There are multiple reasons why clothes come out of the washing machine with holes and tears. You can stop and prevent it from happening in the future if you carefully inspect the situation and determine the cause.
So, I always wondered: why do washing machines make holes in my clothes? I will explain some of the possible causes of holes in clothes and preventive measures that might save your clothes in the future.
Without any further ado, let’s start!
Why Do Washing Machines Make Holes in My Clothes?
Seeing holes in clothes after washing might be caused by multiple reasons. Some of those reasons include improper speed, overloading, sharp objects, or hardware damage inside the drum. To find the culprit, you need to carefully inspect the laundry and washing machine.
Sometimes, the cause is not the washing machine itself but the clothes you loaded. Jeans and bras have metal parts, like zips and wires. These are potential culprits for the holes in the clothes. Don’t put clothes with metal parts together with sensitive and thin clothes.
Overloading, choosing the wrong cycle speed, and using too much bleach might also cause holes in the clothes. Read the clothing labels carefully and precisely measure the bleach amount you use to wash clothes.
Lastly, the cause of the holes in the garment might be the garment’s material quality itself. Some clothes are made of thin synthetic fabrics that can easily get damaged.
Causes for Making Holes in Clothes During Washing
Overloading
You should not overload your washing machine because it is not good for multiple reasons. One of those reasons is clothing damage. Some clothes should be washed separately, on delicate cycles.
Putting too many clothes in the machine might damage your clothes by making holes and tears and also make them improperly washed and rinsed.
How to fix this issue
Sort the clothes by color and material before loading them into the washer. Read the labels to determine which clothes can be washed with other laundry and which ones should be washed separately.
Never wash sensitive materials with jeans and garments with zips and other hard applications. Also, don’t overload the washing machine.
Wrong spin speed
The wrong spin speed is another thing why you should read the maintenance labels on clothes, especially those made of sensitive materials like silk.
Not every material can be washed at high spin speed because it might be the reason why some clothes have holes and damage after washing.
Read more: Why Is Washing Machine Leaving Black Marks On Clothes?
How to fix this issue
Consider these spin speed requirements to prevent clothes from damaging because of incorrect cycle spin speed.
| Material | Spin Speed |
| Cotton | 1.400 rpm |
| Wool | 1.200 rpm |
| Denim | 900 rpm |
| Delicates | 600 rpm |
| Shirts | 600 rpm |
| Silk | 400 rpm |
Bleach
Using high amounts of bleach, even on white clothes, might damage them. Also, it might be another reason your clothes have holes after washing.
How to fix this issue
Use lower amounts of bleach or mix it with water before adding it to the washing machine.
Rough surfaces inside the drum
Check your machine and ensure everything seems fine inside the drum. If your machine is older, it might have abrasive areas that scratch the clothes and make holes.
How to fix this issue
Call a professional washing machine repair service to fix the issue (if possible) or replace the old washer with a new one.
Other causes
Zips
Washing jeans together with shirts and sensitive materials might cause holes in the clothes. If everything seems fine and you can not blame some of the above-mentioned causes of holes in the clothes, then the pair of jeans might be the culprit for it.
When washing jeans, do the zippers up and lock the buttons to ensure they would not scratch and tear other clothes.
Belts
It’s not recommended to wash belts together with other clothes, especially delicate and sensitive ones.
Bras
Bras can damage the clothes if not washed in a bra washing case. The metal prongs and underwire can easily hook a cloth and make a hole or bigger damage.
It is best to wash bras separately or locked in a bra washing case to protect other clothes.
Also read: Can Washing Machine Cause Pilling?
Conclusion
Why do washing machines make holes in my clothes? I also wondered until I realized that a bra underwire had got stuck inside the drum and kept tearing my shirts.
I hope this brief article has helped you find the cause and solution for the culprit that keeps making holes in your clothes.
