Washing/Cleaning Solution Guide for Denim???

[sriracha hot sauce]

So, Im hearing that when you wash your jeans especially machine wash, it ruins it. Like the finishes get ruined, and fades in coloring, etc. Is there any washing tips for cleaning denim if in fact they do get dirty? Machine wash? Drycleaning? etc? What do you do, and what is the best for denim from your experiences to keep your denim fresh? Also, a guide/solution for different types of washes, materials would be helpful as well. Im sure this will help out many other members as well. Thanks a lot in advance.

[ringring]

It depends on how your jeans are finished when you buy them. If you have bought a pair of heavily bleached, stonewashed and distressed jeans, then they will have already passed through severe washing processes in an industrial laundry and there's not a lot your domestic washing machine will do to them.

However, there are many denim fanatics that will buy 'dry' jeans (unwashed denim), who will avoid washing their jeans for as long as they can (3-12 months), in order to create high-contrast wear marks.

Washing will rarely ruin a pair of jeans, on the contrary, washing will reveal the characteristics of the denim. Jeans should be one of the hardest wearing, toughest garments you can stick in a washing machine. So don't worry, if they stink - chuck 'em in the wash.

Whether you want to wash frequently or infrequently it's up to you. There's no right or wrong way.

Here's a few ways to clean your jeans:

Air them. ie. don't wash them at all, just hang them out in the fresh air for a few hours. The sunlight and air should freshen them up a bit.

Dry Clean. Expensive if done repeatedly, but APC's recommendation of dry cleaning for the first clean is a pretty good idea. (it increases the time of wear on 'dry' jeans before you get them wet, so there's more time produce whiskers etc.)

Cold soak. Just lay them down in a bath of cold water. A bit of mild detergent/soap is optional (and can be rinsed out with several soaks in fresh water). Don't scrub them and don't wring them dry. Just hang dry. This method of wet-washing is the least intrusive of all, causing minimum shrinkage and minimum indigo loss.

Warm soak. Like above, but with warm (approx 40 degrees) water. Useful for shrinking down shrink-to-fit jeans, which need about 30 minutes of soaking to get the shrinkage. Pull the inside leg seams taught before you hang dry if you need to minimise shrinkage on the leg length.

Warm machine wash - turn them inside out, wash warm.

Hot machine wash - 60 degree wash, turned inside out and use plenty of detergent. Useful if you have a pair of well worn dry jeans and you want to lose plenty of indigo to create more contrasts in colour.

Oh, and if you are super-denim-nerdy, you can use a specialist denim detergent like J-Washer, which removes as little indigo as possible.

Note:Washing creates some wear-and-tear on the jeans, so bear that in mind if you're wearing real vintage denim - washing will increase the depreciation on vintage jeans.

Edited by ringring on Apr 4, 2005 at 11:50 AM

[Geowu]

I've heard putting the jeans inside a plastic bag in the freezer kills the bacteria and smell. Never tried.

In this site is a Japanese person who weared his pair of APC's for 7 years before first wash. Don't know if he's used it everyday, but the distressing don't seem too impressive to me. Looks nice anyway:

http://www.nurs.or.jp/~ourlem/text/denim_26.html

Ringring, there is no right or wrong way of washing, but there certainly is a right way if you want to achieve a certain kind of effect.

[Serge d Nimes]

Nice holy cows!

I'm not illiterate, I just can't type!

[MyMindSpray]

ringring...got a question for you...

i recently purchased a pair of black rogans...now, they're not the denim, they're in fact a stiff canvas...i believe they're from the fall/winter 2004 collection...anyhow, they're faded and broken in a bit...but i'm looking to really soften them up...i know most people hit you up with "denim" questions but was hoping you might be able to sort me out with this particular fabric (they're very similar to the material Carhartt uses in their outerwear - vests, jackets etc...)

i tried doing a first wash in warm/hot water and drying in high heat...this did soften them up a bit, but not nearly close to what i'm looking for...

i know the simple answer is "just wear the pants"...but i'm looking for an accelerated method in softening the fabric...any tips?

thanks in advance...

[ringring]

Those Rogans sound nice .

The only suggestion I can think of right now is to wash with a fabric conditioner. That should soften them up a bit more. If they are a tightly woven heavyweight cotton canvas it's their nature to be stiff.

[Dangydang]

ringring, have a question for you as well...

You mentioned warm and hot machine washes, but what about a cold machine wash? I would like to get a nice contrast between the worn down areas and unworn areas, but would like to minimize shrinking as much as possible since my jeans have already been hemmed. So would a cold machine wash be a compromise between the two? BTW, this is for a pair of APCs. Thanks!

[ringring]

Yes, I guess cold machine wash with a good dose of detergent would be a decent compromise - tug on the inside leg seams to stretch them out a bit when they are still damp, then hang them up to dry. That should minimise shrinkage.

[sriracha hot sauce]

Ringring,

I appreciate the response. Very helpful. The pair that got kinda trashed is some weathered dark with fading and whiskers diesels.

How do you get fading like that? Is that even natural wear and tear?

Thanks....

[SHOWCASE SHOWDOWN]

soap works great

Its better to not say anything and appear to be the fool,than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

[Geowu]

This pair seems quite preserved for 7 years without wash. In 45rpm site there are some worst

Edited by Geowu on Mar 29, 2005 at 07:41 PM

[ringring]

How do you get fading like that? Is that even natural wear and tear?

To have to wear them a lot, from 'dry'or one-wash state, and wash them very little. Sometimes also a little helping hand with a bit of sandpaper.

Edited by ringring on Mar 29, 2005 at 10:03 PM

[script]

i know this is off topic but forgive me all...i need some education...can help?

ringring/serge,

i'm thinking of geetting a pair of repros 201 but i'm so sure i have zero knowledge

to tell the difference...for a start, they do have black donut buttons dont they?

what a bout the buckle? and other things i need to know before i purchase?

also, it's rigid, so shrinkage will be the same as any other lvcs right? by 3" to 4"?

i've tried searching details pix and explanation but to no avail. so i'm lost here...

thanks advance.

write your own script

Edited by script on Mar 29, 2005 at 10:51 PM

[cg2015]

ringring

I have a pair of Diesel jeans art.793, love them!...but usually after I wear them 2 times they start smelling....is there a way of eliminating that?...seems like bacteria??due to humidity in the air?

[M4TM]

check this out:

http://superfuture.com/city/supertalk/index.cfm?page=topic&topicID=1686

strange highs and strange lows

[Montana5]

I have a question. I just bought a pair of evisu #2 jeans and the blue dye seems to have gotten on the big white gull. Is there any way i can get the blue dye off the big gull without ruining it?

[Analyst]

If you have denim that has been washed once, as in the case of 45rpm Sorohikos, can you still get degree of contrast seen in buying raw unwashed denim (Nudie, APC) and wearing them for a while before washing?

[Serge d Nimes]

Montana, a hot wet rag would do the trick.

Carpe Denim!

[ringring]

Quote:

If you have denim that has been washed once, as in the case of 45rpm Sorohikos, can you still get degree of contrast seen in buying raw unwashed denim (Nudie, APC) and wearing them for a while before washing?

--- Original message by Analyst on Apr 26, 2005 07:35 PM

If you have denim that has been washed once, as in the case of 45rpm Sorohikos, can you still get degree of contrast seen in buying raw unwashed denim (Nudie, APC) and wearing them for a while before washing?

Yes.

See the links to the Eternal & Sugarcanes, both worn from one-wash here: http://superfuture.com/city/supertalk/index.cfm?page=topic&topicID=817&start=91

[AmericanTemplar]

I just bought a pair of the LVC '66 Old Rinse jeans. I was under the impression that the fit of these jeans was similar to the fit of the '47, but these are a lot baggier up top and seem to taper down more, rather than having a straight leg. I wouldn't wear them as they are now--I like my jeans to be tight. So my question is, what's the best way to get maximum shrinkage? The jeans tag size is 36x36, so they're supposed to be like a 34x33, which would fit me perfectly. Right now they're probably more like 35x34.5.

Edited by AmericanTemplar on Aug 6, 2005 at 01:52 PM

[JohnW]

Quote:

I just bought a pair of the LVC '66 Old Rinse jeans. I was under the impression that the fit of these jeans was similar to the fit of the '47, but these are a lot baggier up top and seem to taper down more, rather than having a straight leg. I wouldn't wear them as they are now--I like my jeans to be tight. So my question is, what's the best way to get maximum shrinkage? The jeans tag size is 36x36, so I they're supposed to be like a 34x33, which would fit me perfectly. Right they're probably more like 35x34.5.

--- Original message by AmericanTemplar on Aug 6, 2005 01:30 PM

wash hot tumble dry hot? (i think 66s only shrink a little - I'm a 30/32 and I bought a 30/34)

as they're pre shrunk, I doubt they'll shrink much - I had the same problem with these jeans, they weren't as nice as I thought they would be, the denim was really thin and weird, and like you said about the fit. sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and get rid (unless you know a good tailor, i suppose).

as a skinny guy, the only lvc that's ever suited me is the 1947s, even the 67505 slim jeans were weird fitting in the thigh.

Edited by JohnW on Aug 6, 2005 at 01:40 PM

[AmericanTemplar]

So do you think that I should just sell them before trying to shrink them, or should I give it a try and remove the tags and everything and risk losing money re-selling them? Although the waist could shrink a bit, it's not too bad. The worst part is the thigh area. It's too bad that they don't fit, cause I really like the look of the small pockets, and I don't want to have to stick to just wearing 1947's.