Dirt Effect on Jeans and Dry Cleaning

[aipume]

I have a specific question thats probably gonna need someone whos knowledgeable in denim making or someone who has actually done this before either by accident or whatever =P

Essentially, some jeans have a "dirt effect" application on them as you know that gives the appearance of the jeans...having dirt!

I was wondering that in order to preserve it, is it possible to dry clean the jeans or does that mess up the dirt? I was afraid that the dry cleaning proces which is an oil based process may make a reaction with the dirt and ruin it or maybe dry cleaning in this case still rubs off the dirt the same way washing in water would. I know that not washing it is best ofcourse but there does come a point eventually that requires washing.

If anyone has experiance with this I would appreciate your input, thanks!

[Guest The Diplomatic Aristocrat]

If it's the smell, just spray it with Febreeze, I've had a pair of Nudies for over a year with not a single wash and doesn't smell at ALL because of febreeze.

I'm like the Afrocentric Asian, half-man, half-amazin'

[aipume]

well i kinda want to "wash" it too and not just give it the sense that it smells good due to sweat and things like that. its just that i know that washing it in water (inorganic) brushes off the dirt even if i do it inside out so i was considering exploring dry cleaning (organic oil) method but wasnt sure if that would make a reaction with the wash and ruin it...or i wasnt sure if it would have the same result as washing it normally

[aipume]

i think if i knew more about how the process of applying jeans with a "dirt effect" was done that would help too. i never knew how they did it and i doubt they jsut threw it in the backyard and ran it over with a tractor =p

[ringring]

'Dirt effect' can be achieved in various ways. Most simply, the jeans are given a tint (yellow-brown) by overdyeing them or by spraying or brushing them with a lightly tinted solution. This typically gives the 'tea-stained' dirty colour that you find on many pre-washed jeans.

'Dirt' can also be applied by adding a pigment to the jeans with a brush or rag. For heavier 'dirt', the pigment can be mixed with a PU based resin (you may see this on jeans with effects that look like mud or rust).

Dry cleaning shouldn't effect any of these too much.