That perfect pair of jeans can cost some serious bucks- some labels can cost upwards of two hundred dollars. But when it comes to taking care of your denim, there seems to be much variation out there- wash by hand, don’t wash, use the machine- what to do?! In order to prolong the life of your jeans and break them in nicely, I’ve created some tips to keep that pair of jeans making you look awesome for time to come.
1. Raw denim can take up to six months to break in and shouldn’t be washed until they’re completely broken in. This is because denim molds to our bodies and once washed, the shape is lost.
2. Pre-treated jeans can be washed more often (when they’re stained or they sag) and don’t need to be broken in.
3. To get rid of the smell from every-day wear, hang your jeans in the bathroom before a shower since the damp steam will keep them fresh between washes, or freeze them in a plastic bag for two days.
4. To prevent jeans from fading, wash them inside out in cold water on the delicate cycle (or wash by hand with Woolite). If fading is what you wish to achieve, wash in hot water. To maintain the wash of your jeans, add half a cup of distilled white vinegar to the rinse cycle.
5. Try not to machine dry denim. If you must, turn down the temperature to the lowest heat setting and take them out before they’re totally dry. Then lay them flat to dry.
6. If your jeans are too tight, let them air dry and tug the damp waistband by hand. For more of a stretch, go over the waistband with a super-hot iron while they’re still damp.