Clean Jeans

Jeans don't need to be washed regularly. In fact, not cleaning your jeans can help preserve them and extend their life. However, over time, jeans can get pretty dirty or smelly, and in these cases, you'll certainly want to wash them. If you use the right techniques, you can use a washing machine or hand-wash your jeans to preserve their color and fit for the long run.

Steps

Using the Washing Machine

  1. Turn your jeans inside out. Pull your pant legs through the waist of the jeans so that the inside of your jeans are facing outward. Turning your jeans inside out will help preserve their color and will allow the inside of your jeans to get more exposure to detergent.[1]
  2. Start a light cycle with warm water. Running a heavy cycle can agitate your jeans and help fade the color over time. A light cycle with warm water will help wash your jeans while preserving the color.[2]
  3. Add color preserving detergent to the cycle. Look for light, pH neutral laundry detergents that are specially created to preserve colors. This will keep your jeans looking new for a longer period. Follow the instructions on the back of the detergent and add enough for a small load of laundry.[3]
  4. Pull your jeans out before the spin cycle finishes. The agitation caused by the spin cycle can fade the color in your jeans. Wait one minute after the spin cycle starts and pull your jeans out of the washing machine.[2]
  5. Hang your jeans up to dry. Tumble drying your jeans in the dryer can cause irreparable damage to them over time. Instead, hang them up to dry. After 24 hours, the jeans should be dry enough to wear.[4]
    • You can hang your jeans in the bathroom, outside, or in a breezy place in your house.
    • If you hang your jeans outside, they will dry faster.

Washing Jeans by Hand

  1. Turn your jeans inside out. Turn your jeans inside out to preserve the color on them and ensure that the inside gets cleaned thoroughly.[5]
  2. Submerge your jeans in cold water. Close off the stopper in your bathtub before filling it up. When running the faucet, make sure the water is cold. Push the jeans down under the water so that they are fully saturated. [5]
    • Hot water can cause your jeans to fade or shrink.
    • If you don't have a bathtub, you can use a large plastic bin.
  3. Add a light detergent to the water. You can use a simple soap or a light detergent to clean your jeans. Look for detergents that are meant for delicate clothing if you want to preserve the color in your jeans.[6]
  4. Allow the jeans to soak for 30 minutes to an hour. Swirl the jeans around in the soap and water mixture until suds start to form on the top. Once you're done, allow them to soak for up to an hour before coming back to dry them.
  5. Rinse your jeans off. Make sure to rinse off all the soap suds created by the soap or detergent before drying them off. Run them under cold water until the water runs clear.
  6. Lay your jeans in between two towels and roll them up. Rolling your jeans between two towels will soak up the remaining moisture in your jean. Press down on towels once the jeans are rolled up so that the towel absorbs the water before unrolling it.[7]
  7. Hang your jeans up to dry overnight. Hang your jeans up outside or in a breezy place inside of your house. After drying, the jeans may be stiff. Wear them for 20-30 minutes to loosen them up.

Using Other Methods To Clean Your Jeans

  1. Air out your jeans. If you have an issue of smelly jeans, sometimes a good airing out can solve the problem. Hang your dry jeans up outside or in a well-ventilated area inside. After waiting for a day, come back to the jeans to see whether the smell has gone away.[8]
  2. Spot clean your jeans. Cleaning spills and stains as soon as they occur is the easiest way to keep your jeans looking clean. Mix some light dish detergent with water and place a rag under the stain to help blot it up. Once you're done washing the area, blot it dry with a rag.[9]
    • Spot cleaning your jeans will prevent you from having too deep clean them as often.
  3. Hang your jeans up instead of folding them. If you want to keep your jeans smelling fresh for a longer time, you should hang them up every night instead of folding them. This will let the denim breathe and can eliminate bad odors.
  4. Spray vinegar over smelly jeans. Fill a spray bottle with some white vinegar and give a light misting over your jeans. Concentrate the vinegar on especially grimy or smelly parts. Do not saturate your jeans or they may end up smelling like vinegar.[1]
  5. Put your jeans in the freezer overnight. Fold your jeans up and put them in a freezer safe bag. Freezing jeans could remove odors from the jeans.[10]

Things You'll Need

  • Jeans
  • Washing machine
  • Bathtub or large plastic bin
  • Light detergent or mild soap
  • Towels and rags

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.esquire.com/style/advice/a44472/how-to-wash-your-jeans/
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://www.yahoo.com/news/finally-how-to-wash-your-jeans-the-right-way-118894362110.html
  3. ↑ http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/cleaning/tips/a24878/mistakes-washing-jeans/
  4. ↑ http://www.levistrauss.com/unzipped-blog/2015/02/5-tips-for-line-drying-your-laundry/
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 https://theidleman.com/manual/advice/how-to-wash-your-jeans/
  6. ↑ http://stylecaster.com/denim-tips/
  7. ↑ http://www.businessinsider.com/never-wash-jeans-how-to-clean-2017-1
  8. ↑ http://www.gq.com/story/how-to-wash-jeans-maintain-denim
  9. ↑ http://www.levistrauss.com/unzipped-blog/2014/12/how-to-clean-your-jeans-tips-from-the-worlds-leading-denim-conservator/
  10. ↑ http://www.elle.com/fashion/news/a18776/levis-jeans-in-bag/

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