It is very difficult to know when to let a loved one go.  When the loved one is a pet, the answer is: when there is suffering (the pet is suffering, not the owner).  When the loved one is human, there are generally laws and doctors to provide advice and guidance, not to mention fears of incarceration.  When the object of affection is a beloved graphic t shirt, well past its prime, beauty may well be in the eyes of the owner, not the beholder.

Given the eternal popularity of hugely overpriced, pre-slashed tees, a hole or two may no longer serve as a clear signal to hit delete.  If the hole is under an arm; it can be sewn up neatly.  Similarly, a little separation of the neckband from the body can be easily repaired.  Great gaping holes that give the wearer a look of having come off the loser in a bar fight are a clear sign to toss.  So, unless you are under 21 and have the abs of the dancing Asian guy on Glee, you should chuck any t -shirt that exposes any portion of your torso.  Front and back torso.  Standing and sitting.  Especially sitting.

Stains vary in importance.  Some tees have such busy, full-shirt designs, that it would take staining along the lines of a vampire kill on True Blood to be detectable.  Others, especially graphic tee shirts with a white background, are less forgiving.  Red wine stains turn an inky blue and stay forever, kind of like the old exploded pen in the chest pocket look.  The dreaded yellow staining, generally caused by sweat, or some combination of sweat and deodorants and antiperspirants, is another less than attractive attribute that a favorite tee may accumulate over time.  As a general rule of thumb, the tee has to go when the stain is the first thing a person looking at the shirt sees.  Ask someone else if you’re in doubt.  Any loved one, other than parents, should give reasonable direction on this.

Lastly, there is the delicate topic of a tee shirt, almost always a graphic tee shirt, that was horrible to begin with, and has managed to become even more so, with age.  Unfortunately, the owner is always the last to know.  Take a hint.  “You’re wearing that?” heard repeatedly, is a good clue.  Take that tee shirt straight to the trash and dump something disgusting on it to prevent your fishing it out in a moment of weakness.