Why Do My T-Shirts Get Small Holes In The Front Of Them Before They Get Holes In The Back?

[sjastro]

Your question was "why" you lose one.

Questions involving "why" are asked by philosophers, "how" is asked by scientists.
How I fell out of bed this morning was caused by gravity, why I fell out of bed out is a different question.

 

[Servus]

I wish CF were more well-trafficked, so I decided to do my tiny part by posting more and making more threads. Of course an increase in the quantity of threads will mean a decrease in the quality, as you can tell from the title.

You should've been here back in the old days.

It seems counter-intuitive given that the back of the shirt presses against the backs of chairs when I sit, and against a wall if I lean against one, but the front rarely touches anything. Yet over the years holes have appeared in the front, rarely ever in the back. Of course I asked AI about this, and got an answer which seems possibly insightful yet possibly bogus. But I've been told I need human interaction in my life, so, any thoughts on this? Are anyone's experiences similar? Or different?

I don't recall ever experiencing this issue. I guess I don't hang on to them long enough. And I can't think of a reason for it.

 

[Chesterton]

Questions involving "why" are asked by philosophers, "how" is asked by scientists.
How I fell out of bed this morning was caused by gravity, why I fell out of bed out is a different question.

Whether you're a philosopher or a scientist, you implied you had an answer to a question, but you didn't.

 

[Servus]

What Bell's Inequality Tells Us​

You should buy all your socks the same color.

Exactly. All of mine are black, and I haven't noticed that any them have gone missing.

 

[Chesterton]

You should've been here back in the old days.

Huh? You joined in 2020, I joined in 2008,

I don't recall ever experiencing this issue. I guess I don't hang on to them long enough. And I can't think of a reason for it.

I'm not lying - I still wear some shirts from when I was in junior high in the '70's. Generally just for jogging or yard work, though.

 

[sjastro]

Whether you're a philosopher or a scientist, you implied you had an answer to a question, but you didn't.

Aren't you taking a tongue in cheek thread a bit too seriously now?

 

[Chesterton]

Exactly. All of mine are black, and I haven't noticed that any them have gone missing.

You should find eight other similar guys and start a baseball team.

 

[Servus]

Do you carry car batteries? I've burned holes in my shirts with battery acid. (I know this is a long shot.)

I've experienced that too. Which leads me to wonder if the sudoriferous glands where the holes appear produce more acidic sweat.

 

[Chesterton]

Aren't you taking a tongue in cheek thread a bit too seriously now?

Well you entered into this thread a little rude to me, I felt. But if I misread that first post, forgive me.

 

[Servus]

Huh? You joined in 2020, I joined in 2008,

Whoosh.

I'm not lying - I still wear some shirts from when I was in junior high in the '70's. Generally just for jogging or yard work, though.

I figured as much. Personally I don't own anything that goes back that far or even close to it. Especially clothing. Except for a picture of Jesus I glued to a piece of masonite I made in sunday school back around 1968.

 

[Chesterton]

I'll post a full AI answer I got. Seems way off-base, except I like the part where it tells me to "Check your pants: Feel the button/zipper area—it's probably rough or raised." Feels like I'm getting an obscene phone call.

-----------------
You're right to point out that backs get plenty of rubbing too—chair backs, walls, car seats, etc.—but the key difference is the type and intensity of friction in the lower front area where those pinholes typically form (around the belly/waist). Even if your front "rarely touches anything" in your daily routine, subtle, repetitive contact happens more often than you might notice, and it's amplified by hard, edged objects that pinch or abrade the fabric in a concentrated spot.

Why the front is more vulnerable despite less obvious contact:​

1. Pinpoint pressure from waist-level hardware: The most common cause is your shirt getting caught between your body and the button, zipper fly, rivets, or belt buckle on your pants/jeans. This happens when you sit down, stand up, bend forward, or even just move normally—the fabric is repeatedly squeezed and rubbed against those small, rigid points. It's not "leaning against" something broad like a wall; it's targeted abrasion that weakens threads in one tiny area over time. Leaning forward (even slightly) while seated or standing brings that lower front shirt into contact with your own waistband hardware far more than you realize.
2. Seatbelts and counters as sneaky culprits: Car seatbelts cross right over the lower abdomen, rubbing with every drive. Kitchen counters, desks, or sinks hit that exact spot when you lean in briefly (e.g., to wash hands or grab something)—it's quick but repetitive, and the edge creates shear force on the fabric.

Back friction is different: Chair backs or walls provide broader, flatter contact across a larger area of fabric. This distributes the wear evenly, so it thins the shirt gradually without creating pinholes. Back fabric also isn't getting pinched against protruding metal edges on your clothing. Plus, your back shirt is often looser or tucked differently, reducing snag risk.

If your lifestyle truly avoids any front contact (no belts, no zippers, no driving, no leaning over surfaces), other rare factors could be at play—like moths/insects preferentially accessing stored shirts from the front, or a washing machine issue—but the consistent front-only, lower-abdomen clustering in millions of reports points overwhelmingly to waistband abrasion.

Quick tests to confirm or rule it out:​

• Check your pants: Feel the button/zipper area—it's probably rough or raised. Try wearing the shirt with soft-waist pants (e.g., drawstring sweats) for a month and see if new holes stop forming.
• Inspect holes up close: They often have frayed edges pointing downward, from vertical rubbing against pants hardware.
• Tuck test: Tuck the front hem into your pants for a week; it creates a barrier against direct contact.

Switching to shirts with reinforced hems, higher-quality long-staple cotton, or even button covers (cheap silicone guards online) fixes it for most people without changing habits. If this doesn't match your setup, describe your typical pants, daily activities, or shirt storage—might pinpoint something unique!

 

[Chesterton]

I figured as much. Personally I don't own anything that goes back that far or even close to it.

I have lots and lots of t-shirts. If I wore a different one every day there's enough that none of them would get any wear and tear. But I wear the ones I don't like repeatedly, so I'll be getting rid of them sooner than the ones I do like.

Especially clothing. Except for a picture of Jesus I glued to a piece of masonite I made in sunday school back around 1968.

View attachment 372575

Nice.

 

[Servus]

I have lots and lots of t-shirts. If I wore a different one every day there's enough that none of them would get any wear and tear. But I wear the ones I don't like repeatedly, so I'll be getting rid of them sooner than the ones I do like.

I think I stopped wearing those kinds of t-shirts back in the 2000s for whatever reason. But even back then I don't think I had any that were very old. I'd say I'm the opposite of a packrat and tend to get rid of stuff. Although I've got a wall clock, a barometer, two pictures, and some nautical knickknacks that date back to the 90s.

 

[Chesterton]

I think I stopped wearing those kinds of t-shirts back in the 2000s for whatever reason. But even back then I don't think I had any that were very old. I'd say I'm the opposite of a packrat and tend to get rid of stuff. Although I've got a wall clock, a barometer, two pictures, and some nautical knickknacks that date back to the 90s.

I'm kind of the opposite. I use things up till they're unusable. I like to think of myself as frugal and thrifty, although others might say I'm a tightwad and a cheapskate.

 

[Tuur]

Unlinked paper clips have a higher entropy than linked ones but since a box of paper clips invariably contains some linked ones lowers the entropy.

This leads to two possibilities.
(1) The box of paper clips is in an open thermodynamic state where entropy can decrease.
(2) The box of paper clips is in a closed thermodynamic state where the probability of entropy decrease is very small.

Since AI comments is the current flavour in this forum, I asked AI about paper clips and entropy.


View attachment 372571

"Entropy, entropy, all winds down."
-Marvel Comics, circa 1970s, not AI.

Besides which, a box of paper clips is an open entropy system in that to link together, the box must be moved. Ditto a paper clip container on a desk.

Not particularly useful. Unlike the tendency of larger items mixed with smaller items to rise to the top when the container is shaken. The smaller items tend to shift beneath the larger. Handy if you have a can of mixed nuts and want to get the Brazil Nuts first.

 

[Servus]

I'm kind of the opposite. I use things up till they're unusable. I like to think of myself as frugal and thrifty, although others might say I'm a tightwad and a cheapskate.

There's nothing unusual or wrong with hanging onto things. Unless one becomes a pathological horder like the ones seen on TV.

 

[sjastro]

"Entropy, entropy, all winds down."
-Marvel Comics, circa 1970s, not AI.

Besides which, a box of paper clips is an open entropy system in that to link together, the box must be moved. Ditto a paper clip container on a desk.

Not particularly useful. Unlike the tendency of larger items mixed with smaller items to rise to the top when the container is shaken. The smaller items tend to shift beneath the larger. Handy if you have a can of mixed nuts and want to get the Brazil Nuts first.

An open system is when the system exchanges mass and energy with the external environment.
For a closed system only energy is exchanged.

If you have a box of paper clips which remains closed when shaken, kinetic energy is supplied to the box while heat is radiated into the environment due to collisions between the clips and the walls of the box. The probability of clips becoming linked when the box is shaken is very low.
This is a closed system as only energy is exchanged.
If you add more clips to the box while shaking the box some paper clips may also be expelled from the box. The greater number clips in the box increases the probability that any two random clips will link decreasing the entropy.
This is would make the box an open system.

 

[AV1611VET]

Why Do My T-Shirts Get Small Holes In The Front Of Them Before They Get Holes In The Back?

I'll take a stab at this:

Probably because you walk forward more than you walk backwards.

The front of your t-shirt takes the brunt of the air resistance and, over time, the threads weaken.

Much like the front of your car getting chipped and scratched more than the back.

 

[Tuur]

If you have a box of paper clips which remains closed when shaken, kinetic energy is supplied to the box while heat is radiated into the environment due to collisions between the clips and the walls of the box. The probability of clips becoming linked when the box is shaken is very low.

Which should be simple enough (though tedious) to confirm. How tightly the box is packed should be a factor: tightly packed box = less movement of paper clips. Anecdotally, the longer paper clips stay in the container on my desk, the greater the likelihood that when I remove one it will be linked to another. Note that the longer they are on my desk, the number of paper clips in the container drops until I refill it. I'm currently at the point where, when I remove a paper clip, it's more likely to be linked with another than I am to remove a single one.

 

[Tuur]

I'll take a stab at this:

Don't say it.
Don't say it.
Don't say it.
Gotta say it.

If you take a stab at it, that'll make a hole for sure...