How to wash jeans correctly: hand and machine wash, instructions and tips

Not everyone knows how to wash jeans correctly, which is why after washing many things lose their shape and attractiveness. The fabric of jeans is denim; during the washing process, such material becomes delicate and capricious. After cleaning, the product may change not only its color, but also its shape. Therefore, it is very important to know how to wash such products so as not to spoil them. To properly clean your pants from dirt, you need to choose the right product.

Preparatory stage of washing jeans

Black jeans are especially tricky when cleaning. If the product is washed by hand, then only laundry soap should be used. A special powder is required.

For colored fabrics . It should not contain phosphates or enzymes, which spoil the color and destroy the fabric. To wash denim fabric, it is better to use liquid detergents or powder for delicate washing.

Before washing jeans, you need to carefully study the label . Before putting the item in the washing machine, you need to turn it inside out. During the cleaning process, only gentle products should be used. Denim should only be cleaned on a gentle cycle with room temperature water. It is better not to use an automatic washing machine, but to wash the product by hand.

Proper preparation for washing jeans is no less important than the process itself. General rules:

Sometimes it is better to dry clean items, especially if they are black.
It is not advisable to soak jeans; it is better to wash them at a temperature of no more than 40 degrees Celsius.
In addition to how to properly wash jeans by hand, you need to know that they cannot be wrung out.
It is not advisable to clean denim products frequently. The less often the fabric is washed, the better.

If you cannot do without soaking, then it is better to do it in warm water . The total soaking time of the fabric should not exceed 60 minutes. This interval is specified because buttons and snaps can leave rust marks on the fabric if they are left in water for a long time.

When soaking, it is better to refuse washing powder and use laundry soap . Detergents lighten the fabric too much, but laundry soap does not have this effect. How to wash jeans without fading:

If your jeans are black or colored, you can add a little vinegar to the water during the washing process.
Manufacturers advise washing jeans by hand, but today there are many programs in automatic washing machines, so you can choose the method at your discretion.

What detergent to use

The use of regular powder for washing jeans is prohibited, especially with bleach. The fact is that powder granules plant fibers, are poorly washed out and destroy the material. There may also be whitish streaks left. The only way out is to use gel-like products or laundry bar soap.

There are special soft gels for denim on sale. Branded brands often offer their own cleaning products. Thus, the Japanese company Momotaro Jeans offers the composition SZ-001 Jeans Detergent with palm oil extract. This is very economical and aesthetically pleasing, since no more than 30 ml is required, and the item will acquire a delicate peach aroma, which laundry soap cannot boast of. The product itself will look no worse in the second year of wear than on the day of purchase.

Samurai Jeans offers Kaminari Soap. It includes 3 components: water, soybean oil and caustic soda. They hold the color reliably, and the product looks like new even after years of wear.

The packaging of any product contains dosage information. This advice should not be neglected, since this indicator is individual. An overdose leads to poor rinsing and retention of detergent particles in the fabric, and an insufficient amount of the composition does not wash the item.

Handwash

To wash things by hand, you need to lay them out in the bathroom and apply soap to a clothes brush. It is necessary to walk the brush over the jeans, but do not press it too hard.

If there are large stains on the fabric, you can soak the jeans for 30 minutes .

But you shouldn’t overuse this, because the dye on denim washes out very quickly, and the rivets and buttons oxidize. General rules:

An important point is the choice of water temperature. If it is too hot, the jeans may shrink, so 35 or 40 degrees Celsius is the best choice.
After washing, the item should be rinsed thoroughly, but do not twist the fabric too much. It is enough to run your hands over your jeans to get rid of excess water.
You must follow all directions that can be read on the jeans label.

Need for ironing

There is absolutely no need to iron jeans after washing. They straighten out quite calmly on the human body, if only they were dried completely straightened out.

If the jeans still require ironing, then you need to turn the item inside out, slightly dampening the fabric. The iron should be turned on to the lowest heating setting.

And it’s best to use a steamer for this purpose, which can easily rid your trousers of all kinds of creases.

How to wash in a washing machine

If you follow the established rules, denim will not shrink or change color. But how to use an automatic machine correctly? If you follow some simple rules, your jeans will remain like new after washing. Cleaning in a washing machine:

Denim fabric has a lot of weight when wet, so it is not recommended to fill the drum with a large number of things.
When washing in a machine, you need to take into account that jeans fade, especially for black items. Therefore, you need to put them in the car with other things of the same color.

If you choose the right program in the machine, the life of denim items is extended several times, jeans shrinkage does not occur, and they remain in their original shade for a long time. But what to do if the automatic machine is an old model? In this case, you must choose a delicate mode or clean the fabrics at a temperature of no more than 40 degrees.

How to avoid color loss

The main problem after washing denim items is the loss of the original shade or even shedding of the denim. How to wash jeans by hand so they don't fade:

Before each cleaning process, you must turn your pants inside out and check your pockets.
You need to use mild detergents to clean the fabric.
It is not recommended to soak pants.
You need to use powder for colored fabric. The cleaning product should not contain chlorine or bleach ingredients.
Jeans should only be cleaned with liquid products. In addition, you can add a color stabilizer to the washing water.

What to do if your trousers are excessively soiled: in this case, the item should be left in warm water for 30 minutes , but this time interval must not be exceeded, otherwise a dull shade of the fabric will appear. To avoid shrinkage of the product, you need to use cool water.

If you decide to dry them in a washing machine, this should be done with care and in the delicate drying mode . But this is not necessary. It is better to smooth the denim with your hands and hang it out to dry.

How to clean jeans without washing

If your jeans are expensive, it is better to dry clean them. With expensive material, it is better not to take risks and not wash it in water, because in this case the item may lose its shape and color, and the fabric will become rough.

Features of denim

Classic denim is made from cotton twill weave. This fabric is very dense, with a characteristic relief, comfortable to wear. Denim is often supplemented with threads with a synthetic base: this adds new properties. Stretch jeans with polyester have excellent stretch and fit perfectly to the figure.

Caring for natural and blended denim consists of a number of rules. The most basic ones are always indicated on the label.

How often to wash

Although no one forbids washing jeans every day, frequent contact with water and detergent will cause the fabric to lose its elasticity and color faster. The less frequently we wash our jeans, the longer they last. But this does not mean that you need to stay in your pants for a whole month, and only then wash off the ingrained layer of various dirt. Washing is always commensurate with wear: worn a little, then washed.

It is better to wash new jeans immediately after purchase. Local stains should be washed by hand in a basin, so as not to spin generally clean trousers in the drum.

Advice A sure sign that jeans need cleaning is a stretched waistband or slightly protruding knees. After drying, the shape will be restored.

How to dry jeans correctly

How to properly dry trousers so that this process takes minimal time:

The first idea that comes to mind is to put the machine in drying mode. This should be done if you want the jeans to shrink.
If you want to maintain the original size of the item, then wet jeans should be laid out on a towel and then rolled up. This is necessary so that the moisture quickly transfers into the fabric of the terry towel. To speed up absorption, the roll can be placed under a press.
To speed up the drying process, you can use a hair dryer.

There is another drying option. It is necessary to turn on the heater , hang wet things near the switched on oven. It is very important that the oven is clean, otherwise the jeans will absorb the aromas of previously cooked dishes.

It would be more correct to dry the denim under normal conditions and iron it while wet . Drying jeans in the sun is not recommended; this will make the fabric rougher and may fade.

Useful tips

There are many tips for cleaning jeans:

Washing new jeans is advisable, especially if the denim is black. If jeans are dyed correctly, they are double dyed. The first cleaning will remove the external dye from the fabric, so your feet will not become covered with dark spots while wearing the item. After cleaning, the fabric will become softer.
To prevent black fabric from losing its shade after soaking, the washing process must be carried out using vinegar. The acid perfectly fixes the shade and helps it penetrate deeper into the fibers of the fabric. After this, it is recommended to rinse dark-colored denim in acidified or salted water, this will help avoid shedding of the fabric.
If you don’t want the denim product to stretch, then you need to wait until the fabric dries completely. And only after that you can put the thing on yourself.

If there are rhinestones or embroidery on the pants, then washing such items in a washing machine is strictly prohibited. Because all the decorations will not remain in place, but will lie in the filter of the washing machine. If you don’t have time to clean it by hand, it is recommended to wash your jeans at 30 degrees in an automatic washing machine. In this case, you should turn them inside out or place them in a special bag. This will reduce the friction of the fabric in the machine drum. After this, it is recommended to set the washing machine to delicate mode and turn off the spin cycle.

Changing jeans size

We use all the tips in reverse to reduce stretched jeans. Tricks will also come in handy for those who have lost weight by 1-2 sizes, but do not yet have the opportunity to update their wardrobe.

Shrinkage

Wash your jeans in a machine at 60 or even 90 degrees. The more cotton in the composition, the higher the likelihood of shrinkage. A radical method is boiling in a saucepan, but this is only suitable for the most durable denim.

Stretching

To stretch pant legs, work with the fabric while it is wet. Simply secure the waistband and give the bottom a good tug. Leave to dry in this position, you can additionally secure the pant legs.

Another way is to steam your jeans well and put them on yourself.

Wearing and care rules

The right jeans highlight your figure, hide imperfections and go with everything. It’s not always easy to find such a pair, and if you do, you want to wear it for several years.

Rules that extend the life of jeans:

Buy jeans that are half or a full size smaller. The perfect pair barely fastens when you first put them on, but after a few days they stretch slightly, hugging your figure. Try not to overdo it; pants that are too tight impair blood circulation and can cause swelling, varicose veins and other diseases.
Try to wash your jeans as rarely as possible (by hand or in the washing machine on a delicate cycle).
When a shine appears, you should moisten the fabric with a weak solution of ammonia, apply the powder and only then put it in the wash.

In order for jeans to fit well on your figure for several years and have a presentable appearance, it is not necessary to purchase a branded item in an expensive boutique. Sometimes trousers with a very affordable price look no worse if you choose the right model and properly care for them.

Storage

Learning how to wash your pants correctly is only half the battle. You also need to learn how to store them correctly. Most people make the same mistake over and over again: folding items and storing them in a stack.

We forget that in this way the fabric in the folds will wear out faster. In fact, jeans deserve the same careful treatment as trousers with creases. If you want to store your trousers correctly, they should be hung in the closet on hangers with clothespins.

Drying

In warm weather, jeans can be dried in the fresh air, but exposure to sunlight should be avoided. It is also worth turning the trousers inside out so that the front side does not burn out.

When drying indoors, the item is attached to a clothesline by the top or bottom. In the latter case, the clothes will take longer to dry, since all the moisture will collect in the multi-layered upper part.

You cannot dry it on a radiator, because the fabric is deformed under the influence of temperature, and damage may remain on the jeans.

Attention! You cannot throw things over the rope; creases appear on them, which greatly spoil the appearance.

The drying process can take from a couple of hours to several days, depending on the density and composition of the material. It is also possible to stretch jeans or, conversely, reduce them by size at home.

Useful Tricks

Good jeans can be worn for many years if you take proper care of them. Interestingly, trousers made from this fabric can adapt even to changes in body shape (minor, of course).

If the jeans have stretched or their owner has lost weight, the situation can be corrected:

Wash the item on yourself: put on jeans and sit in a bath with cool water (up to 30 °C), lather your hand or sponge with soap and rub gently. Rinse with clean water without removing the item. Jeans should also dry on the body. This method is only suitable for the hot season; at low temperatures, denim will take too long to dry. Jeans washed this way will fit perfectly.
Speed up the drying of trousers using a special automatic machine mode. In this way, you can reduce the size of the entire thing, or individual parts, for example, get rid of elongated knees.

There is also a way out of the opposite situation, when jeans become too small:

Lightly moisten (for example, with a spray or steam) and put it on yourself. After drying, the jeans will stretch in the right places.
If you have gained so much weight that you can’t even button your pants, it doesn’t matter. You can wet only the belt of the product and stretch it as much as possible by inserting several thick books.

To protect jeans from rapid color loss, you need to wash them in cool water using mild detergents and dry them in a dark place, turning them inside out.

From the video you can learn how to care for dry denim jeans.

Removing stains

It's best to get rid of stains as soon as they appear, or as soon as you notice them. In this case, regular washing powder or laundry soap will do. Apply any of the products to the stain, rub lightly, and then rinse. You can soak the item in soapy water for 20-30 minutes and then scrub off the stains.

Of course, it is not always possible to wash stained jeans right away. Stain removers cope with stubborn stains: Vanish, Antipyatin and others. You should first read the instructions and act in accordance with them. On average, they need to be applied to the stain for 10-15 minutes.

Ammonia and salt also work well with old dirt. These substances must be mixed in equal proportions, diluted with the same amount of water, and pour the resulting solution into the washing water.

Important! It is not recommended to rub jeans too hard using a cleaning product, as this can damage the fibers of the fabric.

Problems with lightning

If suddenly the zipper on your jeans suddenly stops working, then a graphite pencil can come to your rescue, which you need to draw along the entire length of the zipper. If suddenly the pencil was unable to cope with this problem, then you can move on to other lubricants, which could be soap, a drop of oil or hygienic lipstick.
If the lock on your trousers does not stay on top and is not fastened all the way, then a saving solution for some time can be a ring from your key ring, which can be attached to the zipper slider, and then hooked to the top button. This way, your trousers will no longer unbutton on their own when not needed.
If some teeth are missing on the zipper of your trousers, you are unlikely to be able to fasten your jeans properly. In this case, the zipper should be replaced with a new one. But in some situations, if there is no tooth at the very end of the zipper, you can do without replacement. The slider should be fastened so that it is slightly higher than the damage site. Now you can make a few stitches with a needle and thread above the place where the tooth is missing.
You can also carefully remove the damaged lock and make a clasp that will fasten with buttons.
If at the most inopportune moment the slider on the lock of your jeans comes off, without which it will be almost impossible or very problematic to fasten them, then as some kind of temporary solution you can attach a paper clip or a ring from a key ring instead.

General information

In order for denim clothes to retain their presentable appearance for a long time, you need to follow a few simple rules:

– Do not dry-clean jeans under any circumstances;
– wash separately from other items to avoid staining;
– jeans should be washed inside out;
– jeans must not be bleached;
– it is recommended to wash in moderately warm water (no more than 30-40 degrees);
– Denim should not be dried in the sun.