Best Way To Clean Jeans, According to Denim Experts
An important tenet of sustainable living is to make the most of what you’ve got.
Denim is a staple in many wardrobes historically for durability and continues to be in style today. A good pair of jeans will always have a place in your closet since they never go out of style.
We’ve sought insight from our community member Porter Blue Apparel for their expertise on the best way to clean jeans. Based in California, they create mindfully manufactured and 100% sustainable denim and apparel.
Read on to learn 3 unique methods to preserve and clean your denim in ways you’ve probably never heard of!
How To Wash Jeans Without Fading
Did you know that an electric clothes dryer is one of the biggest energy hogs in your household? Air-drying clothes can reduce the average household’s carbon footprint by 2,400 pounds a year.
“Experts determined that if all Americans line-dried clothing for just half of a year, it would save 3.3 percent of the country’s total residential output of carbon dioxide.” (Source: NYT)
Not to mention that avoiding the dryer will also help preserve the integrity of your laundry for longer by avoiding the strain of heat and friction from the tumble dry.
You can log this action on our free mobile App! Track your environmental impact to learn more about how each small action adds up to make a big collective impact!
Wash Jeans Inside Out & Hang Them In The Sun
Pro Tips from Porter Blue:
Hang your denim inside out on a line in direct sunlight for a few hours.
This is an effective way to reduce and eliminate odors without washing them. UV light will break down chemicals that cause odor.
These rays are so powerful they’ll even bleach fabric (which is why it’s important to flip them inside out).
Vinegar Soak
Pro Tip from Porter Blue:
Try soaking your jeans in cold water and vinegar instead of washing them. Yes! Vinegar.
Add one cup of distilled white vinegar to a cold water bath and soak your jeans for about an hour. Hang or line dry and let mother nature do the work.
Don’t worry about smelling like vinegar-the odor goes away after your pants dry.
Freezing Jeans
Pro Tip from Porter Blue:
To maintain your beautiful wear marks that you don’t want compromised – try freezing them.
- Fold your jeans neatly and place them inside an airtight bag.
- Seal the bag fully and insert it into the freezer.
- Remove after one week and wear as new.
While this process won’t remove stains, it is intended to kill any living organisms and odor-causing bacteria without compromising those beautiful wear marks you’ve been creating.
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Choosing Sustainable Denim
Are you looking for a sustainable denim source?
Porter Blue Apparel is committed to the production of guilt-free denim.
Their ongoing dedication to ethical fashion includes:
- Using Better Cotton Denims. Regular cotton production uses loads of water, fertilizer and pesticides. Better Cotton Denims utilize alternative farming methods. Soil health is maintained and sustained year after year, water consumption is reduced by up to 40% and farmers are educated on ways in which they can help improve the environmental, social and economic production of cotton.
In the manufacturing process, Porter Blue work in partnership with a team that uses:
- 65% less energy,
- 75% less water and
- 85% less chemicals than traditional denim manufacturing.
A green company goal was achieved in 2020 when the Porter Blue factory complied with 0 discharge of hazardous chemicals!
Have you ever considered the buttons and toggles on your clothing?
The team at Porter Blue do!
All of the metal parts on their clothing are made up of Post Consumer Recycled hardware.
When a product reaches its end state, metal hardware is removed, melted back down and re-issued into another form to begin its second, third or fourth life!
Thanks to our community member Porter Blue Apparel for sharing their expertise on the best way to clean jeans.
With more people starting to consider their clothing (where it comes from and how it’s made) and avoiding fast fashion, we’re thrilled to be working in partnership with an apparel company who are helping us do just that.
Which one of these do you think you can do?
If you liked this article, check out our resource guide filled with simple repairs you can do at home to keep items useful for longer!
Do you have other unique natural laundry tips you can share with the community? What id your secret on the best way to clean jeans?
Feel free to share your tricks along with this article on your socials & start a green conversation!
How To Wash Jeans
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