There is nothing more satisfying than finding a pair of jeans that fit perfectly. A good-fitting pair of jeans is the holy grail of any wardrobe. While finding your ideal pair of jeans is a great success, it is also crucial that you know how to care for them once you bring them home.
What could be worse than finding a pair of jeans you love only to shrink them in the wash after only wearing them a handful of times?
Our easy-to-follow tips within this article will ensure your jeans keep their shape so you can love them for years to come.
How to Wash Jeans Without Shrinking
The main rules to follow to avoid shrinking your jeans are:
- Wash them in cold water.
- Air dry your jeans rather than putting them in the dryer.
- Only wash your jeans when necessary – not after every wear.
Wash Your Jeans in Cold Water
It’s important to always wash your jeans in the coldest setting your washer has to offer. Unless you want your jeans to come out of the wash a little tighter and a little shorter, cold water is the way to go. Warm and hot water will shrink your jeans at least a little bit in every wash.
Air Dry Your Jeans
Avoiding the dryer and opting to air dry your jeans will ensure they maintain their length and shape. Denim does not hold up well to heat or being knocked around in a dryer drum.
Air-drying jeans will ensure their durability. The only downside to air drying your denim is that it does tend to be a little stiff afterward, especially if you’re used to tossing your jeans in the dryer and using fabric softener.
If you want to ensure your jeans maintain their integrity but don’t want to wear stiff jeans each day, the best advice we can give is to not wash them each time you wear them. After you’ve worn your jeans for a couple of hours, the stiffness will work its way out.
Only Wash Your Jeans When Necessary
In American culture, it is common to throw our clothing in the washer after each wear regardless of whether or not the clothing is technically “dirty”.
While this practice is best for underwear, t-shirts, and other clothing that touches delicate areas of your body directly, it may not be the ideal way to give your clothing a long life- especially your jeans. The less you wash your denim, the longer it will last.
As we mentioned in a previous article, some experts even suggest you try to limit washing your jeans to once a year! While that may be extreme for some of us, it is best practice to only wash your jeans when they’re actually dirty. If they’re covered in dirt or you’ve dropped some stray food on them at dinner, they need to be washed.
However, if you slipped on your jeans to sit in the office during the day or only wore them out to the grocery store, you’re probably safe to fold them back up and place them in the closet for a few more wears.
The Curveball: Raw Denim
Owning a pair of raw denim jeans is a luxury, but they are definitely a little more high-maintenance when it comes to washing.
The best practice for washing raw denim is to wash them in a tub (even your bathtub would work) with cold water and gentle laundry soap.
Some raw denim enthusiasts even let their jeans soak in the tub for a few minutes, but that does require that you weigh them down with something.
Raw denim also requires cold water to avoid shrinking, but some people prefer to wash them in slightly warmer water so that they have a tighter fit for the first few wears after washing.
As we mentioned: every time you wash your jeans (raw or regular) in warm water, they will shrink to some degree.
Do What’s Best for You
You have to decide what works best for you when washing your denim. If you want to ensure your denim has a long life, using the precautions above are our recommended best practices.
However, if you don’t mind your jeans tightening up a little after every wash, like the softer feel of the denim when they come out of the dryer, and want to wash your jeans every time they’re worn, there’s nothing wrong with that. You just might be on the search for a new pair of jeans more often than others who offer their denim a little more pampering.