Your favorite dark jeans go into the wash every weekend, then straight into the dryer. A few months later, the knees have faded, the color is a shade lighter all over, and the waist feels a little tighter every time you pull them on.
This is not your fault. Most of us wash jeans like T-shirts, and that’s exactly what wears them out. Levi Strauss & Co. puts a number on it: “We recommend washing denim after approximately every 10 wears to help maintain its shape and fit.” Not once a week, then, but not once a year either.
Why too often and too rarely both backfire
Washing too often costs the fabric. Levi’s warns that machine drying may contribute to shrinking and fading, and its denim care guide calls dryers “the natural enemy of jeans.”
Skipping the wash for months isn’t the answer, though. At the University of Alberta, student Josh Le wore the same raw denim jeans for 15 months and one week without washing them. Rachel McQueen, a professor of textile science, found mostly normal skin bacteria, and growth was virtually the same as a couple of weeks after a wash. Even so, McQueen doesn’t recommend going a year or more between washes.
Bacteria aren’t the main issue anyway. Julie Segre of the National Human Genome Research Institute, who studies the skin’s microbes, has argued that removing the dirt and the sloughed skin matters more than removing bacteria. And the popular freezer shortcut doesn’t do it: Stephen Craig Cary, a University of Delaware expert on cold-loving microbes, has explained that many bacteria are adapted to survive low temperatures.
The real rule, and what to do between washes
- Count to about 10 wears. That’s Levi’s guideline. Wash sooner if the jeans are sweaty, stained, smelly or visibly dirty.
- Spot clean small marks. Levi’s suggests a damp cloth or an old toothbrush with mild soap instead of washing the whole pair.
- Air them out. Hang jeans up after wearing instead of folding them into a drawer. Le aired his three times a week to keep odors down.
- Skip the freezer. It doesn’t clean them, and it doesn’t replace a wash.
- Wash them gently. Turn them inside out, close the zipper, use cold water on a gentle cycle and a mild detergent, as Levi’s recommends.
- Air dry. Hang them or lay them flat. Levi’s notes that drying them inside out in a shady spot prevents fading. In cold, damp weather, a little extra spin time helps them dry faster, one of the tips for drying clothes without a dryer.
Fit is the other reason to hold back. Levi’s says washing once every 10 wears at most helps maintain fit and prevent too much “rebound.”
When to wash right away
The 10-wear rule is for everyday wear. Jeans worn for yard work, a sweaty day or anything messy go straight into the wash. McQueen also points out that clothing in settings like hospitals and kitchens still needs stringent laundering.
About 10 wears, a hanger in between and a cold wash when it’s time. That’s the trick.
