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How to Care for Your Jeans

How to Care for Your Jeans

We’ve been talking about what styles and cuts of denim are trending this season, so let’s discuss how to care for your jeans. A great pair of jeans is something you can invest in and enjoy for many years. Treating and cleaning your denim properly will help you to get even more seasons of wear of them.

wearing: sweater // jeans // mules (more sizes) // tote // earrings // bracelet // sunnies

Tips for Caring for Your Denim

One of the best ways to preserve the quality of your denim is to wait between washes. Believe it or not, it is recommended that you only wash your jeans every ten or so wears!

If you notice a small stain on them in between washes, they say to spot treat that area with a toothbrush and white vinegar or gentle soap. And if you’re worried about odors, you can always put them on a hanger and mist them with Febreze or tumble them in the dryer with a dryer sheet.

wearing: jacket // tank // jeans // mules // tote // sunnies // necklace // earrings

I don’t really keep track, but I suspect I wear most of my jeans somewhere between 5 and 10 times before throwing them in the washing machine. Either they are starting to look and feel stretched out, or they get a stain on them. (I haven’t personally tried the spot cleaning trick.)

wearing: sweater // jeans // boots // bag // sunnies // earrings // bracelet

Once it’s time for a wash cycle, there are a few things you can do to help prevent damage from the process. First, fasten all buttons and zippers, and turn your jeans inside out. Set the water temperature to cold and make sure to avoid bleach or harsh detergents.

Turning them inside out and using cold water helps prevent fading and shrinking. It also helps keep the color and fit exactly the way that you like it. When the wash cycle is complete, remove them immediately and hang them up to air-dry in a shady spot. While putting your jeans on, take care to pull your jeans up by the waistband rather than the belt loops.

wearing: sweater // jeans // sandals // bag // sunnies // earrings // bracelet

Now that you know the best way to care for your denim, I rounded up some of my favorite styles for your shopping inspiratoin!

Looking for a new pair of denim? Want to know how to style them this Fall? Check out these posts!

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photos: Alison Cornell

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17 Responses

  1. This is great information! We love to use Tide to go instant stain remover pens for spots. I actually keep one in my handbag and in our kitchen. I would have thought that hanging your jeans to dry would make them feel stiff, and take days to dry, but I’m willing to give it a try. Of course, I don’t own any premium denim pants, so it might not matter as much. Have a great day!

  2. Egad! 10 wears?? I can’t wait that long. I wash my jeans more frequently, but always inside out in cold water, then hang to dry. Great post!

    1. No, they usually soften up after I have them on for a few minutes. Sometimes, if they seem extra stiff, I put them in the dryer on low with a load of towels or darks for like 5 minutes – that’s all it takes.

  3. I seem to remember you posting about cutting denim that is too long. I have lots of jeans and styles, but some seem to hit me too long. I’d love to be able to cut and fray those. Can you send me the link for that post or tell me what you do please?

  4. Boy, that is wearing a lot of times before washing. LOL 🙂 I could do that on some of my jeans I guess, but I have a few that just don’t feel snug enough after a few wears. I turn them inside out if they are dark, but now will do this all the time. I don’t zip and button them, so good tip. I’d add to wash them on delicate cycle. I do cold/delicate and lay out. As for the smell, I don’t remember her name, but one of the bloggers Cyndi and maybe you did too, collaborated with just awhile ago had a video on her blog about jeans and she said if you want to freshen your jeans up, put them in a ziplock baggie…..would of course have to be the large size and put them in the freezer for awhile. I haven’t tried this. I can look her name up and do a PS to this post if anyone wants to look up her video. It was a good one. Thanks Jo-Lynne for these great tips. PS The bloggers name is Beth Djalali.

    1. Oh, yes, I’ve heard that freezer trick too. I’ve never tried it. Frankly, I’ve never noticed my jeans smelling. I guess maybe after I’m at an outdoor fire pit… but in that case, I do wash them.

  5. If your jeans stretch out too much after a wearing or two, are they too big? I usually wash mine after a couple wears because I feel like they’ve stretched too much.

    1. Yes, that means they’re too big, or it’s a quality issue. I usually wear my jeans around the house for an hour or two with tags on before deciding if they’re the right size or not.

      1. I must confess I am Jolynne’s team!😂I wash my jeans every ten times or even fifteen times of wearing them…Unless they get stained, of course.This way you preserve your jeans washing longer.I do iron my jeans but only after being washed and let to dry .Once they are clean and ironed I hang them on my closet and do not iron them for the multiple times I wear them,until they have to be washed again and ironed to get rid of that typical stiffness.I do not use a drier machine because I think it damages your clothes.And most of my clothes are rather delicate.

  6. I’ve recently read somewhere else to wear your jeans about 10 times between washes but I’m just not sure I could do that. 😜 I have worn mine two or three times before washing but only if I don’t have them on very long. I usually wear mine all day – and I mean 8, 10-12 hours and I feel like they need washed. 🤷‍♀️ I wouldn’t want to wear my other clothes ten times before washing. 😂 I do turn them inside out and hang to dry – as I do a lot of my clothes – but didn’t think about buttoning and closing the zipper. I’ll try to remember that. I may try to extend the time between washings because I’m sure that keeps the fading to a minimum, especially with black denim.

    1. I also have never thought about the buttoning and zipping till I researched for this post. I usually do it up when I hang them, so they dry nicely, but I am going to start doing it before putting in the wash.

  7. I also rarely wash my jeans. I have so many pairs that I seem to forget which one I have rotated. I always wash them inside out and only put them in the dryer for 20minutes or so then hang them up to dry after turning them back to the right side. I would guess that I wash them about every eight to ten times after wearing.

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