How to safely wash your Iron Hearts with a bar of Fels Naptha soap
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Good article Mike. thanks for posting.
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Top tips Mike - Cheers and thanks for being so thorough [emoji106]
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Thanks everybody. I will add those pics later today. It seems to work best using my phone.
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Thanks Mike!! Looking forward to giving this a try! [emoji1598]
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I added the pictures. Look at the difference of the cracked patches versus one from my overalls that has only seen cold water.
Not cracked.
Cracked. -
Thanks for all the time and effort in creating this post @Filthy25ozJunkie. While I do not agree with some of the things mentioned here in regards to philosophy and methodology, I absolutely appreciate your passion and your pursuit of a method that works for you! Hopefully this helps people create their own IH washing rituals! The beer drinking is key…..
But I hope y'all can find some old, unscented bars. I am interested in hearing what y'all think of the fragrance/stench
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@adam313 I think it smells similar to a bar of old fashioned gold Dial hand soap. I don't know if you are from the USA or not to smell it in a store. It's kind of a moot point though, because the fragrance is gone after 1-2 days wear.
I'd be interested to know about what philosophy or methodology you don't agree with. Like I said near the top it's all just a matter of personal preference. I am kind of ocd about certain things and for a while I subscribed to the school of thought about not ever soaking or washing your jeans. This would be the method I would go with if it wasn't for the fact that they get dirty and smell bad.
I've tried putting them in the freezer, hanging them in the sun, spaying them with alcohol… you name it.. This is more of a compromise between not washing them at all and washing them in a manner that gets them clean that's as close to not washing them as possible (and preserves as much of the indigo as possible).
As I pointed out, one of the things I'm ocd about is cracks that develop in the leather, and I was quite surprised about how they did not crack if they only get a mild soak in cold water. This actually happened by accident while I was trying to wash my overalls. They slipped down a little and the tag became submerged. I went to great pains to try to keep the tag completely dry so it wouldn't crack. So I was delighted when it in fact didn't crack.
I wish I could be like swissjeansfreak and not wash my jeans for years. But I wear a pair daily and they start to smell. I'm curious about how the fades will develop over a long time. But it kind of is difficult because IH keeps coming out with many must-own pairs every year. Or I gain or lose weight so drastically. I've been as small as a 33 and as large as a 40 in tag size.
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GREAT article you filthy junky!
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Thanks. I really enjoyed writing it. A lot! Welcome to the forum.
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The fragrance and consistency of the bar has changed from older versions. It is softer now, and more powerfully "scented". I am not concerned with "what" it smells like honestly, it is far too powerful a smell for me regardless. I wish they made unscented bars, as they are indeed incredible stain removers, and I appreciate that you brought it to the attention of this awesome forum. My grandparents had a stash of older bars that I found many many years ago, and it works on carpet stains too.
As far as philosophy and methodology are concerned, the washing machine is not the problem here (channeling "the chinaman is not the issue here dude!"). Not washing or soaking adequately has consequences beyond just smell. Most significant to me is the stresses on the constructional stitching and creases in the high traffic areas from dirt and oils. My first hole always develops on a crease just to the right of the crotch seam. The second hole develops on a crease in the same place on the left side of the seam, so I prefer to keep that area fresh as long as possible to prevent having to send them away for repair. I should note that I also agree that most new IH jeans are too stiff to put in the machine safely. Which is why I, like you, employ soaks (soapy and clean soaks) for the first several weeks until the jeans are suitably "soft and pliable" ;D. But soaking with agitation and rinses might not adequately flush out the dirt/oil so I like to get a vigorous machine wash and a brief spin as soon as possible. Ultimately, I believe washing machines have relatively little to do with the faded look of your jeans, and should not be avoided for that reason. Personally, I prefer my fades over the other jeans I have seen in person and on the internet, and my jeans have interacted with water, soap and machines from the very beginning. Folds and creases can be prevented and/or smoothed-out while wet before they set, and I have not experienced fabric skew on a sanforized fabric. I almost never turn my jeans inside out to wash them and essentially handwash my jeans in the washing machine. Much less mess. But it is always an interactive experience for me and I enjoy the extra work required to get good results. I certainly cannot recommend putting IH clothes in the washer and then walking away. The key for me is to stop each spin cycle (wash spin, rinse spin) before it stops itself (because of this I add an extra rinse to compensate for the lost spin time and hopefully flush out all of the soap and dirt/oil). The spin cycles on the machines that I have used keep spinning for minutes after the water has stopped being pumped out of the basin. I consider this extra spinning unnecessary, as well as the cause of the notorious creases, so I stop it and then loosen the clothes from sides of the basin (in a top loaded washer) as the rinse water is filling up. Literally immediately after the rinse spin stops, I remove the jeans, shake them out, smooth them out , and use my hands to add volume by pushing out from the inside. When I hang them to dry, it kinda looks like I'm still wearing them. I also prefer to wash in warm water as it allows the jeans to flow more naturally without getting stiff and sharp like they do in cold water. There are few other idiosyncrasies in my wash process, of course, but these are the most pertinent to the discussion.
And for the patches, I have treated all my patches with "obenauf's LP" upon arrival, and then at necessary intervals afterward. I can't speak for other treatments but fortunately, after a lot of washes over many years I have not experienced the splitting and cracking you reported. Having to suspend the patch above water would be an incredible nuisance, even for me
Once again, thank you for the comprehensive account of your process! I share a similar passion for these garments and take pride in keeping them functioning properly. Here's to a long and faded life…
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That's interesting because I could have sworn that the soap used to smell like Murphys oil soap. Like when I was a kid.
As far as getting holes, I've never had a blowout in a pair of iron hearts. I always blow out the stiching/serging on the bottom near the hems on the inside of the legs and have blowouts on some of the stacks from there being abrasive material from working in Mines and power plants. Even after wearing them at work for months without washing. I've blown out Levi's and I always pop threads on Samurai jeans near the bar tack on the crotch running down the inside of the thighs.
Thanks for your input though. I do appreciate it.
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Damn, too much editing in my post! Got mixed up cutting and pasting ;D. Should read: "I wish they made unscented bars, as they are indeed incredible stain removers." The stash I found years ago definitely had a fragrance. I can't remember it vividly, but I feel the new version is "stronger".
I've not had a blowout, just a crease that frays and exposes the weft. I then send them in for repair before it gets worse. Preventative maintenance and all.
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I just did my first fels Naptha bath soak. We'll see if I rinsed good enough. Also it looks like it lifted most of the 'set in' grease and grime that has been there for a few washes now. I'll have a better idea how good the wash went after they dry. Fingers crossed this works well for me. I've been looking for a method of wash that can clean the railroad grime from my jawns! [emoji577][emoji158][emoji369]
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I'm interested to know how it turns out. If you do a double rinse, it's almost fool-proof.
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Dear Mr @filthy25ozjunkie, would you be ok with me posting your writup on a raw denim FB page? If so and you're on FB. Pm me your name there and ill send you a invite as well as credit you.
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Much thanks. MBH.
