So how often should you wash jeans? If you’ve ever made it weeks, months or dare we say years between washes of your denim pants, we’ve got some juicy knowledge nuggets for you. Belt up, folks because we’re about to learn some fun facts about fibre. A sentence I never thought I’d write.
Sarah Ahmed is the co-founder of the denim brand DL1961 which I guess is the closest you could get to being a denim expert. Aside from 2001 Britney Spears at the American Music Awards of course.
She reckoned we should give jeans the old heave-ho into the front-loader when they are “dirty past the point of spot cleaning,” as per 9Honey.
Another jean co-founder Adam Taubenfligel of Triarchy also tried to calm my guilty conscience after not washing my jeans for three months straight in an interview with Reader’s Digest.
“Denim is such a durable fibre, and as such, it doesn’t require a lot of washing,” he told the publication.
“The more you wash anything, the more you wear the fibres down and reduce the life span of the garment.
“Only wash them when truly necessary.”
I am simply obsessed with the “not wanting to wear the fibres down” excuse.
You sound like you’ve made a distinct choice not to wash your jeans when in reality, you’re just a lazy bum.
Work smarter, not harder.
If you’re a numbers person and you’re looking for a more answer, Levi Strauss recommends a wash every 10 wears.
So there you have it!
As a farewell gift, we’ve compiled a few more cheeky denim-care tips for you to take into the world with you.
The first is not to dry clean your denim. No. Stop that. The chemicals used by dry cleaners are a wee bit too harsh for the jeans. So don’t do it!
The second is to actually read the label. Shock horror, right?! It might contain clues on which cleaning methods may or may not vibe with the material.
Thirdly and finally, wash them in cold water to prevent shrinkage (lol) and colour fading.
Happy denim-ing, team!
