- Wear them multiple times before washing. Unless they are really dirty or you spilled something on them, jeans really shouldn't be washed every time you wear them. Actually you are supposed to wear them many, many times before washing. If between washing they get a little stretched out as the denim relaxes, just pop them in the dryer for 5 min.
- Wash them in cold water. Jeans should not be washed in anything, but cold water. Remember denim is mostly cotton, so warm or hot water means that there will be shrinkage. Cold with the gentle cycle is the most ideal.
- Wash them inside out. This protects against fading and protects any detailing on the jeans themselves.
- Hang them to Dry. If at all possible, hang them out to dry. Same concept as not using hot water.
- But if you need to use a dryer... use a low heat setting and remove them while they are still damp.
- Read the tag. While the instructions above are true most of the time, there are jeans out there that do have special care requirements and some even are dry-clean only.
I hope these tips are helpful for you! Please let me know if you have any tips for washing jeans that I might have overlooked.
