How to take care of your jeans ?

The less you wash your jeans, the more authentic they become.

In fact, it's thanks to a special weaving process that the thread of denim fabric appears blue on the outside, while the inside remains white. Over time, as the outer fibers wear a little, the blue color fades, revealing a little more white.

The result is a pair of jeans with character and the patina of time.

Have you ever heard it said that true purists never wash their jeans?
I can already see you frowning and calling these extremists heretics! Well, it's true! Many denim enthusiasts never wash their jeans, or wash them very little, so as not to alter the fabric and preserve the natural patina created by wear and tear.

Still have some doubts?

A study of bacterial flora in jeans, carried out by a student at the University of Alberta in Canada (CBC Canada), reveals that jeans worn for 15 months without washing are not much dirtier than jeans worn for a few days. The garment gets dirty straight away, after a few hours, and then the bacteria remain stable over time.

Of course, if you drop your jam on them, and you don't want to hear the pistachio sound of your childhood all day long (do you have the reference?), you'll have to wash them.

Well, despite what we've just said, don't worry, you can still give them a dip now and then.
Your favorite jeans won't self-destruct on contact with water ;) But be careful, as little as possible.

But how often should you wash it?
It's safe to say that if you've worn your jeans 5 or 6 times, even if they don't look dirty, you should wash them. This will not only remove the dust that can damage the fabric over time, but also eliminate bacteria.

Surprising as it may seem (but you're here to learn things, right?) denim manufacturers agree that you shouldn't wash a new pair of jeans until you've worn them at least ten times.

This gives your jeans time to adapt to your body shape, not the other way around, right?

You can machine-wash your jeans... but you should know that hand-washing can extend the life of the fabric.

So whether you're on team machine or team mimine, here's how it's done!

Have you chosen the gentle method? Congratulations! You're warriors, your jeans will thank you ;)

Here's how it works:

- Fill a bathtub or basin with lukewarm water.

- Add a dose of detergent (for black or dark garments, if possible).

- Soak your jeans for 45 minutes.

- Finally, rinse thoroughly with clean water.

And that's all there is to it!

Laziness or lack of time? We can hear it all ;)
So to machine wash your jeans, here are a few precautions to take care of them:

- Load the washing machine very lightly. If the machine is overloaded, the laundry forms a block and is no longer agitated. Since the laundry can't move, the creases are rubbed, and BAM! white marks appear and there's no way to remove them...

- Wash your jeans inside out. It's very important to turn your jeans inside out before washing! This will protect the fibers and colors of your garment.

- Wash at low temperature. The ideal washing temperature is 30°C to avoid color fading. Use a "delicate" program to preserve the shape and color of your jeans.

- Use less detergent. Whether it's for your jeans or the planet, use natural detergents or special detergents for black or dark garments sparingly!

- Light spinning. Excessive spinning tends to press jeans violently against the drum wall. Even if denim fabric is reputed to be robust, this mistreats the fabric and is pointless. Give it a whirl, but Max at 600 rpm ;)

- Take the laundry out as soon as the cycle is finished. Ideally, shake out the jeans before hanging them in the open air. Leaving them in a ball at the bottom of the machine will wrinkle them and cause them to take on pronounced creases requiring ironing (and ironing, we don't like it at all, but then not at all...).

Avoid this torture at all costs!

On jeans, the very high temperature of the tumble-dryer will alter the color, but also and above all the fiber.

There's nothing better than air-drying them inside out.

After washing, we strongly recommend air-drying your jeans, away from direct sunlight (and moonlight, if possible).
Before air-drying, shake out the wrinkles and gently pull the seams to prevent shrinkage.

All you have to do is hang them in your closet!

Although many of you do it, putting a pair of jeans in the dryer is not a good idea at all, just not at all ... The heat tends to damage the fabric, and putting your jeans in the dryer will wear out the fabric.
But if you're going to do as you please and take your jeans across the desert, at least consider this tip: take your jeans out of the dryer when they're still damp, and finish drying them in the open air.

Don't iron your jeans.

Quite apart from any damage that might be caused by running a hot iron and steam over the fabric, the very idea of denim fabric is to create "folds" and shapes that follow the curves of its owner perfectly, so why try to make them disappear at all costs?

And if the jeans have been correctly laid out, you'll see that ironing is unnecessary.
If, however, you've forgotten to put them in the dryer (that's no good, bou...) and you still want to iron them, you should know that ironing is always done on the reverse and at a temperature of 150° max.

Once ironed, the jeans can be turned right-side-up before being stored.
And because we like to fuss, we even recommend hanging them on a hanger instead of folding them.

To remove a stain, it's very easy. Use Marseille soap. Wet the tip of the soap and apply in small circles to the stain.
Don't press too hard!

Then, using a damp cloth, dab the cloth over the stain to rinse off the soap. Avoid rubbing to avoid marking the fabric.

Repeat the operation several times until the stain disappears.

Sometimes, raw denim can rub off. This is perfectly normal, but we can imagine that it might be a problem for you.
In this case, simply place a glass of white vinegar and a handful of salt in a large basin of cold water, and soak your jeans. Leave to soak for 30 minutes, shaking the mixture. Take the jeans out and wash them.

The dye is set!

In addition to all the advice given above, here are the rules to follow for all jeans containing elastane:

- Space out your washings. Don't wash jeans unless they're dirty. Often, all you need to do is air the garments. Another tip for spacing out washes: Hang your jeans on a hanger by the waistband, to allow the fibers to stretch, especially around the knees and buttocks.

- Wash at low temperature. It's best to wash your jeans by hand, but if you have to use your washing machine, fabrics with elastane can be washed at 40°C maximum, with a special detergent and plenty of water.

- Gentle on the spin cycle. When spin-drying after hand-washing, don't twist the fabric - you'll distort it. Instead, place your jeans between two towels to absorb as much water as possible. Machine wash at 600 rpm max!

- Turn your jeans inside out before washing. Washing jeans causes fabric abrasion. Clothes rubbing against each other, detergent, buttons, zippers, etc. can damage color and fabric.

- Avoid using fabric softener. Don't use fabric softener when washing stretch denim. In addition to damaging your machine, it attacks the elastane that gives your denim its elasticity. As a result, your jeans will curl.

- Don't tumble-dry! But if you absolutely must tumble-dry your jeans to save time, use a "delicate", low-temperature program.
Take the jeans out of the dryer while they're still damp, and finish drying them in the open air.

- Ironing damages and wears out the fibers and should therefore be avoided. If really necessary, fabrics containing elastane can be ironed on position 1 max of your iron.