger still, is prior to about three or four years ago, I have never had, nor even heard, of this problem. In the past, I've had wool sweathers eaten through by a "moth", leaving a telltale casing, but this has never happened with cotton. Help! I don't want to keep buying shirts only to discover holes in them even before I wear them! |
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- Posted by joe_in_philly (My Page) on Thu, Aug 21, 08 at 17:18
| Maybe the holes come from a belt or pair of pants worn? Think of something that might come in contact with the area where the holes appear. Perhaps the pressure of a car seatbelt paired with a particular belt rubs holes in some shirts? I think sometimes the fibers are weakened when a garment is worn, and then the washing/drying process breaks the weakened fibers, so the holes "appear" after washing. But if the holes are not completely random on where they appear, then I would suspect the cause is not the washing process. If the washer or dryer had a rough edge causing the holes, then they could appear anywhere, not concentrated in one area. Joe |
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| This is my first post on your website. I joined because of the mystery holes in my husband's and my cotton tee shirts. I am convinced the problems with our shirts started when I began using 2x laundry detergents. That's the only thing that has changed and I think my laundry problems started about six months ago. All the laundry detergents are 2x now and I think it's thinning the fibers in the cotton. Our tee shirts were made in Mexico and Peru by "Comfort Color" and "Life is Good." There are spots near the bottom of the shirts where it looks like the fabric is discintigrating. I'm really getting gun shy about washing my husband cotton tee shirts now and finding more holes. |
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| I am having the exact same problem as alixcollier that was posted on Thu, Aug 21. For about the last 6 months I have had problems with little tiny holes appearing only on the front of my thin cotton shirts. There usually are about 4 or so below the waist line. They are always on the front of the T-shirt. I just bought two new polo t-shirts and they have holes in them. It seems to be shirts that are new. I don't think it is the hamper or the washer or dryer because the other 3 members of our family are not having this problem. What is causing this and how do you get rid of what is causing these holes? |
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- Posted by happymomof2kids (My Page) on Sat, Aug 30, 08 at 0:55
| I remember I posted a theory I had on this in another thread. It involved the way shirts are put on and such possibly causing wear and tear. However, I have to take back my theory as we are having the same probs now and it is with all our cotton shirts. They are small, but definite, and found in varying places of the shirts. It is weird. Can crickets really eat cotton cuz we get a lot that sneak in the house. That would totally suck if they did as I have always thought of them as harmless. |
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| I logged in to come ask anyone if they were having this problem as well. They are only happening waist level on our cotton shirts (all of them new and old). I don't understand why either. We have a front load if that makes a difference and we use charlies soap (well have been using it for the past 2 months) but the holes have been appearing for close to a year. |
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| Stop all fabric softners and use vinegar only. |
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- Posted by mysteryclock (My Page) on Sun, May 24, 09 at 11:34
| Much as I'm a huge fan of the "no softeners - use vinegar" approach, I don't see what this has to do with clothing holes, pests, etc. ? Am I missing something? |
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| I never use softeners and have always used vinegar and I get the mystery holes, so no, I don't think you are missing anything. :) |
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| i have holes appearing in several of my cotton t-shirts; I first thought it was due to a moth or some other insect. But I really think it's from the low rise jeans above the button, rubbing against the material. |
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- Posted by td-atlanta (My Page) on Sat, Aug 15, 09 at 15:39
| Another hypothesis...OxiClean. Anyone else using it? We are getting the same holes everyone else is describing, but have yet to nail down the culprit. The holes started appearing sometime in the last couple of years. We are using the same washing machine we've had for 8 years...6 years holes-free. We laid out the clothing that has been destroyed (at least those we hadn't yet thrown out)...and noticed that the effected items mostly belonged to my wife and kids. None of my clothes and none of our baby clothes had holes. They all go into the same hamper (moths?), get cleaned with the same detergent, get spun by the same washer. The holes are on the front and back of the clothing articles...from just below the neck thru the middle and down near the bottom (can't be the seatbelt, unlikely to be countertop wear), but never the sides or shoulders (places we rarely if ever get stains). The thought on some of the back stains is that we may have treated one item, then laid another over the top of it on the washer to presoak...a common occurence for us. We also noticed that about 1/2 of the items showed some slight discoloration (whitening) at and around the site of the holes...since OxiClean essentially releases hydrogen peroxide to bleach away stains, it seems conceivable that it would cause bleaching of the dye. Anyway, we started using OxiClean a couple of years ago...and now use it almost constantly for all the food stains brought on by our young crew. We are going to stop using OxiClean for a month and see what happens. Curious if this makes any sense to any of you. If this works out, I'll next have to find a forum that can help with stain-removal tips! |
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- Posted by td-atlanta (My Page) on Sat, Aug 15, 09 at 15:42
| Btw - we have noticed the holes on some new items...or at least very new, but again, we are now thinking that we might have put them in a load with another garment soaked with OxiClean. If none of you are using it, it may quickly prove false. Thoughts? |
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| I wonder if fabric has anything to do with it. I have one blouse which has holes at the right side of the waistline. They are where I fasten my seatbelt when DH is driving. But I have washed many, many other shirts and blouses in the same washer, same detergent, same everything. And the blouse with the holes never goes in the dryer. So I wonder if perhaps certain fabrics are more susceptible to the holes. |
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| I'm suspecting that all these cotton items are NOT made in the USA. Foreign cotton may be quite different than ours, maybe developed or treated with chemicals to make it thinner and less strong than we were once used to? And big al 41's comments about the factory machine holes may make sense since foreign cotton items are probably produced in such bulk that one can easily imagine something mechanical inserted to hold them together as they leave massive machines. I will bet you that every one of the cottom items you have holes in is made in a country other than USA. |
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| The blouse to which I referred is not cotton. But I can see where different qualities of cotton could be a contributing factor. |
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| I think patann is probably right about the cause of most of these mystery holes - cheaper / flimsier grade of cotton used by the companies who make these garments (and virtually all major brands are made overseas now). Different brands are probably using some of the same cotton suppliers. The cotton undies I purchased last year (Lollipop brand made in Honduras) are getting holy at a rapid pace, while the ones I purchased approx four or five years ago (same brand, made in the same country) are still hole free, despite being washed in the same washing machine, with the same detergent, and being kept in the same (cedar) chest of drawers. |
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| Yep, Cheap fabric is the cause. DH's knit shirts are doing the same thing. It not from doing any dishes either! His other shirts are fine, its just some of them. Most of my cheap tee shirts are holey and they are fairly new. |
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- Posted by riverspots (My Page) on Tue, Apr 20, 10 at 22:24
| Probably multiple causes. But moths definitely are attracted to dirty clothes and preferably munch on them. The thinner the cloth, the more likely a hole will appear after laundering. |
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| There is a hole in all these theories.(no pun intended) My wife and I drive a truck and homeschool our 8 year old daughter. We would have thought the same thing. The last 3 pair of Wrangler's, all within 30 days, have holes! 3 new shirts, for my wife, $40 ea! Holes!! 2 new sundresses for my daughter. One has been worn without washing(wally world), holes were appearing as she wore the dress that day!? I am convinced it is the imported cotton from China and will start looking for clothes and cotton, grown and made in the USA. If we are going to have to spend money like this, we will spend it on something that costs more, but will last longer. We have THROWN out over $ 1000 dollars on clothes the last 8 mos. This is getting ridiculous! I would spend more to get less, but have it last longer. Starting today, I found a website for jeans made in the Carolina's, with a WARRANTY! Cool!!! They are called Texas Jeans. No I, nor my wife work, or know anyone at the company. Just a very upset consumer, fighting back at these corporate companies, taking advantage of hard working people and their money. Just ran into another driver who found the website, because he is tall and skinny and noone had jeans in his size. He said he has had these jeans for over 1 year now and no problems with holes. Next, I will be looking for shirts. If you have to spend $20,$30,$40 on shirts, why not something made in the USA, that will last?! What do you think? Take your country, clothing and jobs back!!! GodBless to y'all ! |
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| This is too funny!I finally got so frustrated I typed the problem into my search engine. I was gratified to find that it wasn't just me. I was going nuts. For the last few years I have been getting little holes in my "t" shirt type tops as well. They are all just below the waist line. It doesn't happen to my husband's shirts and I haven't noticed it on any of my sweaters, etc. I have checked...it's NOT my seat-belt or zippers since some of the tops I wear for workout and those clothes have no buttons, zippers, etc. Since the last posting, which was several months ago, I wondered if anyone came up with a concrete reason and/or solution. I have started buying really cheap shirts because after one wearing/washing some need to be thrown away! HELP!!!! |
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- Posted by Judy(Judylee510@aol.com) onSun, Feb 6, 11 at 10:15
| Glad to find you guys and at least know I am not insane as the pinholes are driving me over the edge |
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- Posted by Sharlene(hannahlight@peoplepc.com) onMon, Feb 7, 11 at 20:34
| It is truly a relief to know this is happening to others! I live with my partner and her cotton clothes are not affected--just mine (mainly t-shirts below waist area and chest area). It's been getting really expensive. We figure that there must be some kind of body chemical that I omit and she doesn't that is causing this as we launder our clothes together and don't use a dryer. |
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- Posted by Bill(BMCSI@Bellsouth.net) onThu, Feb 10, 11 at 10:55
| I paid Terminix an absurd amount of money to come into my home and treat my entire house for whatever was destroying my cotton based work shirts, tee shirts, underwear. Small holes were appearing overnight. Terminix, never did figure out what was going on. As a matter of fact they said that there were absolutely No Bugs that they could find, and that my laundry detergent (Gain) was causing the problem. Well, We switched to Tide with no results. As a matter of fact I took a different tact to see if whatever it was, was in the bedrooms. I purchased a new set of work shirts and started storing them in a walk in closet in my home office 40 feet away from the Bedrooms. Guess what? No more holes. I have been keeping them in the closet for several months, still no holes. So much for the detergent theory. Now my kids come in from Germany and stay in my guest room. More Holes.... Had to move their clothes out to my RV to protect them. I'm going to try something drastic this weekend. I have a portable propane heater with a electric fan in my shop. I'm going to treat this like it was bed bugs and put the heater in the room and bake it at 120 degrees or more for 60 minutes. Everything known to man has been sprayed to no end so I figure, why not try it. I'll post results as soon as I have something to report. |
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- Posted by Christina(christina_moody28@yahoo.co.uk) onTue, Feb 15, 11 at 5:13
| This is doing my head in. I've had this problem now for 3 years. Strangely enough in exactly the same places mentioned above (around the waistline - isn't that weird?) I've been putting moth repellent products in and around the offending/affected wardrobe and it seemed to have stopped. I haven't had any holes for ages until I found one in my blinking expensive RL top this weekend (so the cheap cotton theory doesn't buy with me). I've just spoken to a pest control company this morning - hoping they were going to give me the answer and sell me a product which would end this! However, they have just said it's a mystery and told me they have received 5 similar calls this year so far ... They don't have anything which they can guarantee will work because they don't know what it is. The only advice they can give me is to freeze all my clothes for 3 days - it has to be systematic ... I'm so fed up with this now, I am going to give it a try ..... I'm just letting you all know, in case you want to give it a go too .. If anyone does know what it is and how to get rid of it, can you please let us all know??????? |
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- Posted by Jeff Chamberlin(jeffrey1973@comcast.net) onMon, Mar 21, 11 at 22:38
| My wife has the issue of small holes in her shirts right around the waistline and for years we tried to narrow it down. We seem to agree that it seems to come from the countertop when she is doing dishes. She says that she has seen the countertop snag her shirts and, though I hate to admit it, she does most of the dishes so I only have holes in a few shirts. Tonight I took a piece of sandpaper and sander the underside of the countertop. We'll see for sure if it solves the problem. |
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- Posted by eileen(wishnow954@gmail.com) onFri, Mar 25, 11 at 9:56
| am having the same probmlem with holes in fine cotton t-shirts, my husband is having the same problem with his polo shirts-small holes. am going to vacuum the heck out of the closet and spray with a botanical spray safe for indoor. it only seems to happen to the polos that are hanging on the bottom rack of the closet so i am moving all shirts to the top racks, my shorts and slacks are not affected. |
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| So I'd like to add myself to the list of annoyed. I've never had a problem unless I just didn't notice. So far I have noticed that 3 very light cotton shirts have these clusters of holes in them in the same exact spot. There is 1 things that is different the 1 shirt has the holes on the front AND directly on the back same exact spot. I bought a new armoire about a month and a half ago and am wondering IF it's possible it had moths prior to the purchase. I cleaned it thoroughly before putting anything in it and recently went through and did the same thing and see nothing. I wash both my clothes as well as my partners clothes together and she has not had any problem with hers ( maybe because she spends alot of money on 1 thing while I'd rather a lot for my money) She also has the closet in the apartment to herself and I have just the armoire. I have no big holes just those those tiny ones. I'm just clueless as what to do right now in case it is moths. Any help would be great! And if not I'm in the thread in case someone ends up solving the mystery ;) Sincerely, |
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- Posted by Sheri(wyldtyger77@aol.com) onSun, Mar 27, 11 at 21:05
| I was just having a discussion with my mother about finding mysterious holes in our clothes -specifically our cotton t-shirts. Since we live in different states, we couldn't find any reason to believe we had the same problem. I told her I would google some info and get back to her. I couldn't believe how many people were having the same problem! I have never seen a moth in my home, so I'm assuming it's a non-issue. I've changed washing machines, used different detergents - all to no avail. I'm thinking that perhaps the theory of an inferior material being used in our clothing could be the culprit. I find it strange however, that the wear and tear is often in the waist area. I would think that under the arms would be a more fitting place for the material to dissolve! Whatever the case may be, it's extremely frustrating. What's the answer?? |
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- Posted by Sara(icazul@aol.com) onFri, Apr 29, 11 at 23:34
| I get these same holes right at waist height on my cheap cotton shirts. The keyword is cheap. I think I am seeing it more and more these days because the quality of clothing is not getting any better. Recently as part of my graduate program we had a pests specialist come and talk to us. I actually asked him about the holes in my cotton shirts and his response (an expert) Moths do not eat cotton, washing machines do! A useful website with information on common pests, how to identify, tips for mitigation and links to other websites with more information is: www.museumpests.net It has a lot of info that is not for private homes, but it will get you started toward factual guidance. |
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| I think I have the answer for most people here! =) What most of you have in common is weights I�m thinking�the butterfly exercise to be specific with dumbbells...it will put holes in waist area of shirts EXACTLY as described. I have also gotten holes in shirts from the following: I make my cat lay down on me, after a few minutes he gets agitated and leaves and his back claws will latch into a shirt as he leaves. Falsely accusing family of running my shirts with holes, therefore in spite they start actually putting holes in shirts!!! Random holes sometimes happen with any article of clothing which has a zipper, that is then washed with soft clothes like soft cotton shirts, underwear, etc. |
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- Posted by badgergrrl (My Page) on Sat, Apr 30, 11 at 23:16
| @Sara - clothes / webbing moths don't eat cellulose fibers like cottons/rayons, that is true, but carpet beetles do.... |
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- Posted by l mccord(lmccord@comcast.net) onSun, May 15, 11 at 17:09
| I have noticed small pinholes in the front of many of my teeshirts for a couple of years. They are all in the front near the waistline. They are 90% thin cotton. All washed gently in frontload washer. No belts or zippers. Not noticed very often on heavier tees of my husbands.Some are only one season old. No solution yet. |
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- Posted by Simon(postHere@soIcouldReply.com) onMon, Jun 6, 11 at 10:38
| I am from NY and have this problem as well. Pin-holes, usually in a set of 3-4 in front my my cotton t-shirts above waist line. Can't figure out... I know I have carpet beetles in my house but I never seen them in the hamper or where I hang my clothes. Not sure when they have time to make the holes. The holes always seem to appear in multiples, usually in one area. All damaged clothes articles have identical cut holes, some are just slight larger in size. |
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| My wife and i have a large walk in closet that is full with both mine and my wife's clothes. She is noticing lots of small thumb tack size holes (or smaller) in many of her cotton tshirts that hang in the closet. These holes are clustered mostly in the waist area. I'm not seeing these holes in any of my shirts but i don't have many of these lightweight cotton tshirts. Whatever it is causing these holes seem to prefer the cheaper lightweight cotton of my wife's tshirts specifically around waist area. Anyway - this is a mystery and we are having our exterminator come take a look tomorrow. Will report back with his findings. I was thinking moths (till i heard they don't really like cotton.) So now I'm thinking carpet beatles but no real evidence of such. |
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| I am beyond upset, because I am having the same problem that many of you describe! For the past year and a half, I have noticed small holes appearing in cotton shirts and slightly heavier, long-sleeved shirts, most of them from the Gap but also from stores like Zara and H&M. The holes are usually in small clusters and always appear just below the waist, around the area of the bellybutton, and only in the front. I have wracked my brain trying to figure this out. It can't be bugs or my washer or dryer, because they would have to be able to target this very specific area of the garments and that's not possible. I don't have granite countertops in my kitchen, so it can't be what I'm leaning against. I wondered if it could be the area around the button on my jeans, so I began taping it down, and frustratingly, the holes still continue to appear! I have begun to pull my shirts over my seatbelt, but this hasn't stopped the holes either. I've read that it could be genetically modified cotton that is weaker, and shirts made abroad with cheaper materials, and both of those theories are plausible, except for one thing: why do the holes only appear in this one very specific, relatively small area of my shirts?? If the fabric is weak, it would be logical to expect that holes could appear anywhere, not just in this one spot. I was in the Gap the other day and asked the register clerk if she'd had any complaints about this, and the woman standing next to me, paying for her purchase, told me she'd been having this very problem for the past three years! So-- what gives?? I am totally clueless, and absolutely paranoid about my clothing now. I feel like every single thing I buy is going to be ruined, and often after only one wearing! I cannot afford for this to continue! It's affected at least thirty shirts so far, and only my clothes, not my husband's or daughters' things! Arrrgghh!!! |
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- Posted by badgergrrl (My Page) on Thu, Jun 23, 11 at 10:20
| EUREKA!!!!! I believe I have figured it out! (At least for me.) My car seatbelts have plastic rivets on them, one that is right above where I get the holes, especially when coupled with the button on my jeans. The plastic does have a rough edge on it, probably from the mold they used to make it. miria, even if the material is heavier, if it is weakened at all, and then you wash it, or pull on it (to put it on, or to pull it down when you stand up, whatever), that knit stitch is going to pop and break, eh voile - hole. Plus, just because the material is heavier, doesn't mean the quality of the actual cotton utilized is any better, they just used a little heavier gauge. |
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- Posted by DDG(dayala123@hotmail.com) onWed, Jul 13, 11 at 18:08
| Dear Everyone - I had the problem of the holes in the bottom of the cotton shirts and I researched for days until finally I have the answer.... Silverfish. They eat ONLY cotton and similar vegetable based natural fabrics such as rayon, they especially eat clothing that hasn't been recently washed. They eat mostly around the bottom of the shirt because of oils and dirt from your belly button sticking to the fabric. |
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- Posted by mark karan(markkaran@comcast.net) onThu, Aug 11, 11 at 19:24
| my wife & i have had this problem as well for the past couple years. it affects both out T-shirts... but not any other clothing. we have many T-shirt ties, from "nice", design-y stuff to cheap concert T's and the like - all equally affected. we have no bugs that we've seen evidenced. we use gentle, "green" detergents. we've both been feeling it has something to do w/our dryer, but have no real evidence to back that up. for a while i was taking our T-shirts to the laundry mat and that seemed to help... but i couldn't be sure, and what an inconvenience when we already have a washer & dryer at home. it amazes me that so many of us have posted here since as far back as 2008 and there has yet to be a truly viable cause or solution. that said, i'm really glad to have found this conversation. i was going nuts and NO-ONE understood what i was talking about. here's to finding a solution! |
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- Posted by Randi(Randibeckman@gmail.com) onMon, Sep 5, 11 at 13:43
| I think what you are describing is carpet beetles, I had this problem. |
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- Posted by Sunshinecat133 (My Page) on Mon, Sep 26, 11 at 4:15
| I have the same problem, I now live in Spain for most of the year, holes in T.shirts, in the front all in the same place, 7 holes have appeared in a brand new shirt. I have checked the seatbelt, jeans, shorts, don't wear rings because it is too hot, washing machine, changed washing liquid, I have NO idea what is causing this but it is costing a fortune - only my clothes not my husbands, my neighbour has the same problem, only hers not her husbands, short of putting every item in a different bag I really don't know what to do. Have tried every moth repellent going. |
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| My son and I were so glad to find this blog as in the past 12 months we have been finding tiny random holes in his cotton t shirts. It has been the weirdest thing. Niether my husband nor I have had this happen with our clothes. After reading all the comments I followed a particular line of thinking some people brought up about carpet beetles.. I did some research and looked at pictures and instruction for how to identify them. My son just a few minutes ago went to his room, shook out his dirty clothes basket over a white area and sure enough found three carpet beetle larvae right away. We've been reading how to manage them and what they are attracted to. We of course are washing everything in his hamper right now and will be moving the hamper to his bathroom with tile. The articles said it is important to vacum regularly and thouroughly. THe articles said the bugs don't eat fabric per se, but they do eat animal "stuff" like fur, feathers, wool, and persperation or urine. It is the fabric that has this on it that is attracting them. My son is a cross country runner and just started this last year for the first time. Interestingly enough it was about a year ago we first noticed these tiny holes. At first we thought it was one of our cats patty pawing in his laundry but we keep his door closed and the cats are rarely in his room. And it would be difficult for the cat to stand in his hamper as it is tall and thin. THis was happening to old and brand new shirts. Within a week of brining home a new shirt my son noticed several tiny holes and he was very upset to say the least..about to kill the cat if necessary (not really, but he threatened). So we think we've found our culprit now with the beetles. Your comments have been very helpful and got us this far. We'll see if our changes make a difference. We will post later if we find this isn't it. |
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- Posted by playinfetch (My Page) on Wed, Oct 26, 11 at 20:01
| I have also been searching for an answer to this problem for at least a year. I am now certain I have the answer! As a family of 4 we have experienced small holes in the bottom of light weight knits. I finally figured out it was caused by our front loading washer. I now wash all light weight clothes in washer bags and the holes have stopped! I believe it is caused by the increased suction created by the high speed spins or the shape/design of the holes in the washer drum. If you do a google search you will find other people who have this same problem! |
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- Posted by serafinatoyou (My Page) on Wed, Jan 11, 12 at 19:46
| had this issue for quite some time. Also thought it might be the washer but this only seems to happen to my boyfriends shirts. Always around the lower part of the shirt in the front. Don't know what to make of it. Searched everywhere and there is no sign of carpet beetles or anything else, not even silver fish. And this always seems to happen in the laundry room. Can't find a larvae anywhere. The only thing I have seen alot of are little black spiders. I'm stumped and getting pissed off. First day back from NY and washed a guess shirt. No holes when we took it out. Hung it to dry - full of holes the next day. |
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- Posted by serafinatoyou (My Page) on Mon, Jan 16, 12 at 11:49
| we have come to the conclusion this is the kenmore washing machine. Going to try and see if how many others have had this issue. |
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- Posted by litehearted (My Page) on Thu, Jan 19, 12 at 10:03
| When we first moved into our house 10 years ago, I noticed a lot of holes appearing in our clothing. So I junked the old Maytag washing machine and replaced it with a new top loader. That seemed to do the trick. After that, we only noticed holes in our cashmere and merino wool clothing (not washed in the machine). I attributed the holes to carpet beetle or moth, even though I haven't actually seen them. We have had a new front load washer for a year, and also now we keep all our woolens in plastic bins from IKEA. This past week I have found 2 cotton clothing items with holes. OH NO! That means the critters have found their way into my PAX wardrobe. Perhaps (1) wash smaller items in hot water (2) stuff blazers and suit jackets into the freezer for a week (3) vacuum out the wardrobe (4) find a way to seal the wardrobe when closed (5) buy new cedar blocks for the wardrobe (old ones may have lost their effectiveness). I would post a pic of the holes (on the arm of my fine cotton knit sweater, and the other around where the breast bone would be on a stretch cotton t-shirt), but not an option here. Any other suggestions on how to handle the problem of the mystery holes? |
Here is a link that might be useful: advice
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- Posted by litehearted (My Page) on Thu, Jan 19, 12 at 10:12
| I will also invest in some laundry bags to use in the front load washer...you never know, that could help! And vacuum more often (we have a cat!). *sigh* |
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| I am having the same problem. Would like to know what it is. |
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- Posted by mydreamhome (My Page) on Mon, Jan 23, 12 at 9:48
| playinfetch--never thought of that one, but it makes sense. I'll have to try the wash bags. I just put on one of my favorite shirts straight out of the wash yesterday & full of holes at the lower waist...(sigh)! |
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| I've been having the same problem with several holes in the front waist area. I had our exterminator check out the closet and he said it couldn't be from any critters. I did an experiment wearing several cotton shirts with jeans and several others only with pull on sweats (no tie, button, etc. at waist). The cottons shirts I wore with the jeans got holes and the ones I wore with sweats that had a smooth waist area did not get holes! So, I do believe the combination of thin, cotton shirts paired with jeans with a button/snap causes the holes. Not to mention if your waist area hits the top of your countertops that could aggravate it more. The good news for women that really like wearing their jeans with cotton shirts is that I found jeans with a smooth front and no snap/button. They are the JAG brand and they carry them at Nordstrom. Unfortunatley, I think they just have them in petite lengths now but they are looking to expand. |
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- Posted by girlnamedpete (My Page) on Thu, Apr 12, 12 at 19:17
| I have been having the same problem. I have 2 closets side-by-side and ONLY have the problem in the right one. My cardigan sweaters and t-shirts that hang in that closet have been getting small holes for years. I used to get them in my cotton shirts that I kept in my dresser but was able to eliminate that problem a few years ago with some sachets. Anyway, last winter I went to pull out one of my favorite cashmere sweaters and the back was just full of holes. It wasn't salvageable and I was devastated! I proceeded to take every item out of the closet and either wash it, dry clean it or put them in the freezer (shoes included). I wiped down every single surface of the closet and vacuumed every millimeter. Not a stitch went back in until every bit had been cleaned/frozen. Seemed to do the trick until I just went to pull out a t-shirt last week.....holes. Grrrrr! After my initial anger subsided I went and checked the shirt that had been hanging next to it and, sure enough, holes in the exact same spot. Something was between the two shirts and enjoying a cotton buffet. I threw both shirts out (luckily they weren't anything special). I am at a LOSS what to do. I keep moth balls and moth traps in the closet. I have not seen a single moth or flying insect since my big clean out. I am now going to try this stuff : http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000A0LFLS/ref=oh_o00_s00_i00_details because maybe it IS silverfish or carpet beetles (never seen a single one in my house). I will probably put everything back in the freezer, too. I can't afford to keep throwing out clothes. I like nice things and can only afford the few nice items I have and need to take care of them. Also, I keep sweaters (wool, cashmere and cotton) in my other closet and (knock wood) have not had any problems with holes. What to do? Is it carpet beetles or silver fish? |
Here is a link that might be useful: Ortho 0195310 1-1/3-Gallon Home Defense Max Perimeter and Indoor Insect Killer
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| I too have gotten a tiny hole in my cotton knit tops a few inches below the waist. My husband, who tucks in his shirts, does not get any holes. After reading all the above explanations, I think the holes on my shirt are somehow caused by the jeans/pants I wear, but I wish I knew how to avoid getting a hole. I'm just surprised that so many others are getting holes too. Carol |
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| I had a kenmmore front loader and didn't have any issues. It finally broke hubby wanted electrolux I wanted meile. We bought electrolux and My lilly pulitzer, My husband's tommy bahama, My sons janie and jack shirts all have holes!!!!I have four other kids same thing. These clothes are not cheap. two live with my husband exwife. They have no holes at their house only right after I wash their clothes here. I had it on the lowest spin. I think it is my washer and the service guy told me it is from the high rpms it spins at. SO my hubby and I did research and my electrolux dryer caught fire from the wiring harness after two years and we replaced it with miele. I will be buying some new clothes. I wlll let you know if we still have issues. I should have no bugs. I even keep my dog food in buckets to avoid bugs. I am very good about pest control. My countertops are smooth quartz so its not snagging them and I have had three cars a honda van and a volvo car and suv.selt belts clip in different positions. During this time and I wear a jacket in the winter which is smooth like silk I have no holes in pills in my spider jacket. My theory could be if not definatly the machine them cotton is now grown with gmo pesticides could be breaking down the fabrics or detergents breaking down the clothes. I will switch back to persil also and see if I have better results after I wash just using the meile for a few weeks. wish me luck. I cannot stand the holes any longer! I did notice if I wash t shirts with only all tshirts or undies it takes longer to get the holes. when I wash jeans or a towel that is heavier it gets holes first time. The weight of the clothes. banging against the t shirt with the high rpm of the washers going threw the drum holes during the spin snagging the shirts. I hope this helps someone.I will let you know how my miele works with new shirts. |
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| I think I figured it out! Almost every shirt I own has at least one tiny hole at the belly button line- it was driving me crazy. I have a new tee on. I'm at the sink cutting up a salad, moving back and forth adding vegetables to the bowl (sliding my front along the edge of the SINK). I happened to look down--A HOLE! Everytime you wear it, another hole in a diffent area around the same place! Maybe a towel on the sink? |
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- Posted by A.Caruthers (My Page) on Fri, Jun 15, 12 at 10:51
| Well at least I feel some validation now. I have the same mystery holes in my cotton tees as well. My holes are not generally speaking in the same area where others have had issues (around the waist line). My holes seem to crop up in several different areas: on the back, on the sleeves, on the front... there seems to be no rhyme or reason. Some of my shirts are undershirts and others I wear as shirts I go out in public in. From what I've read on this page it sounds like it might be an issue with some kind of bug. I need to figure this out. Does anyone have any recommendations? |
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- Posted by A.Caruthers (My Page) on Tue, Jun 19, 12 at 16:51
| I saw in earlier posts where some people mentioned moths. I talked to my Mom and she said my problem sounded like moths. I did some research on how to take care of the problem myself and found an answer to someone else who had asked the same question. I put the link in just in case someone else wanted to check it out. |
Here is a link that might be useful: treatment for moth eating fabric
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| Found NUMEROUS complaints similar to these on the web. The cause may be as close as your kitchen counter! Daily friction from the rough underside edges of many countertops - especially granite, quartz, etc - are likely causing these holes! I found it odd that I had this issue but my husband did not. Also odd was the location of the holes...only in the front of my T's and slightly lower than waist level. I Googled "tiny holes in the front of my t-shirts" and holy cow! This is a HUGE issue with a simple solution...cover the rough edges with Scotch Tape! (or spend less time at the kitchen sink!) Hope this helps! |
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| WE have the same problem here in Hawaii. Cotton tshirts getting lots of little holes in them. Only pests we see are lots of smallish black ants which are interested in the shirts with holes. Have not seen moths on the shirts but perhaps the ants come after the moths do the damage? THis IS NOT likely about friction IMO |
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| It seems little tiny holes are appearing in all soft cotton type fabric. This has been going on for 4 years and everyone initially thought that it was their detergent, washing machine or that they pulled the fabric somehow. It turns out that it's defective fabric used to make these clothes. After 4 years of throwing money away, I am starting to return all items or go back to the manufacturers to resolve these issues. Shirts made from this fabric last 2-6 months at max if worn a couple of times a month. I started to return all the shirts made from this defective fabric in the last few months. Neiman's, Nordstom, Gap, Barney's have all acknowledged this problem when I returned these shirts. Saks Fifth Ave still won't admit this problem exists and said they are looking into it and did not issue me a credit. Bring it back to the retailer/manufacturer!!! They need to stop using this fabric! |
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- Posted by ella_socal (My Page) on Wed, Oct 31, 12 at 18:30
| I have had this problem, as well, and finally discovered it is indeed moths. I didn't believe it was because cotton t-shirts had holes, while some cashmere and wool items were untouched. After thoroughly searching through my clothes, I found a gold moth, some casings and some live bugs (not sure what stage they were at as they weren't the white worms). Cedar obviously had no effect on them, so I'll be trying No-Moth. Ugh. |
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- Posted by wkearney99 (My Page) on Sat, Jan 19, 13 at 6:44
| We had moths and lost several sweaters to them. They had infested the kitchen dry goods. Flour, nuts, rice and the like. I put all of the foods into ziploc bags, sent the whole closet full of clothes out to the dry cleaner and replaced the carpet in the walk-in closet. All clothes that came back either stayed in the cleaner's bag or got put into a ziploc. Within a few weeks I found dead bugs in a couple of the kitchen ziplocs. Turns out the little bastards loved rice and some nuts. The sealed bag apparently suffocated them. So I tossed all the rest and now everything new likewise goes into a ziploc once I open the box. No more moth problems. Meanwhile we've torn down that house and are building a new one in it's place. The plan is to go with a lot of drawers and close-able cabinets in the master closet, not open shelving or hangers. |
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| Just and FYI, pantry moths and clothes moths are not the same insect. |
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| Just an FYI, pantry moths and clothes moths are not the same insect. |
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- Posted by nathanhill007 (My Page) on Wed, Jan 30, 13 at 12:04
| We have had the same problem everyone else has described above. Tiny little holes in our knit-cotton shirts just below the waist line. My wife is ready to pull her hair out. I would if I had any. I'm ready to rip up the carpet and install cedar or wood floors. Has any had success with that and getting rid of the bugs if that's what it is? |
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- Posted by doncherrytomato (My Page) on Thu, Feb 7, 13 at 1:19
| Last year I purchased six ladies cotton underwear,jockey brand. All of them now have little holes,about a quarter inch in size. Some holes appeared after just one wash. No bleach, nor oxyclean was used. But my old jockeys,yes, fifteen yrs old, have no holes. The new undies are made of noticibly thinner cotton, thinner than the still going strong oldies. Must be the lousy fabric which seems to have been treated to appear stronger or thicker when new, prewash only! By the way, at the old house, we had an attack of moths and guess what, never had holes in cotton clothes. |
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| SILVERFISH!!!! The same thing was happening to my husbands shirts....I found these in the laundry area and laid down sticky tape. I caught a few....vaccumed everything and contacted pest control. they aren't dangerous, they are just hungry little nuisances. Good luck ! |
Here is a link that might be useful: Silverfish/ Firebrats
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