How Often Do You Wash Your Jeans?
I should preface everything that I’m about to say with the following disclaimer: I am genuinely a hygienic person. (Trust me … this is going somewhere.) Okay, so, the other day, I’m watching Sex and the City, right? Well, it’s the episode where Miranda doesn’t want Steve to move in with her because she doesn’t want him to know everything about her. She says something like: I don’t cook, I spill things, the sponges in my sink smell, etc. For whatever reason, the episode makes me think about commitmentphobia. Hmmm … I’m not convinced that commitmentphobia is simply the fear of relationships; I think it’s probably more about people not wanting to appear vulnerable and/or not wanting to let others see our flaws. You know, the old “don’t-let-’em-get-too-close-or-else-they-might-see-something-that-don’t-like” mentality. It makes me think: do I have any flaws or goofy things about myself that I wouldn’t want a guy to see? Sure. My dirty jeans are probably one example.
Yes, folks, it’s true. I wear dirty jeans. Now, don’t get me wrong — I love my weekly trips of Jolly Good Schleppin my stuff to the nearest laundromat as much as any other urban city-dweller does. I do, indeed, wash my clothes. Regularly. It’s just, you know … my jeans … they’re special. Call me a crazy lady, but I think they actually look and fit better after I’ve gotten a few good wearings out of them. Do I think there’s anything wrong with that? Nope. Would I want the guy that I’m dating to know that the jeans I’m wearing are on the second or third run? Not necessarily. How about you? How often do you wear your favorite jeans before washing them? And — if you’re one of those obsessive-compulsive types who washes them every day — do you have any other goofy things about yourself that you wouldn’t necessarily want your partner to know?
November 20th, 2006 at 6:47 am
I think I wash mine after about 2-3 wears, like you. Because of the shitty weather here they get muddy (takes me 40mins to walk into work everyday!)so it’s really not worth washing them more often. That said if they get exceptionally muddy I’d rinse out the muddy bits when I get home.
Confession: I used to iron my bedsheets and pillowcases. I find ironing and laundry soothing and relaxing, especially when I am stressed (once even my underwear during an ecxeptionally stressed out week as I ran out of things to wash/iron). Then again I’m not really ashamed to admit this to anyone, we all have our quirks and the harmless ones are kinda cute to learn about. It’s the scary ones like ‘Oh I have galleries of kiddie-porn in my basement’ that you really don’t want to know about someone (because if you know, you run away asap without looking back!)
November 20th, 2006 at 9:52 am
Jeans are not meant to be washed with every wearing or they wear out too quickly. Sometimes I toss mine in the dryer so they fit better but I wear mine until they are actually dirty or smelly from being somewhere super smokey. If I wore them dailey to work, I would do exactly what Darwin does.
Before I was married, I remember being nervous about fogging the bathroom from time to time. I found out quickly my husband fogged it every morning. I got over that worry in a hurry!
November 20th, 2006 at 10:15 am
I wash mine just about after every use, unless it is a weekend thing.
I do skip washings on hooded sweatshirts because they fit better on the second wear. This does not apply to workout wear.
November 20th, 2006 at 10:33 am
wow I didn’t even realise people washed their denim after every wear… i mean doesn’t that totally destroy the denim and the wash? I loooove my dark denims this Fall/Winter- no way I’m washing them after every wear.
As for co-habitation, I’ve been married now 2+ yrs and ya initially you act all proper but that goes out the window when you learn to love all the quirks abt your partner…
November 20th, 2006 at 11:23 am
Hmmm.. I guess I’m not as weird as I thought. Yeah, I don’t wash mine except after 2 or 3 washings. Of course, I always give them a good smell-over before putting them on. :)
November 20th, 2006 at 12:24 pm
I wear mine (barring anything getting spilt on thme) at least 3 times before washing. They fit much better on the 2,3 time than they do the first. My butt looks better in them and they seem to “wear” better. I don’t however want anyone I am dating to know that….because I don’t even have the excuse of having to go out and do laundry, it is right outside my bedroom door LOL. However, this is another weird one about me: I cannot wear PJ’s twice (why I own 20 pair), I have to wash them after wearing them once LOL.
November 20th, 2006 at 1:13 pm
At least three times before washing … and in fact, I had this internal debate this morning about washing them. Leaving on a trip tomorrow, and needed ‘clean jeans’ eventually, but they are just about right now. Boo! Will have to wear them out (ha) on the plane then.
November 20th, 2006 at 2:54 pm
History Chic – I’m the same way about sleepwear. ;-)
November 20th, 2006 at 2:59 pm
darwin: I miss living in the UK but I don’t miss the weather.
Laurie: By “fogging” the bathroom, do you mean filling it with steam after you shower or do you mean filling it with foul odors after you fart or do the #2? :) As many of you know, I’m, adamantly opposed to the latter. :)
AWE: Yeah, wearing work out clothes more than once without washing is kinda gross. Usually, my work out clothes are so wet with sweat that I can wring the excess water out of them. I can’t imagine putting those on for a second go. Jeans? Yes. Work out clothes? No.
Distar: I wonder … could I ever learn to love all of someone’s quirks. I usually grow either bored or annoyed with guys after about a year.
Howard: Ahhhh, the infamous smell-check. We all do it. :)
History Chic: I wear PJs more than once. And, I use a bath towel more than once too. I know a woman who uses a fresh towel after every shower, but wore jeans more than once. That never made any sense to me. When you use your towel after a shower, you’re the cleanest that you’ll ever be throughout the day. Jeans, on the other hand, collect dirt.
HDW: Jeans are GREAT for planes!! :)
November 20th, 2006 at 3:01 pm
Laurie … you slipped one in on me there.
REALLY? This is interesting. I could have expanded this post to ask which of each of the following you’d wear / use more than once.
A. Body sponge
B. Wash cloth
C. Bath towel
D. Pair of jeans
E. Pajamas
F. Jogging pants / loungewear
The list could go on …
November 20th, 2006 at 3:31 pm
Fogging- smelling up the bathroom because of a healthy bowel movement.
New list!
Body sponge- I really don’t use them ver often because I would want a new one.
Wash cloth and bath towel- once
I’ve answered jeans and PJs.
jogging pants and loungewear- more than once unless I’ve actually exercised in them. If it’s something I’m wearing right after a shower I’ll wear it several times. I know that makes no sense in light of not re-using bath towels…
November 20th, 2006 at 4:26 pm
Luv wearing jeans over and over again… it adds character :-D but I do wash them regularly.
Not sure if this qualifies as too much information :~? But I prefer to sleep in the nude
I’v never liked the idea of a wash cloth.
Gymwear, once and only once and into the wash it goes. Play squash at lunchtime and gym after work, so lots of washing for me
November 20th, 2006 at 6:21 pm
I didn’t think jeans needed to be washed after every wear (unless there’s REAL funky goin’ on), isn’t denim supposed to be durable? And, Miss Stolie, I’m sure the guys you’re dating are doing the same thing with their denim as well.
November 20th, 2006 at 6:41 pm
I never wash my jeans after only one wear — why loose all that comfy break in feel! Plus like you i think jeans look better after the first wear out of the wash. Plus one wear washing DOES kill dark denim. Nothing ickier than faded seams on your dark denim…blech.
PJs — I love pjs, have a ton of them, so probably not after one wear, but pretty close.
Bath towel — often.
Jogging loungewear — ditto only wash it after first wear if I’ve actually worked out (I’m big on Bikram’s Yoga – and I usually come out of class pretty, well, saturated. It’s a must wash scenario)
November 20th, 2006 at 8:29 pm
Jeans…I dont washem often…I notice the jeans get really bad and the color gets fooked up if you wash it too much (no matter what stuff you use for washing yo), I just hang it out in the sunshine get some fresh through there and off course wash it…but thats really not that often….I got many pairs tho. :P
November 20th, 2006 at 10:06 pm
Sometimes I wash jeans after every wear, but that is only because I have a little kid. Who is a boy. And is very grubby. And likes to see his mama that way, too. So, two or three wearings per wash of jeans unless I get tagged and my husband is the same way.
Now I wash my son’s jeans more frequently. Grubby, remember? And he’s not potty trained and shits his diaper. Yick.
About the things I didn’t want a boyfriend to know about me. There wasn’t much, but I was 18 when we met and embarassed about zits on my body and not just my face. But he never made a big deal out of it and understood that it was (fine, is, be that way) a hormone thing and not because I wasn’t clean enough.
November 21st, 2006 at 6:56 am
Laurie: Wow! I’ve gotta remember that one. I’ve never heard “fogging” used that way before. :)
Momok: YAY!!! A fellow “dirty jeans wearer”.
The Original Bro: And, I’m sure you’re right. :)
eddie: EXACTLY! Dark jeans don’t keep their color as long when you wash them too frequently. But, it helps if you turn them inside out before throwing them in the wash.
Papigiulio: I have less than 10 pairs of jeans; I prefer to to wear dresses and skirts — when the weather cooperates. It’s too cold for that now.
MamaChristy: Ahhhhh, the “kid factor”. I guess that would make it necessary to wash the jeans more often. Oh, and, to this day, I *STILL* get an occasional pimple or two. I thought that stuff was supposed to end after the teen years.
November 21st, 2006 at 10:23 am
I wash mine after no more than 3 wears, unless I’ve worn them to a smokey bar, and then I wash them immediately, because the stench makes me sick.
As for other quirks I am/was afraid to show the men in my life, we don’t have enough time or room to list them all. Luckily, though, I’ve finally met someone who actually thinks all these quirks are endearing, so they’ve become a whole lot less embarrassing. Scary, really. Ha!
November 21st, 2006 at 12:00 pm
That’s cute!!! :) And, yeah the excessive “bar smoke” smell isn’t very pleasant when it gets on your clothes. I’m not sure if the entire state of New York is smoke-free, but I know that New York City is.
November 21st, 2006 at 12:06 pm
Here via Mazing Amy. I am so with you here. I try to at least get 3 wears out of them. Like your site need to catch up.
November 21st, 2006 at 3:17 pm
I used to be completely obsessed about having pure 100% black jeans, which meant that they could never be washed. At one point I had a pair that hadn’t been washed for over a year.
I still don’t do it very often :-p
November 21st, 2006 at 4:54 pm
Maria: THANKS! By the way, I’ve only recently become addicted to Mazing Amy’s blog, but I *LUV* her site. :)
Jay: Oh, yeah, *black* jeans go even longer without washes than blue jeans do. I once had a pair of jet black jeans that I would very very very rarely wash. At one point, I swear it had been so long since I’d washed them that I was afraid that they were going to revolt and walk to the laundromat on their own.
November 22nd, 2006 at 3:28 pm
at LEAST 3 wearings before I wash them. I will throw them in dryer or steam them in bathroom while I shower to remove any smokey smells. But full on washings…when they get so stretched out they start to fall off me. then its time to wash them. HA HA HA
November 22nd, 2006 at 9:18 pm
You’re not alone. :)
February 16th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
If you have a raw denim (stiff feeling, saturated color) you should wear them 6 months before your first wash. I had a pair that I washed after the first use and they look worse than when I bought them. If you have expensive denim you should really take the time to ensure that they look their best on you.
February 20th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Same, i wash my jeans about one every 2 weeks or so. Sounds crazy and icky but I really don’t think washing them after just a couple times of using them is necessary, unless you’ve sweat in them a lot.
December 6th, 2008 at 5:07 am
I used to not wash my jeans period, unless I spilt sauce on them etc ;). I’m sure I have some pairs that have not even been washed before, I just spot clean them
December 31st, 2008 at 12:13 pm
I wear them only for on friday all day and weekend for a hour or less. So I wash mine,..once in two-three month. The problem is I don’t want my jeans to shrink and discolor. I just washed mine last night and I found it tight on my whrist…this is the last thing on earth that I want happened. Color faded tiny bit (I expect to it’d fade even more in the coming days – it’s dark denim type). Though it’s still wearable, it’s just not as comfortable as it used to be. I washed my jeans with cold water and air fluff it.
I tell you what my khaki pants shrunk even more. I wash them much regularly as i wear them daily.
Now I just hope my jeans will be moisturized then softened a bit and break in again after wearing a few times. Not much of a choice really. Either you wash it, leave it or thrash it. I think that’s one of the reasons why I have at least four other wearable pairs of jeans in the closest now.
February 6th, 2009 at 12:36 am
Phew! This article makes me feel so much better. I don’t have fresh washed jeans for in the morning.
February 6th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
501’s.. wear them until they need to be washed.. then do them in cold water with
Woolite …. then air dry them …. meaning if you can… hang them on a rope line
outside….. it will stay blue for a long time….. but … black jeans…. dry clean only
then they will hold their color longer….
lamesabassman…… 501’s…. easy access….
April 5th, 2009 at 7:40 am
i'm sure your bf doesn't wash his jeans every day. I'm a guy,and i wash my jeans one a week (i don't do anything dirty: office work, sit at home & at the movies, chill at the bar or club with my buddies). i shower and put on new shirt, underwear, socks each day, so i don't stink!
May 9th, 2009 at 8:20 pm
Momok – with your sleeping in the nude
i prefer just undies and no bra
you feel so loose
every so often i will forget to take my bra off before going to bed
and i find my boobs really hurt when i take my bra off
so i agree
sleeping in the nude is awesome
May 10th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
I wash all my clothing (except coats) after one use. It’s not that I want to, it’s that when I am out & about it gets exposed to a whole bunch of things I’m allergic to, from pollen to cig smoke to animal hair. So I shower in the evening to get that stuff off me, and I see no reason to start the new day with all that on my clothing.
But believe me, I’d prefer to be less clean. I’ve just learned through experience that I had better keep the house tidy, clean the house weekly, wash all my clothes, not let any dishes sit and develop mold, etc – it’s part of staying healthy.
May 10th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
As for the rest of the list:
A. Body sponge
I don’t use them. But I toss my kitchen sponge (which I use to clean dishes) in the wash every week, so I guess if I had a body sponge I’d do the same.
B. Wash cloth
Single use, to clean gunk out of my eyes in the morning. I wouldn’t want something not completely clean to be rubbed against my eyes.
C. Bath towel
Good for a week, then it goes into the wash.
D. Pair of jeans
We’ve covered that one…
E. Pajamas
Don’t wear ‘em, I’m another nude sleeper.
F. Jogging pants / loungewear
If I have exercised in them or cleaned the house in them, they go straight into the wash. On the other hand, if I’ve worn them because it was Sunday and I didn’t have to go anywhere, there’s a chance I might wear them for a few hours the next day, until I can be bothered to get properly dressed.