How to Take Care of Your Jeans

Last Updated: August 8, 2022

Jeans are a classic style and a rugged, fashionable look appropriate for all kinds of styles. If you want to know how to wear your jeans properly and get the most life out of each pair, you can learn who to wear them and wash them properly.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Wearing Jeans Properly

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Try to avoid washing jeans at all for the first three months. The first couple of months are important for wearing in your jeans gently. You can get them to fit your form like a glove if you just wear them regularly without washing them. They shouldn't need it.
- Alternatively, if you want to shrink up your jeans, wash them. It'll be easier to shrink them up a bit if you do it more quickly after buying them.
2
Brush them off to clean them. In the meantime, do a little touch-up cleaning if you must. If they are dirty, the best way to clean them gently is to hang them on a clothes line then spray them down with water and leave them to air dry.
- If your jeans become soiled, just try brushing them off with a slightly damp washcloth before you wash them. Let them dry thoroughly and reevaluate.
- If your jeans develop an odor, try wrapping them up in a plastic bag and putting them in the freezer. This is done sometimes to help deodorize jeans.^{[1]
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3
Wear them gently. Denim has a reputation for being a durable, standing up to heavy use. But if you want to keep your jeans from ripping and stretching out, try to treat them gently so they'll keep their shape. Try not to stretch, do yoga, or anything else that would stretch them out.
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Fold them in different ways. Before you wash your jeans, it's important to avoid keeping them folded or stacked along a sharp crease. Unlike your khakis, which will benefit from a sharp case, your jeans can lose some of their color along the crease, which can end up looking a little silly.
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Avoid wearing a belt. Buy jeans in the appropriate size, and you should be able to wear them without a belt. If you can wear your jeans without a belt, then try not to. This tends to wear out your jeans at the belt loops and around the waist. If you can get away with it, just wear your jeans on their own.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Washing Jeans Properly

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Wash jeans with similar colors. Your jeans can bleed when they are wet, especially with darker colored jeans. You probably shouldn't put them with lighter colors in the washing machine. Don't bleach your jeans and avoid any detergents with bleach.^{[2]
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2
Wash jeans in cold water. Warm water can shrink jeans, and weaken fibers. In general, you want to run them through cold water if you want to run them through the washing machine.
- You don't necessarily need to use the washing machine, either. If you just want to freshen them up, get your jeans wet in the tub, ring them out, and hang them up to try.
- Wash jeans inside out to protect the outside from getting too dinged up in the washing machine. This helps to protect the fibers and the look of the denim.^{[3]
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Let jeans air dry. The best way to let your jeans dry is to just let them air-dry. Leave them inside out, to keep them from bleaching in the sun if you hand them outside. Do not tumble dry.^{[4]
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Only wash your jeans after several uses. Denim fibers will last a lot longer the less you wash them. Try to wear them a few times before you wash them, and only wash your jeans if they've developed an odor or become soiled in some way. If you have only worn them for a few hours, you should wear them again.^{[5]
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- Your jeans will eventually fade after a while. The first time you wash your jeans they can shrink up to 2–3 centimeter (0.79–1.2 in). in length or width. If you're worried about them shrinking too much you can buy pre-shrunk jeans. Most jeans are pre-shrunk, but some aren't.