1. To wash or not to wash jeans?
Some jeans lovers are "hard core" and don't want to wash their jeans at all. That way you get jeans that are only shaped and worn according to the movement pattern of the person wearing them. It leads to great contrasts between the worn and the worn out and we could probably call this an art form. Follow #fadefriday and you'll see what we're talking about.
If you're concerned about your jeans lasting as long as possible, you should consider washing them occasionally. If you buy raw denim, wait until you've broken it in properly before washing it for the first time. But if you leave them full of dirt for too long, the small sand and dust particles in the dirt will actually help break down the cotton fibers in the jeans - and wear them down faster.
But don't overdo the washing, because the washing itself wears out the fibers, and the higher the heat, the more wear.
2. The Myth of Freezing Jeans
Have you heard people say that jeans shouldn't be washed, but put in the freezer? This is a "fun fact" we often hear in our store. The only thing that happens if you put jeans in the freezer is that there is less space in the freezer for food.
Maybe it's the "hot" Levi's commercials that have contributed to this myth?
It's true that freezing removes bad odors while the pants are in the freezer. The bacteria that cause the odor go dormant when they're frozen. But the moment the jeans reach room temperature, the bacteria come back to life.
If you want to get rid of bad odors without washing your jeans, you have to expose your bacteria to radiation. It sounds strange, but the ultraviolet rays in the sun, the same ones that can cause skin cancer, kill bacteria. So you can hang your jeans out in the sun to air them out if you want to avoid washing them.
Read about more myths and misconceptions about denim !
3. Advice on Washing Jeans: What do we recommend?
Washing vintage jeans
- If they feel a little stale or smell a little, hang them out in the sun for a day or two. If you have a small stain somewhere, wash it off with a damp cloth.
- Wash them rarely, and only when they are dirty. Lightly soiled without stains at 40 degrees. If they are very dirty, wash them at 60 degrees.
- Cotton jeans can be spun at full speed.
- The advice assumes that the jeans have been worn in and have been washed a few times before, meaning they are not raw denim.
Washing raw denim
- These are unwashed jeans, straight from the factory, and you have to be careful about how you wash them.
- NB! Do not wash them before they have "broken in"! The day you feel they are soft and follow your body, they have broken in. Usually takes three months.
- NB! Do not sit on white sofas etc. until the jeans have been washed a few times. The indigo colour in the fabric will rub off if it gets a little damp, for example from your body heat.
- If they feel a little stale or smell a little, hang them out in the sun for a day or two. If you have a small stain somewhere, wash it off with a damp cloth, but don't rub so hard that the color rubs off and you get a permanent stain where the indigo dye has been scrubbed away.
- First - third time you wash them: Wash at 30 degrees without spinning. Hang them to dry in the shower or similar. It is important to avoid spinning until the jeans have stopped "bleeding" to avoid streaks in the fabrics from the spinning.
- Wash after they have stopped "bleeding": Wash them rarely, and only when they are dirty. Lightly soiled without stains at 40 degrees. If they are very dirty, wash them at 60 degrees. Low spin. The more often you wash, the faster they will lighten in the fabric.
