Why Do T-Shirts Get Holes at the Bottom?
Care
Moths are not doing this. The small holes low on the front of a T-shirt are abrasion, worn through where the hem grinds against something hard at your waistline: a jeans button, a rivet, a belt buckle.
The tell is the location. Moth damage lands anywhere, usually on wool. This lands in one narrow band on the front of a cotton tee, a few inches below the navel, and it lands there on shirt after shirt. That is a wear pattern, not an infestation.
Where Do the Holes in a T-Shirt Come From?
Friction. The shirt gets pressed between a hard point on your bottoms and a hard edge in the room until the yarns there give way.
Lean on a counter with your hands full. Reach across a desk. Let a seatbelt settle over your lap. Each one presses jersey onto a metal button and drags it a few millimetres. Nothing happens the first hundred times. Then a yarn parts, and because jersey is a loop structure, the gap opens into something you can see through. That is why the holes are round rather than torn. A snag rips. Abrasion wears.
Why Are They Always in the Same Spot?
Because the contact point is fixed. Your waistband sits at the same height every day, so the same inch of shirt takes every press.
Find where the top of your pants crosses your shirt. The damage sits within a hand's width of that line, slightly off centre depending on which side you lean on. Drive a lot and it turns up where the belt crosses.
A shirt that wears out at the hem is usually telling you something about your pants.
Is It the Shirt or the Pants?
Mostly the pants. A finer, softer knit gives way sooner, but the hard edge doing the damage is almost always on your bottoms.
Thin, open jersey wears through faster than a denser knit, which is part of what you are actually paying for in a better shirt. Length matters too: a tee that ends right at the waistband puts its weakest edge where the pressure is, so get the length right first. Swap jeans for a drawcord waist and the problem usually stops with the same shirts. That is the cleanest proof you will get.
Shop the Fix
Soft Hems, Softer Waistbands
Joey Tee
Sky Blue
Tailored fit, straight cut hem, sits level instead of folding over a waistband.
$45
Shop Joey Tee
Joey Tee
Mint Green
Same straight cut hem, in a colour that forgives a scuffed edge.
$45
Shop Joey Tee
Drew Short 7"
Black
Drawstring waist, so no button or rivet sits against your hem.
$55
Shop Drew Short
Free returns on unworn items for 30 days. Shop all men's tees.
How Do You Stop It From Happening Again?
Take the hard edge out of the contact zone. Soft waistbands, a half tuck and less leaning into counters beat any fabric upgrade.
The half tuck is free and it works: tuck the front hem behind your waistband and the metal rubs the inside of the shirt instead of the outside. Changing bottoms works better. A drawcord waist has nothing hard on it, which is why athletic bottoms never seem to do this. Washing is the small lever: inside out and no hot dryer slows the thinning, but it will not stop a rivet.
Can You Save a Shirt That Already Has One?
A single pinhole, yes. A cluster, no. Once three or four have opened along the same line, the knit around them is already thin.
For one hole, a few hand stitches from the inside in matching thread will hold for years. For a cluster, move the shirt to the gym and be honest about when a piece is finished. A tee worn under something else carries a patched hem fine. One you wear out to dinner does not.
Start the Replacement
Three Things With Nothing Hard At the Waist
Nick Tee
Black
Slim fit, curved hem, drops past the waistband instead of stopping on it.
$45
Shop Nick Tee
Drew Short 5"
Light Grey
Shorter inseam, same drawstring waist, zip pocket at the back.
$55
Shop Drew Short
Nick and Joey run true to size. Start with a good black tee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do moths cause the little holes in T-shirts?
Almost never. Clothes moth larvae feed on animal fibres such as wool, cashmere and silk, and they leave irregular holes in places a garment does not rub. Cotton tee holes are small, round and grouped in one band across the front hem, which is a friction pattern. Holes in your knitwear are a different question.
Why do my shirts get holes in the same place every time?
Because the cause sits in the same place every time. Your waistband crosses your torso at a fixed height, so the same narrow band of fabric takes every press against a counter, a desk edge or your own jeans button. Change the bottoms and the pattern moves with them.
Can you fix a tiny hole in a T-shirt?
Yes, if you catch it early and there is only one. Turn the shirt inside out, pull the edges together and take a few small stitches in matching thread, working from the back so the repair sits inside. It holds through normal washing. Fusible patches work but stiffen a soft knit.
Does washing cause holes in T-shirts?
Washing speeds up damage that has already started rather than creating it. Hot water, a hot dryer and loads full of zips and buttons wear thin fabric faster, so a shirt already abraded at the hem fails sooner. Wash tees cold, inside out, and dry them low.
First
The knit thins at one spot
Hold the hem to a window and light comes through before a hole does.
Then
One yarn lets go
A single pinhole opens low on the front, right on the waistband line.
After That
The damage spreads sideways
Jersey runs along its own rows, so the next one arrives beside it.
Last
The hem loses its edge
Once the finished edge goes soft, nothing holds the bottom straight.
Athletic Meets Aesthetic
Start at the Waistband
Tees cut to clear it, bottoms with nothing hard against them.
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