Is it better to clean or not to clean? And how? In today’s market, many people looking for jeans ask themselves these questions. And it’s hard to blame them, given the deluge of conflicting and often confusing information available.
If you work in a store that sells jeans and fail to give your customers clear instructions on how to wash their purchases, you could face serious repercussions. Here, you’ll find step-by-step instructions for hand and machine washing jeans.
What’s the Best Way to Wash Jeans?
It wasn’t unusual for me to wash my jeans every week or two as a kid. I’d wear them three or four times before tossing them in the wash. As if nothing had happened. There is no need to wash your jeans every day. The clothes are ruined by all the washing, detergent, and spinning.
Several years ago, when I first started wearing raw denim, I was advised to wait at least six months before washing my jeans. In my opinion, that didn’t work either. When you wait too long to wash your raw denim jeans, the fibers become brittle, causing them to break before they’re ready.
Today, I’ve found a happy medium in the midst of the chaos. When it comes to how often I wash my jeans, I follow this simple rule:
Only Wash when Necessary
The only exception being that if I haven’t gotten my jeans dirty for 2 or 3 months, I’ll wash them anyway.
Like most denimheads, I’m a sucker for high contrast fades. That’s why I usually only wash my jeans when they really need it, which is not all that often. Yet I also like them to last as long as possible, and I love how the denim looks after a couple of washes. And that’s why I wash them at least every 2 or 3 months, even when they aren’t dirty.
My Washing Routine:
In order to soften my jeans before I wear them, I soak them before I put them on. In other words, they’re going to last a little longer this way. It also means that the fades will be less noticeable. But that’s fine with me.
I wash my jeans either by hand or in the washing machine when they get dirty or smelly. Unless they’re really filthy, I tend to wash them by machine. The rest is done by hand.
Aside from that, it depends on what kind of fade I’m going for. Generally, it’s best to delay the first machine wash as long as possible when dealing with high contrasts.
I’ve provided step-by-step instructions for each method in the section below.
- Denim on the inside out.
- Using lukewarm water, fill your sink or bucket to the brim.
- 2 cups (1 liter) of white vinegar* (the clear kind).
- Incorporate non-bleach detergent into the water by blending in a small amount, preferably liquid.
- Gently remove any stains from the jeans by washing them for a few minutes and avoiding excessive rubbing. Soak them for 30-60 minutes after that.
- Afterward, flush out the water and thoroughly wash the jeans.
- Turn on the machine and select a “spin only” option.
- Dry the jeans on a line, right side up. Flat drying the jeans is an option as well. You should not use a tumble dryer.
The gentlest method of washing is to use your hands. You can keep the denim dark and “raw” because it usually doesn’t remove a lot of indigo from the denim with this method (although that depends on the denim).
Because it gives you more control than machine washing, it is also the best method for shrinking unsanforized jeans. Just remember to skip step 3 (i.e., don’t add detergent) when you do the initial soak.
How to Machine Wash Jeans
- Turn the inside of your jeans out!
- Rinse the jeans and select a “delicate” setting in your washing machine.
- Spin cycles of less than 900 RPM.
- Add non-bleach liquid detergent to the mix.
- In the washing machine’s rinse cycle compartment, add 12 cup (1 dl) of white vinegar*.
- Straighten out any creases and line dry your jeans as soon as they are clean from the washer. You should not use a tumble dryer.
Hand-washing is more time consuming than machine-washing. Using a delicate cycle in a high-quality washing machine is almost as good as hand washing when it comes to denim.
Machine washing, on the other hand, tends to remove more indigo from denim than hand washing does.