Do Pins Damage Clothes?

Yes, pins damage clothes. No pins do not damage clothes. How is that for an ambiguous answer? The true answer will require a story to illustrate a few points.

A Story to Illustrate if Pins Damage Clothes.

A man and a woman got married. The man grew up in a home in which there were very few decorations hung on the walls. When a picture or some other decorative item was to be hung on the wall there was much discussion about placement or more specifically getting the nail in just the right place so as to only make one hole in the wall. In essence, it was more about the hole in the wall than the decoration to be hung. This left a lasting impression on the man who throughout his life rarely hung pictures because of the perceived irreversible effect of the hole that would be put in the wall. It became debilitating to the point it was just easier to not hang pictures.

On the other hand, the woman grew up in a home in which there were many pictures hung on the walls. The father of this woman loved paintings, frames and pictures so much it was not odd for every wall of the home to be covered in pictures. With that many pictures, hanging the pictures truly became a trial and error process. Pound the nail in the wall, hang the picture, then stand back and look. If the picture looked off, adjust the nail and rehang. Obviously, this left multiple holes in the wall, but none of that seemed to matter because the enjoyment of the picture far outweighed the effect of the hole in the wall. In addition, if the picture was ultimately removed, a little toothpaste rubbed into the hole did a pretty good job of making the hole disappear.

As this couple came together and brought their different approaches to hanging pictures you can imagine it caused quite the stir. To her a few holes was no big deal. For him, putting only a single nail was critical. It took many years but finally the woman convinced the man that the beauty of the picture far outweighed the perceived irreversible effect of the nail hole in the wall.

Does It Really Matter if Pins Damage Clothes?

By now you have realized your answer to the question: Do pins damage clothes? If you are on the “NO” side of the answer you probably aren’t reading this blog post. If you are on the “YES” side of the answer here are a few ideas to help calm your concerns about wearing pins with a nail on the back.

The pin covers the hole so does it really matter if there is a hole or not?
The beautiful pin and its message and purpose are far more important than a small hole.
Unlike drywall that is rigid, clothing is flexible and often any hole left by a pin will vanish as the threads come back together.
Pins are worn every day by people all over the world, most of these pins have a nail and clutch but it doesn’t seem to bother most people.
If you always were a pin in the same spot, there is no noticeable damage.

The Magnetic Option: Avoid Pins Damaging Clothes.

Now these ideas may not calm your concerns and if that is the case the good news is there is an alternative. As mentioned, the majority of pins have nails on the back – hence the name “pin”, but another option is a magnet back. While this is a more expensive option it eliminates the nail hole altogether and any potential damage. Magnet backs are strong, durable and easy to use. So, if your tendencies continue to lean toward that of the man in the story about – choose the magnet back and all will be well.