Each style promises you something different. You’ll look photoshopped. You’ll look great from behind. You’ll achieve instant lift. You’ll have a healthier looking silhouette. You’ll appear to have legs for days. You’ll achieve supermodel status. Excitedly, you reach for the jeans that hold the key to your happiness and quietly walk into the feared dressing room. After trying on a few pairs that don’t quite live up to your expectations, you begin to feel let down. But wait … can this be? You try on a pair of jeans that instantly transforms your body and life! You’re elated and want to celebrate, but you remember where you are, compose yourself and victoriously walk to the register. The price tag is hefty, but you’re excited to bring these beauties home and experience their joy. You return home with your lovely purchase and realize that it’s important for you to treat these jeans with tender loving care. They were a serious investment and they must stay in your life forever. The information is conflicting as to how to care for your jeans. Machine wash, don’t machine wash, hand wash, never wash. It’s so confusing. To help you prolong the life of your jeans and at the same time, achieve that desired lived in look, I’ve come up with 12 essential tips for you.
1. Treated Jeans Don’t Need To Be Broken In
You can wash these more often. But only wash when they have a stain or begin to appear saggy.
2. Raw Denim Shouldn’t Be Washed For 6 Months
They take this long to break in. Jeans conform to your body and after being washed, most of their shape is lost.
3. Maintain The Wash Of Dark Jeans
Add half a cup of distilled white vinegar to your final rinse cycle, while doing your laundry.
- Prevent Fading
Wash your jeans inside out, in cold water, on the delicate cycle. Or wash your jeans by hand with a delicate clothes soap made for hand washing.
5. Do You Want To Fade Your Denim?
Wash your jeans once in hot water.
6. Freshen Up Your Jeans Between Washes
With normal wear, your jeans may take on undesirable odors. Hang them in the bathroom before taking a shower (the steam will freshen them up) or place them in a plastic bag and put in your freezer for 2 days … it sounds silly, but works like a charm since it kills bacteria. But if you feel you absolutely have to use the dryer, turn the heat setting to low. Take your jeans out before they are completely dry. Lay flat or hang upside down until they’re dry.
8. Allow Denim To Breathe
Never pile your denim one on top of the other in a drawer or on a shelf. This also means don’t hang denim jackets or vests tightly together.
9. Fold Your Jeans Like A Professional
Lay your jeans on a flat surface, fold in half, from left to right. Fold the stacked jean legs in half, so the hems of the legs line up with the waistband. Fold the legs in half once more.
10. Taking Your Jeans To The Tailor?
Wash New Jeans Twice. Jeans will always shrink in length after being washed.
11. Are Your Jeans A Little Too Tight?
Lay flat after washing and tug on the damp waistband by hand. Allow them to air dry. To stretch a little extra, tug on the damp waistband while blasting it with a hairdryer, or go over it with a very hot, steamy iron.
12. If You Don’t Have The Time Or Patience To Try Jeans On In The Store
The Neck Method is recommended. To Determine your jean size, place the waistline around the diameter of your neck. If the waistline of the pant comfortably meets at the back of your neck, the jeans will fit. (This works for most women.) Featured photo credit: shutterstock_197625503 via media.lifehack.org
