Care For Your (Denim/ Wool/ Cotton)

[EdH]

@Oaktavia I am aiming for 100 wears between washes of my 888-XHS at the moment. I’m not doing anything particularly sweaty in them though and if they get muddy or something in them in the meantime they will be going in the tub. Wash #2 will be due in 27 wears unless something happens before then.

[Oaktavia]

@indigostiff said in Random questions to which you seek an answer:

@pechelman I am roughly trying to follow this -- https://sosoclothing.se/the-break-in-breakdown-the-five-stages-youll-pass-through-when-breaking-in-raw-denim/

thanks for sharing this, I needed something to read today!

[Oaktavia]

@EdH that sound right on the money

[goosehd]

Moved to this topic which should give you a bit to read…

@Oaktavia @EdH @WhiskeySandwich @indigostiff @pechelman @Mizmazzle

[Jett129]

Unfortunately we don’t have Filthy to give his thoughts and numbers on the subject. I think Twin lets his denim go for quite some time,if ever, before he washes,and we can all attest to how great his fades are.I can’t speculate on wether or not he keeps track of those things. You might reach out to Adam on IG and get his take on it.

[WhiskeySandwich]

@Oaktavia oh i bet with the MBs. the 18oz vintage on the other hand lightened up considerably. at 120 or so i've washed them 3 times and they're poppin, but i still keep em greazy lol

[WhiskeySandwich]

@EdH hell yeah. i think 100 is about the max i can aim for before inevitably spilling garbage juice or something on them that would absolutely require some proper cleaning. I do somehow end up mildly sweat steaming mine regularly with the walk and many many stairs to work. They air out hanging every night though so they never smell.
My concept is to avoid soiling them but also don't baby them. Do what you do and washes are only needed depending on how accident prone you are. I brush debris off and spot clean as needed. That being said, Throwing washes in the mix definitely add to it. I do think that most denim looks better with some, but rare, washing. Unless you really love only dark jeans, they tend to deteriorate before peaking. Not everyone can get a pair to fully lighten without putting major wear on them. Simply put - the instructions do say "wear as long as possible without washing" then wash carefully. So i figure there's like two stages i go through: 1 is the initial wear, which lets say is a good 100 wears or so, to get your fades set. then i pick up the pace on washing.

anyway, i went full nerd blah blah blah

[Oaktavia]

@Jett129 yeah man, I miss facetiming with Filthy. He loved chatting about this kind of stuff and so did I. If you're reading this from your indrerdimensional afterlife exploration, hi Mike!
I've hit up Adam about washing practices in the past too.

[Oaktavia]

@WhiskeySandwich

[Oaktavia]

@WhiskeySandwich full on nerds are full on welcome, bring it, it's what we're here for, fo' sho. It's why we are here.

[WhiskeySandwich]

@Oaktavia I just think you don't go this far down the rabbit hole without investing some serious thought into a denim regime lol There's science and art to it and you can't help but be experimental, even obsessive with it. I know all you folks get it, we're fucking with more than just cheap coverings to protect our skin. It's not about price, or status like some would think of such expensive clothes. Some might think hand-washing a pair of jeans goes against the purpose of tough work wear. I don't see it as fashion, or even indulgence necessarily, so much as a hobby. I find it similar to my music hobby - I've spent a lot of money, and time messing with it, and most people just don't get it, beyond "oh, that's cool..." with a slight eye roll and a change of subject. If you try to show it off, it's usually nobody's flavor. Same goes for motorcycles in many cases. Some people may compliment on fabric or fit or whatever, but to them it's a shirt or pants that is nice for whatever they think you paid for it, which is likely what they pay for such things. They'd surely scoff at these prices if they knew them...in their mind comparing it to Carhartt or something. Shit I did too at first. That's just the wrong impression at a surface level. This community gets it though, and it's like an indigo oasis. lol

"wash your nasty fucking jeans"

[Oaktavia]

@WhiskeySandwich said in Care For Your (Denim/ Wool/ Cotton):

@Oaktavia
"wash your nasty fucking jeans"

haha I read the rest of your response too but not yet !!!

[WhiskeySandwich]

@Oaktavia dude we went thru Tyson's Galleria the other day to kill time for a dinner res, I saw a Versace T-Shirt for $600t. I was like "let me see this fucking thing". So I inspected its fabric and stitching, etc, and was BLOWN AWAY....by it's mediocrity. lol It blows my mind how 'premium mediocre' or 'luxury' brands can be so low quality. Comparing IH to stuff like that makes me realize that I'm putting my money in the right place. I probably should have put this in Rants.... lol
Anyway, sometimes it takes something bad to realize what good really is.

[Oaktavia]

@WhiskeySandwich excellent point man, I am not surprised sadly about your observations. That is what makes IH so awesome though, knowing that even though there are BS brands out there that cost an arm an a leg, IH is the best. We are walking around in likely some of the highest quality tshirts that Earth produces. Let alone denim!

[WhiskeySandwich]

@Oaktavia cheers to that! The best stuff on earth...so lets let it get greazy AF by not washing it ever HAHAHA

[Oaktavia]

@indigostiff said in Care For Your (Denim/ Wool/ Cotton):

@pechelman I am roughly trying to follow this -- https://sosoclothing.se/the-break-in-breakdown-the-five-stages-youll-pass-through-when-breaking-in-raw-denim/

I enjoyed this read, but sometimes I feel the denim community can be a little flowery when writing about itself in articles like this.

[indigostiff]

@Oaktavia That's all they've got, literally. They're dealing with new ways to handle an old, established material.

[Oaktavia]

@indigostiff yup...I do like the different sections of wear days they made up and how they describe them in the article.

[indigostiff]

Begin the begin - 666-XHS 25 oz —

New —

— and at 150 wears, unsoaked, ready for wash #1 —

Along the way, railcar and oxy were sprayed in the interior seat

First, 30 min soak, inside out, in cold water, with a bit of Woolite for darks —

The resultant water, which was not blue

Next, off to the Miele — quick was cycle, cold, no spin —

First, the detergent —

— then, the post-wash —

Let the washing begin!

22 minutes is an eternity! Don’t tell your mother about that Icee!

Almost there - with some interesting bubbling - puzzling —

The resultant mess —

Turn them right side in, condition the patch, and let air dry for 2 days —

The glorious result, ready for hemming and a little darning at Indigo Proof —

[Jeansman]

I thought the time had come to wash my 2016 UHR 634s 21/23s after having worn them for over 2 months without washing or soaking.

Instead, I turned them inside out and spayed them with fabric refresher. They smell a whole lot better now but have gone very rigid! However, they have not shrunk at all. Has anybody else done this? Are there any downsides?

There are also Antibacterial Fabric refreshers but these do not seem readily available in supermarkets and it looks as if they have been re- withdrawn or re-described to focus on upholstery fabrics so I guess they may have adverse consequences, whether on the fabric or on the skin. Has anybody used these?