Okay so don’t freak out, but if you have washed your jeans EVER… you’re washing them too much!
According to the CEO and President of Levi’s, Chip Bergh, you are probably doing more harm than good to your jeans and to the environment every time you throw your denim in the washing machine. Not only does it fade and wear down the fabric (and not in the good, distressed way we like), it can change the shape of the design and break down the fibres of the denim. It is also wasting water which is never a good thing in this day and age.
“After we’ve finished wearing something, we just automatically toss it into the laundry,” Bergh told Fortune magazine in an interview. “A good pair of denim doesn’t really need to be washed in the washing machine except for very infrequently or rarely.”
Bergh recommends spot cleaning your jeans wherever possible and if you must wash them, don’t be lazy: handwash them with a gentle soap and hang outside to dry on a sunny or windy day.
Many denim experts suggest skipping the handwash altogether: Apparently popping your jeans inside a plastic bag and into the freezer overnight kills any bacteria and smells.
We’re not sure how well that one works but let us know how it goes if you are brave enough to try!
