The Ultimate Guide to How to Wash Your Jeans "10 Laundry Tips That Prevent Jeans Bleeding, Fading and Shrinking"

Jeans can be a costly investment – and finding a great-fitting
pair can feel like an achievement. So you want your favorite
jeans to last and look their best for as long as possible. But do
you know the right way to care for your jeans? How often
should you wash jeans? How can you prevent the fabric color
from bleeding? What washing machine settings should you use
to launder jeans? How about drying jeans -- what's the best
method to avoid shrinking and damage? We answer these
questions and more in our ultimate guide to jeans laundry care.
1. Wash Jeans Less Frequently
Washing machines are rough places -- so
the more you can reduce that agitation on
your jeans, the better. As a basic rule of
thumb, if jeans aren't visibly dirty, they
can be re-worn without a trip through the
laundry cycle. One way to do this, if you
have several pairs of jeans in your
wardrobe, is to rotate the jeans you wear
on a regular basis, so each pair stays
relatively clean for longer. Buying jeans
from higher quality denim brands can help,
too, as premium jeans tend to retain their
shape better through multiple wears,
reducing the need to wash them and put stress on the fabric, just
to get them to fit snugly again.
2. Spot Clean Isolated Stains
What if you get spots and stains on your jeans? If jeans are
otherwise fairly clean, it's a good practice to spot treat isolated
stains, instead of throwing your jeans into the wash. This will
reduce the wear and tear on jeans from frequent washing cycles
and keep your jeans looking new for longer. Simply apply a
laundry stain removing product directly to isolated soiled areas
on jeans, wait a few minutes, and then use a clean, damp cloth
to saturate the area and scrub away the stain.
3. Read Garment Tags
While this article provides good general guidelines for jeans
care, some jeans may require special or different care. For
instance, denim with certain types of embellishments may
require dry cleaning. Before you wash a new pair of jeans for
the first time, always check the manufacturer's tag for any
special laundry instructions, and follow these.
4. Try Hand Washing
In real life, many of us don't have the time or patience to hand
wash our jeans. But if you'd like to give it a try, doing so can
definitely help your favorite jeans last longer. To wash jeans by
hand, fill a bathtub with six inches or so of warm water and mix
in a capful of a gentle laundry detergent -- we suggest using a
product designed for baby laundry care. Submerge your jeans
in the tub, stretched out flat, and leave them to soak for 20
minutes. Rinse well with warm water, squeeze out as much
excess water as you can, and then hang to dry as described
below.
5. Sort Your Jeans for the Wash
For most folks, the washing machine is the go-to method of
laundering dirty jeans. Wash jeans only with other pairs of
jeans, instead of combining them with the rest of the family
laundry. This will help prevent unwanted friction on the denim
fabric, which can lead to thinning and tears. Don't overload the
machine, either -- four pairs should be the maximum number of
jeans in one load.
You’ll also need to sort your jeans into separate laundry loads
before washing, just as you'd sort darks and whites in the rest of
your laundry, to avoid fabric dye transfer. For instance, never
wash pastel colored jeans in the same laundry load with black
jeans. Each needs to go in a separate washing machine cycle,
either solo or with other, similarly colored jeans.
6. Turn Jeans Inside-Out Before Washing
Always turn jeans inside-out before tossing them in the washing
machine. This helps reduce fabric bleeding and cuts down on
friction to the "face" (aka the outside) of the jeans fabric.
7. Use the Correct Washing Machine Settings
You can help protect the fabric of your favorite jeans by
choosing the Delicate setting of your washer. This uses a lower
speed of agitation and a shorter washing cycle than Normal or
other settings, so your jeans are less at risk of stretching or
tearing. To prevent shrinking, always use the Cold Water setting
-- never Hot -- to wash your jeans.
8. Add Salt and Vinegar to the Wash
This nifty trick can help prevent your jeans from bleeding and
keep the fabric color ”true” for longer, and costs just pennies.
When you launder your jeans, add a cup of white household
vinegar and a quarter cup of salt to the cold washing water.
These natural ingredients help set the dye within the jeans
fabric, providing some protection against bleeding.
As bleeding typically occurs most the first time you wash new
jeans, especially if they feature a dark wash, give this trick a try
on their first trip through the washer. You can repeat it as many
times as you like afterward, too, to maintain the denim color. (If
hand washing, simply add salt and vinegar to your cold water
bath for jeans). Don't worry about your jeans smelling like salt
and vinegar potato chips -- the scent will disappear when the
fabric is dry.
9. Hang Jeans to Dry
The worst enemy of jeans is a clothes dryer -- never use one to
dry your jeans, if you want to avoid fading, shrinking and
unwanted distressing. Hanging jeans to dry is easy on the
fabric, reduces wrinkles and helps your jeans maintain their
proper fit. Simply hang damp jeans by the legs on a sturdy pants
hanger and place them on a shower rod or rack to air dry. Or use
a clothing line and pegs to hang jeans by the legs, as weather
and space permits. You can also hang jeans by the belt hooks
on two separate hangers, if that works better for you.
10. When to Use the Dryer
What if your jeans have a high amount of stretch, and you
actually want to shrink them a bit, to restore their original snug
fit? In this case, you can throw your jeans in the dryer on its
lowest heat setting for half a cycle -- keeping them turned
inside-out for the dryer -- and then hang the jeans to dry the rest
of the way. You can also toss jeans into the dryer for five
minutes before hanging to dry, to eliminate the stiff feel they
can have after air-drying. Do be aware, though, that regularly
using the dryer for your jeans will degrade the fabric and lead
them wear out faster.