HOW TO WASH AND DRY JEANS

Everyone has that favorite pair of jeans they hope holds up as long as possible—and since durability is kind of our thing, you’re definitely on the right track when you start with a pair of Levi’s^®. But making jeans last isn’t just our responsibility, there are things you can do to lengthen the lifespan of your favorite Levi’s^®  denim as well. Namely: Washing and caring for your denim properly.  But with so many myths on denim care, what’s the best way to keep your jeans looking and feeling right? In honor of World Water Day, our in-house denim experts offer some advice.

Ok, so there are three main ways people tend to wash their clothes: In a washing machine, by hand, or through a dry cleaner. Let’s tackle this first. Denim started as workwear—it’s not especially delicate, and it can absolutely get wet, so dry cleaning is pretty unnecessary (save that for your suiting and silk) and handwashing is the same. That said, there’s no reason not to take advantage of the modern convenience a washing machine affords—as long as you do it correctly. 

So what’s “correctly”? Let’s talk prep. You’ll wanna turn your jeans inside out to protect the color from fading through direct contact with detergent. Make sure the zipper is closed to help maintain the shape. Next, the settings: You’ll wanna set the water temperature to cold. Cold water prevents the fabric from shrinking and the color from fading. Next, the cycle type. Choose gentle or delicate wash to make sure your jeans aren’t being put through any unnecessary stress. Pick a gentle detergent for darker colors if you have a dark blue or black wash. Close the door and hit go! It’s that easy.

When it comes to washing new—like just popped the tags—denim there are very few rules that change. So again, prep by turning inside out and zipping the zipper. Then—and this part is key—put your new denim in there by itself. Why? New denim, especially new dark wash denim, has a tendency to bleed its excess dye during its first wash. Put a light-colored piece of clothing in there with that bleeding dye and it could come out with a blue or black tint. To avoid that, we recommend washing your new jeans by themselves for the first go-round.

You know the distinct lines and creases you see on your jeans, the ones specific to you? That unique look comes from wearing your jeans for long periods without washing. So in the spirit of helping you all achieve that aesthetic we’ll help you understand how often to wash them. In terms of optimal washing frequency, we’d say less is more is the general guideline. The more specific guideline is to wash them once every 10 wears at most to keep them fitting correctly and make sure you minimize sagging. We’re not saying you can go even longer between washes—but we are saying some people wait until their jeans start to smell before they wash them. So, to each their own. What we *are* suggesting is that you use a damp cloth or old toothbrush with mild soap to remove small stains in between washes instead of opting for a full-on machine cycle.

Black jeans pose an interesting washing challenge. Beyond traditional blue denim, they’re darker wash and easier to fade so you need to take *extra* care to preserve their color. That means checking twice that you’re turning your denim inside out, using cold water, selecting the gentle cycle, and even using a specially formulated detergent made to treat dark colors. Make sure you’re washing them with darker colors too to ensure they don’t bleed onto other lighter-colored clothing.

When it comes to washing white jeans–you’ve got the opposite problem. Denim starts lightly colored and is usually died darker. So white jeans are really just bleached to be the color they are. Because of that, you want to take care to ensure that they are *not* getting unwanted dye on them. To do this, turn them inside out before washing and make sure to wash them with similar colors–aka other white and light-colored items. Feel free to break out the bleach for these babies too.

We’ve been known to sell raw denim here at Levi’s®. You probably know what it is by now, but for the uninitiated, it’s denim that has not been pre-shrunk. The idea is that you shrink it yourself for a custom fit. We have an entire article on how to break in raw denim here. But once you break it in how do you wash it? We’re gonna recommend a hand wash with a gentle cleanser. Don’t wring them out (it’ll mess with that custom fit). Instead, starting from the hem, gently roll them up and squeeze them to get rid of excess water. Then finish with a line dry.

Ok so you’ve washed them, now we know what you’re all thinking, how do you dry them? So, the biggest rule is that dryers are a no-no. In fact, we’d go so far as to say that dryers are the natural enemy of denim. Case in point: you know that lint you scoop out of the dryer when it’s done? Yeah, it’s literal pieces of your clothing breaking down. I know, terrible, right? Anyways, we recommend that you skip the dryer altogether and just hang dry them instead. Whether to have an outdoor clothesline, a drying rack or you’re just draping them over your shower curtain rod, this method preserves the fit and helps you avoid possible shrinkage or fabric warping. Pro tip: turn your jeans inside out and hang them in a shady space to prevent fading and avoid soggy pockets.

Now that you know how to care for them, it’s time to put your learnings into action. Shop all of our amazing denim, and make it last a lifetime.