Premium denim is an investment, here's how I recommend to care for it...
First, unless you have dirt and mud all over your jeans, you do not and should not wash your denim every time you wear it.
If there’s no visible dirt or strong odors there is no need to wash your jeans... plain and simple. Get a little something on them? Spot clean them. Side note, the CEO of Levi’s for instance, never washes his jeans. That should tell you something.
Why shouldn't you wash your jeans every time you wear them? Washing breaks down the fibers of the denim which can affect the shape and fade the color. It's recommended that you wear your denim pieces seven to eight times before washing. Yes, you read that right!
When you do wash your denim pieces, here are seven tips I recommend following...
- Wash denim in cold water. Heat wears jeans down quicker. In fact consider cold water and the delicate cycle.
- Turn your jeans inside out. This way the fabric that’s facing the full force of the wash is on the inside. This will protect the color of the outside dye of your denim.
- Speaking of protecting the color…. use laundry detergent sparingly. You can even skip detergent altogether if you like. To preserve the color of your denim and get rid of odors you can add a cup of vinegar to your wash water. Vinegar is amazing for all types of cleaning…. and no, you will not smell like vinegar. Also, salt helps “set” the dye. A simple salt recipe: add 3 tablespoons of table salt to 1 gallon of water.
- DO NOT tumble dry! Dryers are the enemy of jeans! Exposure to heat damages the fibers of your jeans and can shrink them. Instead hang them to air dry. I know hang drying causes denim to come out stiff and a bit wrinkled, but once you put them on your body a good pair of jeans will warm up and mold to you and soften!
- You can steam your jeans if they still look too wrinkle. I do not recommend using an iron though. The direct heat of an iron can be harmful to your jeans. If you don't have one, I would consider investing in one of those handheld steamers. If you using an iron is your only option, turn the jeans inside out first.
- To remove small stains use a toothbrush and soap. Go easy on the soap and don’t be too vigorous with the brush. Try to attend to your stains as soon as possible so there’s less time for the residue to seep into the denim fibers.
- To keep your denim smelling clean and fresh consider a fabric refresher instead of a full wash. I use the Farmasi fabric freshener.
There you have it... tried and true methods to preserve your denim for as long as possible!
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