A man can never have too many pairs of jeans. All he needs is the right cut, right length, and that sick fade to give enough punch to his outfit. See, there’s something sexy about a man comfortable in his jeans, whether it’s a beat-up pair against luxury fabric like cashmere, or simply with a loose-fitting clean white tee. The only dilemma, though, is whether it should be washed frequently, or not at all. And the germs, oh, the germs.
The jeans and freezer myth
It was in the news just a week ago. The CEO of Levis Strauss boasted his pair of jeans that had not been rinsed for a year, along with some advice. “Don’t wash your jeans”, he said. All that’s needed is to stick the grimey pair into the freezer once a month. Well… we wouldn’t recommend cohabitation with your frozen chicken, because believe it or not, germs can actually survive the cold. Imagine the party they could have in there.
The perils of washing
Fact is, washing denim in water will cause its dye to fade, and adding soap to it only hastens the process. So if you wear them a lot, are afraid of smelling like an unfortunate nomad, but refuse to wash them at all, send them out for dry-cleaning. Otherwise, you can easily put them out to sun, inside out.
As with anything else, there is a natural life cycle to jeans. It isn’t advisable to wash a new pair of denim too soon, too often. Even so, that doesn’t mean waiting three years for that. Feel any discomfort? Wash them. Or, let your eyes decide. For example, with raw denim, one sign to look out for is once the patch behind your knees bunches up and loses its hue, you know it’s time for a quick rinse. Just bear in mind that though heat is a germ’s greatest enemy, know that you must never wash them in hot water, always cold. Not unless you intend to drop a size or two.
There’s no definite time as to when you should wash, so it really depends on what you are doing, whether you’re stuck at your desk all day or fighting trolls.
If you’re really serious about locking the colour in
Add one cup of distilled white vinegar to cold water and soak your jeans for one hour. As a dryer will only cause them to shrink and encourage unnecessary wear and tear, hang or lay flat to dry. The odour should disappear once dried, so we reckon it’s best you avoid doing this on a humid day. That said, this vinegar trick should lock the colour in, prevent fading and colour run.
How to kill the germs with a spritz
Do not address any local stain by rubbing or scrubbing. That will only reduce the indigo, giving you a bleached spot. Seek out Denim Refresh, a fantastic product to have on hand and can be purchased here. This plant-derived product helps with fighting oil stains, surface dirt, and bacteria that produce unwanted odours. It also prevents further stains from setting in, leaving your jeans smelling fresh and extending its life by prolonging time in between washes.