To maintain the fabric's like-new darkness, hand-wash your jeans inside out in a bathtub full of cold water, Morley said. Then hang them to dry right-side out. For the average person who isn't obsessed with keeping their jeans in perfect condition, machine-washing works too.
Denim may seem like a tough fabric, but that doesn't mean you should choose a Heavy Duty wash cycle. Instead, opt for the Delicate or Gentle cycle, and use cold water to help avoid shrinking or fading. Opt for a mild detergent, especially one made specifically for dark clothes if your jeans are blue or black.
Jeans should be zipped up and inside out to wash. I always do a separate wash for denim as you mustn't use fabric softener with jeans.
When it comes to washing jeans , the general rule of thumb is to use cold water . This helps to preserve the color and prevent shrinkage . However , if your jeans are heavily soiled , you can use warm water . Just be sure to turn them inside out before washing to protect the outer layer .
A good rule of thumb is to wash your jeans after every 3-10 wears, or when they start to smell. If you're regularly active in your jeans (think: manual work, anything where you work up a sweat), wash them every 3 wears, but if you're working at a desk, you can probably go through multiple wears without washing.
When you put jeans in the dryer, always use a low heat setting. High temperatures can cause shrinkage, damage the fabric, and lead to faster fading. Take your jeans out of the dryer while they're still slightly damp. This helps prevent over-drying and makes it easier to smooth out any wrinkles.
First, always make sure to turn your jeans inside out. This simple (but usually neglected) step protects the outer color from fading and minimizes direct contact with chemicals and detergents. This step is especially important for dark-wash and black jeans that are more prone to color loss or transfer.
A detergent like Tide plus a Touch of Downy helps improve the quality of your jeans by trimming down stray fibers, and protects them from discoloration, pilling, and fading. Make sure to only wash your jeans with other deep-colored clothing.
Don't throw clothes into the wash unzipped
So make sure to zip up all your zippers on your clothes before putting them in the washing machine, and while we are discussing metal and plastic objects, check all pockets for any lose items that could damage the washing machine.
Dry clothes can become stiff for many reasons. These include the fabric not being properly rinsed during your laundry load and using too much detergent which can leave behind residue on your clothing, making the fabric stiff.
The machine should not be too full to avoid severe wrinkles - a moderate spin speed of 800 or 1000 revolutions is also helpful for this. Washing several pieces of jeans together prevents them from staining other textiles. Turning it inside out prevents damage to the fabric caused by zippers or buttons.
When you first get your jeans, get proactive and seal the wash in before your first wear. Turn your jeans inside-out, then soak them in cold water with one cup of white vinegar and one tablespoon of salt. This tip works on your favorite colored denim too!
You can actually bake your jeans in the oven to kill bacteria, mold, mildew and other germs lingering on the surface. It was originally thought that you could disinfect jeans by washing and freezing them. This myth was soon debunked, however, and replaced with a more effective germ-killing method: baking.
New Denim Wash Care
But these tips are suitable for any new denim clothes you have: Using the soak cycle on your washer, fill the tub with cold water for dark fabrics. Turn the denim inside out and put them in the water (don't bunch them up). Let them soak for 30 to 45 minutes, then drain the water.
Use a detergent designed to preserve colors like Woolite Darks Liquid Laundry Detergent or Tide Studio Darks and Colors. They contain ingredients to help fabrics hold onto dyes and to deactivate the chlorine in the water that can fade colors. Finally, it's best to wash jeans in cold water on a short, delicate cycle.
We recommend washing after 10 or so wears—or whenever jeans smell stale or unpleasant. In between wears, remove odors and add a clean laundry scent to jeans with a fabric freshener," says Gwen Whiting, co-founder of The Laundress.
Most of the time, jeans shouldn't go in the dryer, unless it's set to low heat.
3. Clothes with zippers and buttons. Okay, don't worry: you can put your jeans, button-downs, and other clothes with zippers and buttons in the wash...as long as you do it the right way. Zip the zippers all the way to avoid snagging on delicate clothing or scratching the inside of your washing machine, says Stapf.
Set your washing machine to the gentle cycle (or delicate cycle, depending on your machine) and choose the coldest water option. Add a small amount of detergent, then let the cycle run. 5. Air-dry your jeans.
If you're looking for a more technical explanation, jeans shrink in the dryer because the high heat and the agitation from the tumbling cause the bonds in the fibers to break and the fabric to contract. (This also means that the washing machine—especially when hot water is used—can cause jeans to shrink, too.)
The average lifespan for a pair of jeans, according to the International Fabric Institute Fair Claims Guide, is 2-3 years. But there are a few factors that can either make jeans fall short of that standard or outlast it by years. How long a pair of jeans lasts depends on three variables: Quality.