Care For Your (Denim/ Wool/ Cotton)

[sergedenimes]

Question: Will it always ruin your leather tag if you put the jeans in the dryer? Ihxb01 in my case.

[zhivago]

depends how hot your dryer is, hotter = more leather "aging" for lack of a better term

[sergedenimes]

@zhivago:

depends how hot your dryer is, hotter = more leather "aging" for lack of a better term

Thanks Zhivago I have seen patches turn black and hard before so I wanted to avoid that.

[Spring Son of Light]

I have sort of a "dumb" question for the experts out there: when it comes to initially soaking unsanforized denim to get the shrink out, would there be a difference in laying the jeans out in a bath tub as opposed to soaking them crumpled up in a sink?

I ask because I'm planning on ordering a new pair of 666s when they're back in stock, but in my current living situation I don't have a bath tub. Can I get the job done either in my kitchen sink or by filling a bucket with hot water? I realize that hot water is hot water, I just wonder if I should worry about uneven shrinking?

Tips welcome please and thank you!

[Seul]

It's just harder to get in the bucket with it, is all… No difference besides that...

[Spring Son of Light]

I assume that is a joke yes? (Forgive me, sometimes I can't always tell on the intarwebz)

[injunjack]

You won't get all shrinkage out just soaking them. Use washing machine and hot water. Inside out.

[Seul]

Yeah don't try to get in the bucket with it… 

Washing machine = much more convenient indeed... You can even do a 30C° wash with low RPM first if need be...

[Spring Son of Light]

Can anyone comment on washing multiple pairs of jeans at once (say, just two pairs)? I prefer to make better use of water and washing one pair at a time is a waste. I can't see how this could be a bad thing if the jeans are inside out. Does anyone here wash multiple pairs at once? I ask because I always read that jeans should be washed individually.

[Giles]

I try and wash as many pairs as will sensibly fit in the tub at once….

[Spring Son of Light]

Ah, I forgot to point out that I meant in the washing machine. Same difference?

[Giles]

By tub, I meant washing machine…..

[Chris]

I usually try to wash a couple of pairs at once.  I generally toss in a couple of dark blue tee shirts and a towel or two, so I have a full load for the washer.  Seems to work ok for me.

[Spring Son of Light]

Yay English and all of its subtleties!

[PSB]

I recently bought a new pair of 634S as work jeans. Being as I am in construction, these jeans are frequently covered in sawdust and the like. I am not vehemently opposed to washing them, but I'd like to space out the washes as much as I can to retain some of the dark color for a while.

I have taken to gently vacuuming the jeans with a soft-brush attachment to pull the surface dust which seems to be working well. Anyone else try this?

I've also contemplated sprinkling some baby powder for added freshness and then vacuuming, but I'm not sure if this is a good idea or bad idea yet. Any input on this?

Thanks!

[Giles]

I think the vacuum idea is good.  My approach would be to hang them over a washing line and beat the shit out of them like I would a rug…..

[PSB]

That method is definitely "greener" than mine.

Apartment living does make the clothesline a challenge though. Maybe I can get a neighbor across the way to go halves with me.

[DougNg]

In the past, I have beaten them against the floor Judo throw style and then vacuumed the floor

[seanocono]

I occasionally take an air compressor to mine when they get real dusty, but I don't want to wash. It only takes a minute and they look a lot better.

If you don't have access to one, I've thought about those machines they have at gas stations to fill your tires. Might get some looks, but who cares.

[Felix Jenkins]

Hey,

I just joined the forum to try to find out about something I'm stressing about, but I also don't see a way to just search for a certain topic. (Is there a way to do this that I'm just not seeing?) So I'm just going to explain my issue and hope some of you might help me out! I asked Giles, and he suggested I ask here, so here goes.

I've got some pairs of Iron Hearts, and I've got one pair (461 to be specific; not 461S) for which it's become high time to clean. I got these ones in Japan, and I don't think they're sanforized (hence the absence of the "S" in the numbering). But I think they might be of the one-wash variety. I never washed them or soaked them before wearing because the people at the shop in Ueno, Tokyo, hemmed them right there for me. This is one minor reason for my fear about washing them, but again, I think they are "one wash," so I'd hope they'd stand up okay to water. I also think they are waxed (maybe?), because they have a shiny finish that my other Iron Hearts don't have.

Here was Giles' initial response to my question when I asked about dry cleaning:
"I would not dry clean.  Just pop them in a washing machine inside out at 30C (about 90F) and perform a gentle wash with any detergent you have lying around.  Spin at 400rpm, do not tumble, then un-inside out them, shake well to remove any creases and leave to dry."

There is no way to control the speed of the spin on the washing machine I use (nor is there on professional machines I have used at laundromats). There is just a set spin cycle. And as far as the temperature of the water, I have the options of cold warm and hot. I'm guessing "warm" on that? Do some of you have washers where you can be that specific about the spin and temperature? I've never seen one like that before personally.

So here is my biggest concern:
Because of the rigid nature of the jeans, creases might form on the jeans in the washing process and discoloration would form along these creases. This has happened to me when I have washed deadstock Levi's 517 and 646 jeans prior to wearing (and yes, they were turned inside out). And these Iron Hearts (21 oz), even with the good amount of wear they have, are obviously stiffer than those Levi's.

The washing machine where I live is not the type that fills up a tub of water and shakes everything around. It's is one of those High Efficiency washers, and it washes with a minimal amount of water in a horizontal (top loading) direction. When I recently washed a new pair of regular Levi's in there (after having warn them for a while), they faded slightly on one leg (the side they were facing down) and less so on the other. That is to say, one leg came out slightly lighter than the other. The situation somewhat resolved when I later took them to a dry cleaner, and they look a bit more even now.

At my local laundromat. They have front-loading, vertical washing machines, so maybe that might be better, but I'm not sure. But still, I have gotten creases on 517s and 646s in front-load style washers.

So as you can see, I have a lot of concerns here and don't want to ruin my jeans that I have invested not only money into, but also a lot of time wearing them in nicely.

For these reasons, I thought a dry cleaner might be the most stress free option, and it's only a few bucks. But then I noticed that on the inside of the jeans, on the pocket, it says "no dry clean." And Giles said not to dry clean, without offering explanation.

Will dry cleaning them damage them? If not, it would be such an easier solution for me. And I wouldn't have to worry about any shrinkage, either, since I'm pretty sure they're not sanforized.

(And hand-washing would be difficult to accomplish in my apartment, though not impossible. But it would require a ton more effort that dry cleaning.)

Please if anyone can explain why dry cleaning them is unwise, I would be greatly indebted.

Thanks,
Felix