How to Wash Jeans

With designer jeans taking over the industry, it's important to take care of your investment. Washing your jeans at the appropriate temperature and with good detergent can give much-needed longevity to that favorite pair of jeans. Here are a few simple tips to optimize your wash.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Laundry detergent
• Washing machine
• Dryer
• Hangers

1. Sort laundry, putting all the jeans in one pile. Put any new jeans or work jeans that could have excess dirt or oil on them in a separate pile to be washed alone.

2. Wash new jeans, especially darker ones, alone the first few washes. The color can bleed at first and stain your other clothes. Turn darker-wash jeans inside out before washing them to help preserve the color.

3. Check settings for the appropriate water level and temperature. Jeans do well with cold or warm water. You can wash them on hot, but you run the risk of shrinking them.

4. Turn on the washer and add detergent to the running water.

5. Place your jeans in the washer. Be careful to not overfill the machine; there should enough space for the water and soap to thoroughly saturate and clean the jeans.

6. Remove jeans from the washer once they're finished and place them in the dryer. Check the lint trap before starting, and set to the middle temperature. If you're worried about jeans shrinking, air-dry them.

Tips & Warnings

• When you choose a detergent, keep the water temperature in mind. Powder detergent works best in warm to hot water; it's hard for it to dissolve in cold water and may result in a white pasty film left on your jeans. Liquid detergent, however, is good in all water temperatures.