How to Make Your Jeans Last Longer

In the words of our Design Director, good jeans are like cars - maintain them and they'll last for years. Plus, considering the amount of time and energy that goes into making a single pair of jeans, caring for them is just as important to maintain their longevity. Read on for our five denim care secrets to keep your jeans lasting for life. 

1. Don’t wash your denim too often. 

Jeans are meant to be personalized. Natural elements and frequent wear are meant to add character to your jeans so don’t be afraid to get a little dirty. Plus, if you wait to wash your jeans every ten times versus you, you help reduce energy and water usage by up to 80%. With that fact in mind, we recommend washing only after you feel like your jeans bag out too much around the knees, waist, or backside, or if you’ve happened to get a very large stain on you somehow or another. 

2. If you absolutely need to wash your jeans, use cold water only. 

We repeat, cold wash only. When you do need to wash, make sure you wash your denim together and make sure you’re washing on cold. Not only will you save energy for the planet (and money for your wallet), but this adds protection from excessive color fading and shrinking. 

3. Technique is key. 

Always wash inside out to prevent unnecessary dye loss and fading. Those should come from wear, not your laundry. Also steer clear from detergents that use optical brighteners - it will cause your blues to fade faster. 

4. Dry at your own risk. 

The best way to dry jeans is with good ol’ natural air. Keep them indoors and out of sunlight, and hang dry on a rack or lay flat on a table. Air drying helps prevent loss of stretch, preserve color, and minimize shrinkage (it also reduces your non-renewable energy use by 64%). If you want to throw them in the dryer, make sure it’s on low. Over time, tumble drying can damage the stretch fabrics in jeans causing them to bag out faster than they’re supposed to so try to keep the dryer use at a minimum. 

5. Need them in a pinch?

An alternate way to get odor out of jeans that “you just have to wear” is to steam them with a hand steamer. Never use an iron because it can mess up the original finish. If you have time to spare, stick them in the freezer overnight to kill bacteria and any unwanted odor. Just make sure to thaw them out before heading out the door.