How to wash a pair of selvedge jeans?
If you’ve invested in a great pair of Japanese, American or Italian selvedge denim, then you have gone to the trouble to buy the very best there is. Now you have to look after them.
But before we talk about washing them. A small caveat. We believe, the longer you can go without washing them, the more beautiful your pair of jeans will become. To read a lot more on the benefits of the ‘No Wash Club’ click here.
But, lets assume for this post, that you have abstained from washing them long enough, and finally you have reached the point of, well, where your jeans are ready to be introduced to a new substance that goes by the name of water.
10 Essential tips to washing a pair of selvedge jeans.
1, Turn jeans inside out.
This will help to prevent bleeding. And give a more even fade. It will also allow more exposure to water and detergent to the dirtiest part of the jeans, which are, counter- intuitively, the inside as they are closest to the skin.
2, Wash alone.
Somethings in life you have to do alone. Washing jeans is one of those things. Quite simply, denim bleeds blue blood. And will ruin anything that is lighter in colour that you wash it with. This is a mistake you will only commit once.
3, Fill your bath with cold or lukewarm water.
It is best to hand wash your jeans. This will help to cut back on wear and tear as it’s a much gentler experience for the fibres. Also, hands are good thermometers, they won’t allow you to have the water too hot.
4, Add a mild detergent. (see list below). Wait for it to dissolve before putting jeans in.
Use a mild detergent. But don’t overuse it. It’s always tempting to think that more detergent=more clean. But this can lead to a build up of detergent that will oddly make your jeans more dirty.
That’s because when all that detergent meets body oils and sweat, it doesn’t end well. It can produce an odour which follows you around the room.
Alternatively, you can also just use 1 cup of vinegar and 1 tablespoon of salt, this method is also believed by enthusiasts to help the indigo stay in the fabric better.
5, 45 minutes should do it.
Submerge the jeans fully. If the jeans float, use something heavy to hold them down. Allow them to soak in the water. Nothing to see here. Move along. Go and make yourself a cup of tea.
6, Triple rinse.
If you refill and drain the bath three times with clean water, this will give you the best result. The first one will get rid of the dirt. The second will get rid of the grime. And the third one is just to make double sure.
7, Don’t wring ‘em.
There is always a temptation to take your wet jeans and wring them. Don’t. It will twist and break down the fibres. Just roll them up and press firmly on them to release water.
8, Drying ‘em.
There are a few ways to achieve this. Lay them flat. Lay them on a towel so it absorbs the water. Or hang them up in the shower and let them drip dry. Or even better, put them outside. Let the wind do the work. Avoid direct sunlight.
9, Put them back on when 90% dry.
Don’t let them dry out 100%. A little dampness supplies a little give. That will allow you to stretch them back to as they were before washing. This is all part of the ebb and flow of a washing a pair of jeans.
10, Always iron damp jeans inside out.
Nearly there. For a selvedge denim that is 100% cotton, then set your iron to a high heat (cotton) setting using steam. If your selvedge has any stretch in it, you will need a cooler iron setting.
To protect your jeans use a tea towel cloth between the iron and the jeans. A good rule of thumb is to iron the pocket bags first. Then lay one leg at a time flat on the ironing board matching your seams (side to side).
Iron the selvedge seams flat and then iron the inside of the leg. Then swop the leg over and do the other side. Repeat this process for the second leg. Lastly, iron the waistband. And then you’re done.
11, Store on a hanger.
Find a good wooden hanger. And fold them over at the knee so that the waist hangs down facing the floor. There. A clean pair of super high quality selvedge jeans just waiting to be worn.
3 No No’s.
1, No tumble dryer.
This is the worst thing you can do for a pair of jeans.
2, No bleach.
A close second.
3, Too much detergent.
More detergent doesn’t mean more clean. Use sparingly.
Detergent.
1, Dr. Bronner Castle hemp soap doesn’t create suds
3, Mr Black’s Denim Refresh Spray
5, The Laundress Fabric Fresh Classic Spray
My washing machine overwhelms me with its options and its sophistication.
Uma Thurman
Tips for Machine Washing .
If you don’t have an area to hand wash you jeans, this is not a problem. There is nothing wrong with popping your denim in the washing machine. There are a few tips though to get the best results if using this method. We wouldn’t recommend to wash anything else with your jeans as the indigo will bleed.
- Turn Jeans Inside Out.
Turning your jeans inside out will help stop the indigo from running too much. This will also stop and buttons and rivets hitting against the drum.
2. Add denim friendly detergent.
Use a denim friendly detergent, The laundress, Mr Black or Dr Bronner Castile soap are widely used. These detergents also help to preserves the colour, fades and quality of your precious jeans. You can also used the ratio of 1 cup of vinegar and 1 tablespoon of salt to use instead of a detergent.
3. Cycle Setting.
You want the washing machine to replicate the gentlest factors of a human hand washing. If you can stop your machine before the spin cycle it would be better for your jeans to be taken out before this stage. Vertical crease lines can be create from the spin cycle. If you can’t stop your machine before the spin, set the washing machine on the lowest spin and temperature setting. Nothing hotter then 30 degree celsius. Once the machine has finished the wash do not leave your jeans in the drum, this will create wash lines. If you have taken you denim out before the spin cycle, you will need to wring the water out. Roll your jeans up and realise the water. Do not twist the jeans.
4. Drying.
Hung over a shower rod overnight is the best option as its indoors and away from sunlight. When they are still slightly damp, put them on to stretch them out. You can also let them dry laying flat. Do not tumble dry. The dryer is denim kryptonite, the dryer damages the cotton and weakens the fabric.
I was more ashamed that I couldn’t work the washing machine than the fact that I was taking drugs.
Elton John
Sea Washing.
This method has mixed outcomes. Some like it because they think it prevents the indigo from fading, with an all over even wash. On the other hand people like it because the sand and salt is abrasive. You can rub sand on your jeans to create a uniquely faded pair of jeans.
By wearing your jeans in the sea while still wearing them can also make your jeans stretch. Sea water is also not clean so you will need to do yourself a favour and wash your jeans in clean water afterwards, the sea salt will also contribute to blow outs.
Dry Cleaning.
If you have no way of cleaning from the options above, or haven’t got time or a space to dry your jeans. Dry cleaning will be your best option, if you trust the dry cleaners enough. The professionals can go over specified areas and stains, with out hopefully not ruining your jeans.
Freezing Your Jeans.
There is no proven theory that putting your jeans in the freezer will clean or freshen up your jeans. It is true the freezer will capture the bacteria so it will take away the smell for a while, but once you put them on again your body heat will re activate the bacteria, and your back to square one.
If you do want to put your jeans in the freezer to give it ago, or believe it does work, just pop your jeans in a zip bag and put them in. Again, there is a no recommendation on how long to leave them in for. Some leave them overnight and others a week. Freezing your jeans is acknowledged on being a eco friendly technique.
Freshen your jeans between washes.
If you don’t mind wasting precious vodka, experts recommend mixing 50/50 of vodka and water in a spray bottle to mist over your jeans. You can also use vinegar instead of vodka if you prefer.
Another DIY jean mister is, dilute 1 Tablespoon of baking soda, 2 cups of water and 5–10 drops of any essential oil of your choice. Hang your worn jeans on a sturdy hanger and let them air in a place with good circulation.
Too much Detergent?
If you follow the steps above you shouldn’t expect this problem. By chance your jeans haven taken a milk like smell, this may mean you have been a little heavy handed with the detergents. With a mix of product build up, body oil and sweat this is what causes the off smell. Using more detergent does not mean cleaner jeans, it oddly means the opposite. If you are experiencing this issue then all you need to do is run your jeans through the washing machine, with 1/2 cup of vinegar. Use the washing machine instructions above, the machine cycle will get rid of the sudsy build up. The vinegar will illuminate lingering odour and acts as a natural softener.
Wisdom Is: Wear Often: Wash Seldom.
If you give your jeans a little bit of TLC when washing they should give you extra years back. After your first wash, experts recommend to try and aim for 5–10 wearings of your jeans to then be worthy of a wash. The less you wash them the better.
Why buy raw selvedge denim.
1, It’s the real thing.
2, Raw denim tends to be a higher quality.
3, Longer lasting. Raw denim has not had laser, sandblasting or stonewashed in order to look great.
4, It takes on average 42 litres to wash a pair of jeans. Raw denim tends to go longer without washing.
5, They look better as they age.
Why it pays to wait 6 months first.
The longer you can leave a new pair of jeans without washing them, the more beautiful a pair of jeans you will have at the end of it. They will also be unique to you.
Each crease will have been made by your own individual way of sitting, walking, even which pocket you put your phone in etc.
They will be made by us, but shaped by you.
At Hiut Denim Co we encourage people to try and go as long as they can without washing their jeans. Not everyone agrees with that, but for us it makes sense for lots of reasons. And, it does make for a mighty fine looking jean in the end.
So we formed a club around it. The best clubs are the ones that are the hardest to join. Running a marathon entails 26 gruelling miles, so joining the marathon club has a barrier to entry: Pain. Likewise for an Iron Man: Even more pain. The reason we set 6 months as a timeframe to go without washing was because it was hard to do. It was a challenge. And, we love being put to the test.
And guess what? It has become one of the most popular things we have ever done. People have put jeans in their freezers to get rid of the smell, they have made videos of their journey, written blogs etc.
Some of the real diehards have gone 12 months and more without washing their jeans. Like the best clubs, it has become a real badge of honour. And so it should.
The end result is that when they finally go to wash the jeans, they have one of the most beautiful pair of jeans on the planet. One that is unique to them. No matter how hard a jeans maker try’s, no factory can do that. But there is another very cool by-product of the ‘No Wash Club’.
It saves a bunch of water, which makes for a more beautiful jean in how it looks, and how it takes responsibility for its impact on the planet.
As a company, we know we have a silent shareholder called Planet Earth. Yes, we can make our products in the lowest impact way that we know how. But for jeans, the biggest impact comes from us all washing them.
The enemy is indeed the washing machine.
Glossary.
Credit for this glossary goes to Heddels which is an incredible resource of information for all things denim. Thank you.
Raw denim.
This is simply unwashed, untreated denim. It is denim in its purest form. Until the 1960’s all jeans were sold as raw.
Sanfororized.
This is the steaming and heating process that ‘pre-shrinks’ your jeans. It is named after Sanford Lockwood Cluett who invented it in the 1930’s. Most denim is now sanforized.
Rope Dying.
This is believed to be the best method of indigo dyeing for yarn. The yarns are twisted into a single unit, called a rope, then quickly dipped into indigo baths. Eight or more baths, and then let to react with the air.
It is considered the best method for dyeing denim as the short dyeing time does not allow the indigo to fully penetrate the fibers, thus creating ring-dyed yarn that fades better and faster than fully dyed yarn.
Loop dyeing.
This is similar to rope dyeing, except that instead of six or eight baths there is only one, meaning that the whole process must be repeated if you want to increase the depth of colour of the finished denim.
Loop dyeing was the first method used to dye denim. It involves pulling ropes of yarn through a vat of indigo dye then out up onto the roof of the factory, allowing the yarn time to oxidize before returning to the dye bath. Loop dyeing creates more consistent indigo shades and requires less space to operate than other dyeing process.
Slasher Dyeing.
The individual yarns, laid parallel to one-another across a cylinder or beam, are passed through several baths of indigo dye. Usually considered inferior to rope dyeing as the dye doesn’t penetrate so well so the resulting colour tends to be uneven.
Crocking.
When you rub your hands on raw denim and you get blue on your hands that is called crocking.
Selvedge.
This method of weaving is possible only when using a traditional shuttle loom and can generally only be made in smaller batches into fabric with a width of about 30-inches, which is about half the width of denim made on an industrial level used making a more modern projectile loom. The ‘self-edge’ produced on woven fabric during the manufacturing process as it was woven to keep it from unravelling — often most easily seen as a red and white line at the edge of the fabric.
There is good selvedge. And there is great selvedge. The mills making the highest quality and most interesting denims are usually on shuttle looms.
Weft and Weft.
Like other twill fabrics, denim consists of warp and weft yarns. The way the warp and weft yarns are combined is referred to as the weave, and it affects the appearance, feel, and durability of the fabric.
The warp runs along the length of the fabric and the weft runs across it; on the front there are usually three warp yarns per each weft yarn, which is known as a 3/1 twill. Traditionally, only the warp is dyed with indigo, which is why denim is blue on one side and white on the other.
The term weft comes from the Old English word “wefan”, meaning “to weave”. Because weft threads are subjected to far less stress and tension than warp threads, they are usually not as strong. With jeans, the weft threads are typically white or ecru and are only visible on the wrong side of the denim.
3X1
3×1 is the most common in selvedge denim, chiefly because any denim over a 10.5 Oz. per square yard weight is 3×1. What the numbers describe is the number of warp threads versus weft threads. For 3×1, there are 3 warp threads for every weft thread.
If you closely inspect your favorite pair of selvedge denim that is at least 10.5 Oz. in weight, you’ll likely see three threads crossing over every one weft thread. 3×1 is the most common simply because it is the sturdiest weave; denim is a fabric rooted in workwear, so it’s only natural to have it be as durable as possible.
Tate-ochi: (Japanese) this is where iro-ochi has formed in vertical lines in vintage denim. The thread width is not uniform in vintage denim so the colour fades most where the thread is the thickest, creating a wide white, or severely faded, line along a single vertical indigo thread.
Iro-ochi: (Japanese) the fading of indigo dye in denim, specifically relating to fading in exposed areas rather than the entire garment.
Honeycombs: the faded distress lines that are found behind the knees (see also: combs).
Atari: (Japanese) the selective fading of the ridges and creases on a pair of jeans, most commonly along the side-seams (known as train tracks), on the front and back of the knees, the upper thigh, along the hem, on belt loops and pocket seams.
