Top Tips For Washing Your Jeans

With Recycle Week commencing on 23rd September, and Stella McCartney recently revealing that she’s “not a fan” of washing clothes, as she says it makes them last longer and of course is better for the environment; it got us thinking about the ongoing conversation that is ‘How Often Should You Wash Your Jeans?’...

What Jeans Are Made From

As you may have already read in another one of our blogs, denim is a durable cotton or cotton-blend twill textile that may fade over time; typically used to make jeans, overalls and other clothing.

How Often Should You Wash Your Jeans? What The Big Brands Say

We thought it was only right to check what some of the biggest names in denim say, when it comes to washing jeans. Here’s what we found:

Levi's said to stop washing your jeans, wash them right or life-hack your denim using vinegar!

Some tips on how to wash your jeans from Lee are to hand wash them (or a short, gentle cool cycle in the washing machine), spot clean any stains and wash jeans inside out to minimise fading. They also recommend using vinegar to reduce colour bleeding.

Some easy steps from Wrangler to guarantee the look and longevity of your denim are to wash inside out on a cold, gentle machine wash, dry flat in shade, don’t dry clean them, and wash separately for the first wash. We love how seriously Wrangler takes sustainability too.

Alternatives To Washing Our Clothes

Sarah Clayton, head of the Love Your Clothes campaign by environmental charity Wrap, suggests not to wash your jeans, but to ‘air’ them between wears. She also advises spot cleaning stains instead of washing the whole garment.

Prof Andrew Groves, head of fashion design course at Westminster University, agrees with not washing your clothes too often and recommends trying sticking your jeans in the freezer instead of washing them to keep them fresh, preventing any distortion to the shape and colour of your jeans that your washing machine may cause.

The idea of not washing your jeans for a long time will gross most people out, but not Chip Bergh, the CEO of Levi's; he swears by it in fact! Back in 2014, Mr Bergh declared that the pair of jeans he was wearing had never been washed, which as you can imagine, got a lot of people talking! Fast-forward to 2019, when he proudly told a broadcaster that he STILL hadn't washed them, despite the pair of jeans now being about 10 years old!

Top Tips For Looking After Your Jeans

• Don’t wash your jeans!

• Try airing or freezing them.

• Try fabric spray to freshen them up - there are even some designed just for jeans.

• Remove stains on jeans promptly.

• Turn them inside out when washing, so they don’t fade as quickly.

• Keep dark and light colours separate.

• Avoid cramming them into the washing machine.

• Try washing your jeans in the bath.

• Wash them on a gentle cycle using cold water. 

• Get a detergent that’s specially formulated for dark fabrics.

• Try the vinegar tip as mentioned by the big brands (above).

• Never use bleach.

• When they’re done, hang dry; never put jeans in the dryer.

We hope you’ve enjoyed reading our blog, and have some handy tips to take away with you. When you think about how often you should wash your jeans, it comes down to personal preference; how often you wear them, what activities you do in them; how much you sweat and if any of the above ideas help you in between washes.

When you’ve got your jeans in tip-top condition, it of course makes sense to stock up on Holé Button Covers to make sure your tops stay in tip-top condition too!