If you’re anything like us, you have a soft spot in your heart for your favorite pair of jeans. You know the ones that make you feel confident, sexy, and slim? Given how much they do for you, it only makes sense that you want to return the respect. But if you’re like most people, you probably don’t know the basic rules of denim care and may unknowingly be shortening their lifespan with damaging everyday treatments. Keep them around and useful much longer by avoiding the following four denim no-nos.
1. Don’t wash too frequently.
Unless you’ve spilled on your jeans or find a nasty stain, resist the urge to wash with each (or every other) wear. Washing causes denim to fade, lose shape, and wear out faster. CNN recently reported that one University of Alberta student resisted washing his jeans for 15 months. After swabbing the jeans for bacteria, it turned out that they were no dirtier than when the same pair was washed and worn for just 13 days. Less laundry and longer-lasting jeans? That’s a win win!
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2. Don’t wash in hot water.
Washing denim in hot water can cause damage to fabric fibers. Wash dark denim inside out in cold water and hang them to dry. Avoiding a hot wash and warm tumble dry will prevent jeans from shrinking and increase their overall lifespan.
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3. Never iron your jeans.
Just like washing in hot water, applying intense heat and steam from an iron can damage denim fibers, set in stains, and create outdated and unsightly pleats.
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4. Never subject your jeans to fading.
To resist fading on a pair of dark jeans, send them to the dry cleaner instead of washing them. For the same reason, store jeans in a place that does not receive direct sunlight to keep them as dark as possible for as long as possible.
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