A lot of guys ask me questions not only about how to wear certain jeans, but also how to care for them. So, here is a little go-to guide for your viewing pleasure.
Your jeans should be washed as infrequently as possible. When you wash them, it breaks down the fibers in the denim and wears on the color. Before considering how to care for you jeans, determine what type of denim are they? Raw or treated denim?
Raw denim is denim without any work done to it- no fading etc. They require breaking in and over time will become personalized to your body. If possible, wait up to 6 months before washing them.
Treated denim appears in the form of jeans with whiskering, fading, or any other sort of embellishing. Like with raw denim, they should be washed as infrequently as possible. If you are the type of person who must wash their jeans, treated denim is the way to go. And MAKE SURE to wash your jeans before getting them hemmed in case they shrink up a bit in the process.
Typical reasons for cleaning, and how to do it.
1) Odor- denim can start to smell over time due to bacteria from your skin. If this is the case, fold them up into a bag (preferably canvas because it breathes better than a ziploc) and put them in the freezer overnight. I know. I KNOW. It sounds ridiculous. But the low temperatures will kill the bacteria and will do away with the odor.
2) Stain or Spillage- If you get something on your jeans take a dry (or very slightly damp) towel or sponge to the spot and dab lightly, but be sure only to rub where the stain is. If it is raw denim you are working with, do not use any sort of cleaning product when treating the spot because it may remove the color. If the stain still won’t come out, it’s time for the washing machine.
3) Stretching out- After wearing jeans for a while they can start to sag, especially in the butt. There are jeans that are designed with a certain fabric that stretches with you to prevent this from happening. An example are these DL1961 Jeans. For all other jeans, washing will be the way to go.
SO if you find washing your jeans to be completely unavoidable, button and zip them up, turn them inside out, throw them in the wash with cold water on a gentle cycle, and hang them to dry. If they are an extremely dark pair, I would wash them separately to avoid the color bleeding onto your other clothing.
Has all this talk got you thirsty for a new pair of jeans? Here are some of me favorites to check out:
For raw denim:
For treated denim:
Have a question? Let me help!
[contact-form to=’arielpeche@gmail.com’ subject=’MEN%26#039;S QUESTION’][contact-field label=’Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Email’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Website’ type=’url’/][contact-field label=’Comment’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][/contact-form]
xx
A
(photos from www.coolhunting.com, blog.tipthompson.com, www.qclink.org)
