Often a touchy subject, raw denim maintenance is often debated like the contrasting elements of religion. On one side you will have your purists, on the other you will have your realists, and somewhere in between you will have your kick back Joe’s and Jane’s who really just couldn’t care less. In the end everyone is an individual and should be able to wash their jeans however they want to; whether that’s with salt water, plain water or holy water.
For some people though, guidance is required. So here you are in our That Store Blog thinking about which method to take. You need to first ask yourself….. What do YOU want out of your jeans? Not your mates, not the members, and definitely not your momma.
Here we’ll go through some of the different processes in taking care of your raw denim.
SOAKS:
Soaks are usually used to clean the garment without the amount of indigo loss a machine wash would cause. Depending on the end result you are after in your jeans, detergents must not have bleach, phosphate or enzymes if you wanted more of the “vintage wash” similar to Lennart’s PRPS in the previous post.
Some people add salt to the water. Salt is used to help remove the starch in the fabric and is also believed to help keep some of the indigo on the cotton where not much friction and wear have occurred.
For a soak, lukewarm water with a small amount of MILD detergent (some will even use hand wash soap or no soap at all) will be enough. Use hot tap water if you want some more shrinkage in your garment. Leave for generally 30 mins to 2 hours depending on how dirty the jeans are, drain water, and soak again in plain water to remove excess detergent. If you have certain areas which are quite dirty, give them a bit of a rub with a little hand wash without applying too much pressure. The thighs, hems and seat are usually the dirtiest areas.
WASHES:Washing comes down to personal preference and lifestyle. For worn-in vintage style jeans, use detergents that don’t have enzymes, bleach, or phosphates. The timing of the wash will make a difference. Washing earlier will produce less contrast through your whiskers, combs, stacks etc. Washing after an extended period will create a high contrast between the original denim colour and your personal wear marks. In regards to fading, something to note other than lifestyle that will be a contributing factor to the timing of your wash is the indigo dye and method used to dye the denim fabric.
When machine washing, take note of the detergent you will use because it will affect the fabric and indigo. Inside-out is preferable as it will prevent unnecessary friction and indigo loss. Many purists will fold the jeans neatly and line them around the sides of the machine. Chuck in the detergent and set to either the handwash setting if you have a modern machine or just a normal setting. Temperature will affect the fade as well as the fit. A Higher temperature around 60 will create more contrast than a 30 or 40 setting, however the garment will shrink more due to the heat. If you were set on having your whisker fades and personal patina, then it is HIGHLY RECCOMMENDED to remove the jeans from the machine before the spin cycle begins, as this will shift the creases.
The sea wash method is a must for many purists. The jeans are usually still worn when entering the water and lightly rubbed where most of the dirt collects. The ability to wear the jeans while they are washed helps retain your whiskers and combs especially as your let them dry on you. After your wash in the world’s biggest sink, have a wash down at the beach shower to remove the sand and salt still on the fabric.
For a hardcore vintage style wash, fill up a large bucket or the laundry sink with lukewarm water. Add your detergent (for a more vintage feel, use a natural detergent or soap flakes to imitate the days before the washing machine) and repeatedly dunk your jeans like a sugar junkie kid with an Oreo biscuit. All the movement and agitation in the water will remove more dirt, more indigo and probably some excess fat you’ve been carrying. After all, this is closer to a true vintage washing method than any machine will do.
DRYING:We’ll keep this one short.
Tumble Dry – will shrink more, can “boil” indigo. However allows you to control temperature.
Hang dry in shade – preferred method of drying. Hang dry either by waistband/beltloops, or upside down by the hem. Find a place with a cool breeze if possible.
Hang dry in sun - similar to tumble dry without the tumble. No control of temperature.
Note: after hang drying, depending on the fabric, the jeans may feel like cardboard. This usually doesn’t last long and will soften up to normal after a few wears.
