The Best Ways to Keep Jeans From Fading

Do you want to know how to maintain your jeans from fading? The shredded, worn-in style isn’t for everyone; some of us prefer to keep our jeans looking brand new for as long as possible. “Dress jeans,” as my spouse used to refer to them.

There are beat-up pants for laboring in the yard and jeans for doing errands (or watching football) that have been washed so many times they feel like pajamas, according to him.

Then there are “dress jeans” for going to casual gatherings, such as our relaxed church. Those are the jeans you want to appear good, dark, and crisp in — though I did eventually persuade him to quit ironing creases into them.

Shopping for jeans becomes more frightening to me as I get older. When I do locate a pair that fits nicely, I almost always wear them when I leave the house. The techniques outlined below will keep them looking brand new for as long as possible. So, if you have any doubts, trust Teeanime!

HOW TO KEEP JEANS FROM FADING

1. Set the dye.

When I was a youngster, you had to buy extra-large jeans since they shrank after the first wash and turned your legs blue (or black) the first few times you wore them. Jeans are now pre-shrunk, however the colors still need to be set.

Fill a sink halfway with COLD water, 1 cup white vinegar, and 2 teaspoons table salt. (Alternatively, use your washing machine’s smallest load setting, add the vinegar and salt but skip the detergent, and set it to soak.) Soak your jeans in this solution for 1 hour, inside out. Drain the jeans and wash them on COLD with a COLD rinse. Do you dislike vinegar? Instead, use a dye fixative!

2. Spot treat stains.

You don’t have to put your pants in the washing machine every time they get a stain. A dab of liquid dish detergent on a white towel will remove grease spots. Hairspray or rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball can be used to remove ink stains. You can also use cornstarch to remove stains.

3. Wash less often.

People nowadays wash their garments significantly more frequently than is necessary. Jeans can be worn four or five times before washing.

Some people don’t even wash theirs; instead, they freeze them!

4. Wash them properly.

To keep colours intact, always use a COLD/COLD cycle. You could also use a detergent designed specifically for dark-colored garments.

To avoid rubbing away the colour on your jeans, wash them inside out on a mild cycle. If you wash everyone’s jeans in the same batch, any color that does leach into the water will enhance the colors of the remaining pairs.

5. Skip the dryer.

The heat from a dryer opens clothes fibers, allowing dye to escape, while the tumbling process creates friction that rubs away colors. Instead, line dry your jeans or hang them to dry indoors on a rack. (Learn how to properly line dry garments here.)

Don’t have time to line dry? Then, set the dryer to low heat, leave the jeans inside out while drying, and run the shortest cycle possible.