Washing Raw Denim Options

[sixfive]

Those of you who wear raw denim, have y'all washed it before? I'd like to give them a wash to shrink it a bit but don't want to lose any indigo. Soooo:

How well does Woolite Black work?
Dry cleaners?
Showering with them?
Soaking in cold tub?

[hi-C]

Firstly wash them inside out. Don't use an extreme temperature, cool or cold water. I think putting them in the dryer tends to make them shrink, so either let them lay flat to dry or put them in the dryer on its least harsh setting (my dryer says delicate). And yes, if you have it, use Woolite Black.

[sixfive]

So hand-wash with Woolite Black inside out then let it air dry for a bit of shrink + minimal indigo loss?

[hi-C]

Yeah. Also, I know some people don't wash their denim in detergent, just plain water, so you could do that too.

[sixfive]

Hmmm. Do you know if Woolite Black will help keep the color and prevent the water from running the indigo, or does it just keep indigo well for a detergent? Like, would washing w/ Woolite Black remove less than just w/ cool water?

[hi-C]

Woolite Dark may add something extra to keep the dye, but if you're going to hand wash it it shouldn't matter too much.

[superstitious]

I have absolutely no experience with this but wanted to at least try to help.

+ Washing & Soaking

There are several methods for washing. Most recommend if you wear your jeans constantly wait at least 6 months to wash them in hot water with detergent then hang dry them. Another method is to wear them into the ocean (not dirty oceans!) and then rinse them out with fresh (non salted) water and hang dry them. While you do not have to wait so long to wash your jeans, you will get the highest contrast fades if you wait since when you wash them the creases you created will be washed out and you might not get the creases in the same place, thus slowing down the fading. If your jeans aren’t that dirty, try soaking them instead. What does soaking do? Soaking cleans the denim, shrinks, and removes starch. Fill a bath tub full of water and lay the jeans inside out flat to float. Place bottles or something heavy on each leg and side to sink the jeans. The hotter the water, the more they will shrink. If your jeans aren’t that dirty but just stink, fabreeze them.

http://www.honestforum.com/dry-denim/14889...start-here.html

[sixfive]

Yeah haha, I've read a billion different forums but all of them seemed to have a different method. The aforementioned seemed the most constant.

[Tung]

^ well google the specific pants you're trying to wash. they'll have the precise way to do it.

[superstitious]

LOL I was sort of shocked at all the denim boards, blogs, etc I found looking for something for you. I never knew people were so passionate about denim!

[Tung]

^ Rebecca, you need to get into the denim game. A pair of Citizens might be a good start. :D

[superstitious]

Honey, my ass needs more money! I have one really dark pair of jeans and I typically wash them with black items and hang them to dry. They're cheap though, like a Mossimo Target pair of jeans and I think I even got them on clearance. lol

[Tung]

Honey, my ass needs more money! I have one really dark pair of jeans and I typically wash them with black items and hang them to dry. They're cheap though, like a Mossimo Target pair of jeans and I think I even got them on clearance. lol

Please tell me you are joking. LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[superstitious]

DUDE! I'm a single mom with no child support. lol

I tell you what, maybe with next year's tax returns I'll get some nifty jeans.

[brooklyneast05]

steven, if you were a real man like me you would go get you some regular jeans that you don't have to care for like a little girl. all this washing instructions is for females to mess with imo. go wash them in a river or something while you're fishing and killing bears.

[sixfive]

JC, if you were a real man like me you wouldn't be such a neat freak. Your idea of art would be blowing shit up, which if you do and I've not heard, kudos to you. Also, I hope you drink your coffee black. That's how real men/politically correct individuals do it. I don't drink coffee really, though. I'm exempt. Also, real men pirate everything.

Tung, they're Levi's 501's raw. I know what the websites say, just so many methods and nothing tells me exactly what will happen, etc.

P.S. I've not washed them for 5 months, how fucking manly is that shit!?

[brooklyneast05]

i don't blow shit up


i do drink my coffee black though! every little way to promote blackness counts



p.s. that's disgusting.

[sixfive]

Disgustingly manly!

[andrewexd]

people are way too worried about washing. just put them in the washer. I usually dont add any detergent but if you want to thats fine too. preferably ones without enzymes but it really doesnt matter. Also, I would take it out before the spin cycle and hang dry.

btw if you have the levis 501 stf raws (the ones that cost like $40 rather than 175) the color on those are nasty after a wash. So umm id probably just wear them to death with no washes. If theyre the better ones then just wash them like i said. If you dont wash them on occasion then there will be crotch rips and small holes on the honeycombs. There eventually will be what but mine happened quickly. I washed my pair for the first time after about 6 months then another 3 months. I try to wash every 2 months now the crotch is about to blow.

[sixfive]

Mine aren't really dirty, they just smell heavily of indigo. I've only been wearing mine since mid summer and the wear is just now starting to show, so I don't think I'm going to wash any time soon. Wash machines also seem to be the best way to lose indigo, but idk. I'm wearing Levi's 501's, but it's not the $40 pair. It was ~$80 iirc. If I do wash, I'll wash by hand using woolite black w/ room temp - cool water.