Care For Your (Denim/ Wool/ Cotton)
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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.
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Yay English and all of its subtleties! -
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!
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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.
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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 -
Hi,
Dry cleaning is unwise because they press them flat during the process and that destroys any nice creases you have developed. Dry cleaning will not ruin the denim as a fabric. It will ruin the evolution of the denim.
Also, the S in 461S is for selvedge not sanforized. Your 461 is sanforized but not selvedge, so no S. They might be one-washed. That's common in Japan and up to the retailer. That means they are about as shrunk as they'll get (assuming you keep them out of a dryer). The 461 is not waxed.
Warm cycle is fine.
Here is my favorite denim care guide because it's artfully done: http://www.prontodenim.com/ebook/rawdenimcare.pdf
p.s. this topic belongs under the Denim care thread. Sometimes it's hard to find things. I doubt anyone will kill you, but maybe a moderator will move your post.
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Ok, this is a huge help. You clearly know a lot. Thanks for being a good samaritan!
Even if they press the jeans at the dry cleaner, won't the same creases quickly return with wear? That's always been my experience with dry-cleaning jeans with more normal-weight denim.
Also, I just searched around, and I can't find a Denim Care thread. Can you or anyone else reading advise me where it is? If a moderator moves my thread there, I want to know where to be able to find it! Ha! Thanks.
Does anybody else have any experience with the creasing/fading problems I described upon washing? Anybody know anything about results with the different types of washers I described?
I'm very grateful to finally be able to get some much pondered concerns solved!
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Don't dry clean your jeans man….it's unnecessary. My washer is top loading horizontal, I think high efficiency, and I've never had any problems turning my jeans inside out and washing them. Do it on cold if you're scared of shrinkage in inseam, even though I doubt there will be any.
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But when you say it's unnecessary, do you just mean the cost?
Because a $7 cleaning cost is really nothing to me if it alleviates my worries. Especially since it's the first wash.If you mean something else, please do elaborate. Thanks a bunch.
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Personally like to hand wash in warm water (in bath tub or bucket) and hang dry. Hand washing will hold indigo best + using Dr. Bronner’s magic soap conditions and rejuvenates the fibers making them softer and less prone to breaking, stuffs bloody magical.
This stuff: https://www.drbronner.com/DBMS/category/PEPPERMINT.html
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I can't comment on whether the creases return quickly after dry cleaning. I've never tried it. It's not a cost issue. I just don't want them flattening the jeans like dress pants. Also, using water is good for the fibers and moves the fading along.
I do the same thing 4C does - I warm soak mine with dr. bronners peppermint soap in the tub and rinse with cold water. It's a gentle clean, removes less indigo, and is less detergenty than something like liquid tide. Plus it smells nice for a little while.
This is the basic care topic http://www.ironheart.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=2215.msg121697#msg121697
If you are really inclined to dry clean them, then do what feels right for you. Everybody has their own laundering preferences for raw denim. It's a hobby and a learning process. You're not going to ruin them; it's just not really necessary. See how it goes. On your next pair, try something else if it didn't work out for you.
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And when I say unnecessary, I mean that washing them normally is the more natural process and will probably be better for your jeans in the long run. Jeans just aren't the type of garment that warrant a dry cleaning imo, and I doubt that chucking them in the wash will hurt them…
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Yeah, I usually use Woolite dark and either hand wash or machine wash, depending on how gross they are. You get to a point when hand washing doesn't work as well anymore. I usually toss them into the machine on the gentle cycle. Whatever creasing you get from the machine, the faint marks you'll get will even out as the jeans wear in. After a year or so, the jeans are so soft that whatever creasing they get from the machine won't stay anyway
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I'm lazy so I wash mine in a regular washing machine- cold water, gentle cycle. I use regular detergent, again because I'm lazy. I hang them to dry, not because I'm especially worried about what it will do to the jeans, but mostly because the dryer heat tends to cook the patch.
Since you're really concerned about washing the jeans, go ahead and dry clean them, if that eases your mind. It won't do any truly significant harm. In the end, they're just cotton pants.
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I made the mistake of not turning my 666-XHS inside before washing and got noticeable fade marks down the middle of both legs.
Let my experience be your guide - if you put them in the machine, always inside out.
Unless you like weird fades.
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Yep, forgot that- inside out is best.
