No matter how hard you try to prevent it, your jeans will inevitably attract dirt and stains. Whether it’s spilled coffee, ketchup, mud, or just plain old dirt, you’ll have to wash your jeans at some point in time. Many people avoid washing denim, fearing it will shrink or degrade the fabric. But there’s a right way and a wrong way to wash jeans — and we’re going to reveal the right way.
Turn ‘Em Inside Out
Try to get into the habit of turning your jeans inside out before placing them in the washing machine. The outer fabric is more susceptible to fading and damage caused by a washing machine, so flipping them inside out will naturally protect them. This alone will go a long ways in protecting your jeans from damage.
Use The Cold Water Setting
It’s a common assumption that warm or hot water is more effective at cleaning stains than cold water. Granted, it may be slightly more effective, but the difference is nominal at best. Hot water will, however, promote fading, turning dark indigo jeans into a lighter color. To preserve the original color of your jeans, set you washing machine to the coldest setting possible. It will clean them just as well, but cold water doesn’t have the same color-fading effects as hot or warm water.
Use The Lightest Setting
We talked about this in a previous blog post, but it’s worth mentioning again that denim jeans should be washed on the lightest setting possible. Heavy or even medium settings can yield a little too much power, contributing to the wear and tear of the fabric. Washing your jeans just once on the heavy setting shouldn’t be an issue, but you should avoid making a habit out of it. Ideally, you should with the lightest setting on your washing machine to prevent damage to your jeans.
Line Dry Them
It may be easier and more convenient to toss your jeans in the clothes dryer once they are finished washing, but doing so may damage the fabric. A better approach is to line dry them outside. The sunshine and fresh air will dry your jeans without the aggressive back-and-forth beating of a clothes dryer. Best of all, it will leave your jeans smelling fresh — something that’s not found in mechanical clothes dryers.
How do you wash YOUR jeans?
