How to wash jeans so they don't fade or shrink

Step by step

1. 1

   Wash only when needed

   Spot-treat small marks and air out light odors between washes. Check the care label, and note whether the jeans contain spandex or elastane; laundry symbols explains the label.

   Why: Every wash and dry cycle removes some indigo. Iowa State's AnswerLine suggests washing jeans less often for that reason.

2. 2

   Turn them inside out and close everything

   Zip the zipper, fasten the buttons, empty the pockets and turn the jeans inside out.

   Why: The friction of the wash fades the face of the fabric. Inside out, the inner side takes the wear, and closed hardware won't snag other items.

3. 3

   Wash new dark jeans alone or with darks

   For the first few washes, wash new dark or raw denim on its own or with similar dark colors only.

   Why: Excess indigo bleeds into the water and rubs off (crocks) onto lighter items, furniture and car seats.

4. 4

   Use cold water and a shorter cycle

   Wash in cold water on a shorter or gentler cycle with the normal amount of detergent. A detergent made for dark colors is optional.

   Why: Warm and hot water swell cotton fibers and release dye. Cold water and less agitation slow fading.

5. 5

   Air-dry, or tumble on low and remove promptly

   Hang jeans to dry, or tumble dry on low and take them out as soon as the cycle ends. Smooth the seams and pockets by hand.

   Why: Dryer heat and tumbling fade dark denim and can shrink the cotton.

What denim is and why it fades

Denim is a sturdy cotton twill, often with a few percent spandex for stretch. Classic blue denim is dyed with indigo, which rubs and washes off readily. That's why jeans fade with wear and washing, why new dark denim can turn your hands or a light couch blue (that's called crocking), and why the first few washes can tint other clothes.

Cotton is tough, but heat and friction are what wear denim down. Cold water, washing inside out and less time in the dryer all slow the loss of color. Stretch denim adds one more limit: the American Cleaning Institute warns that chlorine bleach damages and yellows spandex, so it's off the table even for white stretch jeans.

Getting common stains out of jeans

Treat stains before the wash, and check them before the dryer. Denim's sturdy weave lets you work a stain harder than you could on a delicate fabric, but test anything stronger than detergent on an inside seam, since alcohol and bleach can lighten indigo.

• Grease and oil: blot, then work heavy-duty liquid detergent or dish soap into the spot and let it sit about 10 minutes. Oil comes out best in the warmest water the label allows, so for this one wash, warm water is worth a little fading. See grease on clothes.
• Grass: pretreat or soak in an enzyme detergent in cool water, below about 100°F, then wash. If green remains on colored denim, use oxygen bleach. See grass on clothes.
• Ink: put the stain face down on paper towels and dab rubbing alcohol on the back, changing the towels as ink transfers. Rinse, rub in detergent and wash. See ink on clothes.
• Paint: act while it's wet. Rinse water-based paint out from the back with water before it dries; oil-based paint needs the thinner named on the can. Dried latex paint is very hard to remove. See paint on clothes.
• Blood, including period blood: rinse from the back with cold water, soak in cold water with an enzyme detergent, then wash cold. Hot water cooks blood proteins into the denim.

By situation

Raw or very dark new denim

Expect a lot of loose indigo. Wash alone, inside out and cold, and keep light furniture and car seats covered for the first wears. Soaking in vinegar or salt won't set the dye: Iowa State's AnswerLine calls that a myth for finished garments.

Stretch or skinny jeans

Spandex is damaged by chlorine bleach, and care guides put it at the lowest iron setting because it doesn't tolerate much heat. Wash cold, air-dry or use the lowest dryer heat, and use only oxygen bleach if you need a bleach at all.

White or light jeans

Warmer water is fine if the label allows. White 100% cotton jeans can take chlorine bleach per the label; white stretch jeans can't, because of the spandex.

Grease stain on jeans that went through the dryer

Dryer heat bakes oil in and can leave a darker mark. Repeat the detergent pretreatment, give it longer contact, and wash warm. Old oil marks may only fade.

Paint that has already dried

The American Cleaning Institute says dried water-based paint can't be removed; Iowa State calls it very difficult after 6 to 8 hours. Scrape off what flakes, try a dry-cleaning solvent and detergent on a small area, and accept that a mark may remain.

What not to do

• Don't wash new indigo denim with whites or light colors. Loose indigo bleeds into the water and tints everything else.
• Don't use chlorine bleach on colored or stretch denim. It strips indigo and damages spandex.
• Don't use hot water or high dryer heat routinely. Heat speeds fading and can shrink the cotton.
• Don't dry jeans with a stain still visible. Dryer heat sets grease, grass, ink and blood stains.

Other methods that work

Spot-cleaning between washes

Small marks can be treated with a little liquid detergent and a damp cloth, then rinsed, without washing the whole pair.

Caution: Rinse well so detergent doesn't leave a ring, and test on an inside seam first.

Hand washing

Hand washing raw or premium denim in a tub of cold water with a little detergent is gentler than a machine.

Caution: Wet denim is heavy. Squeeze water out rather than wringing hard, and expect blue water from dark denim.

Stain still there?

Jeans faded quickly

Switch to cold water, wash inside out, use a shorter cycle and air-dry. Wash only when they're dirty.

Jeans shrank

Dryer heat is the usual cause. Air-dry or tumble on low and remove them while slightly damp.

Other clothes turned blue

Don't dry them. Rewash with heavy-duty detergent right away, then soak in oxygen bleach if needed.

Safety

• Use rubbing alcohol and dry-cleaning solvent in a ventilated room away from flames, and never put solvent-damp jeans in the washer or dryer.

Never mix cleaning products; see chemicals you must never combine.

Questions

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