LS&Co. Unzipped

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Sep 03 2010

Wash My Jeans? Hardly.

If you hate doing laundry, you may want to limit the bottom half of your wardrobe to blue jeans…and follow Carl Chiara’s credo: The less you wash your jeans, the better your jeans become.

Carl – pictured below -- and his laissez faire approach to denim care were featured in yesterday’s “Tricks of the Trade” column in The Wall Street Journal. (Business news, financial updates and, now, fashion tips. Who knew?)

Carl’s the director of brand projects and special projects for Levi’s® brand, so when it comes to blue jeans, he speaks with some authority!

As he told reporter Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan, “he doesn’t like to put his jeans in a washing machine because agitating the denim can make the fabric swell and ‘bloom.’”

The yarns can “tense up and actually get shorter, shrinking the jeans.”

So how does he keep them fresh? Would you believe spot-cleaning with a damp sponge and “whatever is under the kitchen sink – usually Windex or 409.”

After six months of wearing them, Carl told the Journal, he’ll fill a bathtub to about six-inches with room-temperature water and add two tablespoons of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Liquid Soap. He’ll let them soak for 20 minutes before hanging them by a belt loop to dry.

The article features additional tips from Carl, including putting a “woodsy” potpourri sachet into the pocket while the jeans dry.

Why didn’t I think of that?

By simply reading this article, my laundry chores tonight have been cut in half. And I've saved energy, as well, reducing my carbon footprint.

I wonder if Carl’s approach applies to denim tops, as well…

Posted By: Cory Warren, Editor, LS&Co. Unzipped

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Tags: Care Tag,Fashion,Levi's®,Levi's®,Planet,Style

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Ace (not verified) - Jan 26 2013

Will the Dr. Bronners method shrink the original fit 501? Will it fade or change the original rigid feel / color?

Editor's note: Hi Ace. Like that name! Dr. Bronner's is considered more gentle than most detergents, so it shouldn't have an impact on shrinkage and should have less of an impact -- than a harsh detergent -- on feel and color. Thanks for your question.

Bruce Bryant (not verified) - Dec 29 2012
I always wash with cold water and line dry indoors. I swim almost everyday and do not generally do anything to get my jeans dirty. Because of swimming I usually have several bathes/showers during the day. I stay clean and my jeans stay clean allowing me to wear the same pair 5 - 7 times before washing. Best of all I can enjoy the convenience of no underwear which I prefer.

DTT (not verified) - Dec 09 2012
http://fashionablygeek.com/news/guy-wears-the-same-unwashed-jeans-for-15... Hardly the most scientific study, but about that bacterial growth on denim...

Levis 517 (not verified) - Sep 13 2012
Levis is very good brand for jeans.

Ronald Blake (not verified) - Dec 15 2011
Thank you for the advice I use the windex trick! I love my Levi's!!

Dic (not verified) - Nov 22 2011

Dint wash your jeans so often. The worse advice I ever heard. Bacteria growth on denim, skin infections, particularly in wampum humid clime. I'd expect more from Levi's rather than an endorsement of a soap which is sourced fro palm oil, responsible or massive deforestation in Asia. Levi's you are beginning to suck. Literally

Editor’s note: Thank you for your comment. Our advice is to wash less often, but clearly, you have to judge for yourself what’s appropriate. Hot day, dirty job? Wash your jeans. Please! Cold day, office job? Maybe you can wear them twice or more before they go back to the washing machine. Personally, if I wear a pair of jeans to work on Friday — cool climate, office job — I tend to wear them on Saturday. And if Saturday is spent indoors and I’m not spilling food all over myself, I might even wear them on Sunday. As for Dr. Bronner’s soap, we'll let them speak for themselves, as they do here. I can say only that we take sustainability seriously. It’s why we say wash less, wash in cold water and line dry, which saves water and energy. It's also why we support Better Cotton, which is grown in a more sustainable way. I’m sorry your opinion of the Levi’s® brand is on the wane. I hope we can win you back.
 

Max (not verified) - Jul 25 2011
Thanks, Carl!

vedvyas (not verified) - Sep 07 2010
great post

Levi Waters (not verified) - Sep 04 2010
Do they still "fade away much bluer than the sky"?

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