Care For Your (Denim/ Wool/ Cotton)
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Good advice from Lando above. I soaked my Flat Heads in warm water with a touch of Dr Bronner's every two months before finally washing them in the machine at six months. Kept the stink away and I'm sure contributed to the longevity of the fabric in high-friction areas. The creases stayed put too.
Don't fear water. Your denim needs it from time to time and if you're wearing them a lot more than washing them, you're on the right track.
(*might be appropriate to move this to the washing/care thread…)
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QUick one here..I am searching on Ebay for some detergents for my denim. I obviously found Woolite dark but also Dr Bronners. The Dr Bronners has a whole bunch of soaps. Which one is best or does it not matter?
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Any of the liquid soaps are fine. It is 'everything' soap and I use it on both my face and denim!
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Interesting. Anyone have this yet?
$25 USD/1890yen
http://hypebeast.com/2012/06/retaw-mood-denim-fragrance-liquid/
http://www.retaw-tokyo.com/products/items/167/
The smells that permeate from unwashed denim can often be a contentious issue for those who surround the life of an avid denim wearer. In their quest for high contrast, naturally worn denim, the odors come with the territory and are times an accepted by-product of the process for the wearer. retaW hope to keep your denim as inoffensive as possible especially given the impending heat and sweat of summer as they launch their MOOD* Denim Fragrance Liquid with hints of mint. Ensuring there’s no unnecessary indigo loss, the spray should provide what you’re looking for rather then throwing your jawnz in the freezer. Some aptly designed packaging includes an indigo colored cap and body.
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I would have got this in a heartbeat back in highschool but being on this forum has humbled me when it comes to soakin/washing my denim.
Smell will be gone but the dirt and filth will probably still be there..
I'm just surprised I've never seen anything like this before. Seems like an easy sell for denim shops.
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If it does the job why not hold off for another month. I am on the 3 months and wash and then every 3 weeks or so program personally. I wouldn't be able to do 1 year or more. Thats only for people that their jobs or personal lives allow it. For me to wait that long would do major damage to my reputation as a clean cut dirt bag
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IHF,
After 2 years of beating on my SRs, Its time for a wash. These were my first pair of raw/Jap denim and I want them to stay as dark as possible. That being said I have read completely contradicting comments on SuFu. I have read numerous people say wash in Cold to save as much indigo as possible and people say wash in super hot to keep as much indigo as possible. well wish one is it? I would say super as since hot tends to "set" stains and such but I dont know much about the laundry I got married at 22 for a reason!
Got to wash these today so they can go to Jamaica with me tomorrow. Thanks in adcance IHF!
P.S., These will be getting washed in Dr Bronner's with gentle cycle.
Edit, I did read the general washing guide. I just wanted to see your thoughts on the temps for keeping dark colors.
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imo a wash isn´t a factor to make a jeans look darker or lighter…indigo fades with wear, so wear is what decides if you gonna end up with a darker or a lighter pair of denim...a wash just washes out the indigo which is faded or "lost" anyways...
i always give my jeans a cold wash with a bit of detergent, no spin first and after that another wash (30-40°C, no detergent and 500-900 spin)...the first wash takes care of all the dirt in the denim and washes that out and the 2nd wash is there to pronounce the fades and everything!so no matter how you gonna end up washing these...the biggest factor to decide if these gonna end up lighter or darker is the wear that you´ve put into them pre wash!
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Awesome, thanks guys. Going to pick up some Bronners now. Guess I will just try a short, no spin cold wash, inside out with the Bronners first and see how they come out.
Thanks again!
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imo a wash isn´t a factor to make a jeans look darker or lighter…indigo fades with wear, so wear is what decides if you gonna end up with a darker or a lighter pair of denim...a wash just washes out the indigo which is faded or "lost" anyways...
Rafa speaketh the truth.
On a rope dyed yarn, the indigo is oxidised onto the yarn. Abrasion rubs the oxidisation off and reveals the white inner core. The indigo does not penetrate the core of the yarn in rope dying as the yarn goes through the indigo baths under tension….
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Thanks for the interesting insight into rope dyed yarn. I guess that explains the beautiful patina on a pair of well worn jeans. All surface action so it makes sense. Are there any processes where indigo is dyed deep into the core of the yarn?
Personally, when setting forth for the first time with grown up jeans
i got a bit obsessive about the not washing them thing as i believed it to be fundamental to the whole experience. Now that i've got a few pairs under me belt - awful pun not intended - i just give them 3 months or so and when they start to stink they go in the washing machine and this works just great for me.
