Throughout history, existential concerns such as “who are we?” have plagued man. What is our origin? Who was our creator? How to wash our 100% Japanese cotton jeans is one of these more practical queries that can, nonetheless, cause much more agitation than the first. There are as many solutions as there are theological interpretations of the Bible, and it is equally challenging to determine who is correct. Some who argue that hibernation is the only option by deciding to put our denim trousers in the freezer instead of the washing machine, those who believe that washing them should never be done because of bad personal hygiene, and those who, as victims of marketing, use.
According to Clare Hanson, product development manager at Nobody Denim, washing jeans backwards with cold water and a small amount of liquid detergent, whether by hand or in the washing machine, will help them keep their shape and color. The dryer, he continues, is the actual enemy since it destroys fibers, shrinks jeans, and hastens the aging process. George Chan, a technical officer in the School of Fashion and Textiles at RMIT University, concurs. To avoid “shaketing denim too much,” it advises waiting as long as possible between washes and hand-rinsing them in cold water. Let’s assume the consensus among all urban legends about washing denim and the advice of real professionals is that cold is required and high temperatures are harmful to the fibers that make up the fabric. The widely debated misconception about freezing jeans stems from this presumption. George Chan adds that “the theory is that the freezer destroys bacteria in jeans and gets rid of odors.” However, despite the fact that this rumor has been widely spread online for years, supported by the founder of Evisu Hidehiko Yamane, and made a comeback with Gen Z thanks to TikTok, scientists have repeatedly refuted it, claiming that home freezers do not reach temperatures low enough to kill germs.In this regard, Chip Bergh, CEO of Levi’s, told CNN that he had not washed his 501s in more than a year and claimed that “It just does not work.” Regardless of conjecture, experts concur that the best ways to clean “pointed” jeans are to ventilate them outside, use an organic fabric spray like this one from Tangent, or make your own by diluting small amounts of alcohol and vinegar. However, in theory, there may be some questions to which we are not given the answers, such as the universe’s creation and the best way to care for our denim.