# Washing blue jeans **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [September 12, 2014, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-blue-jeans/698275 "2014-09-12T10:32:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-blue-jeans/698275/1 "2014-09-12T10:32:57Z")
[Column in question.](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/3179/should-you-freeze-your-jeans-rather-than-washing-them) My folks had a friend who’d been raised on a ranch in Arizona. It was a hard-scrabble ranch and there were a lot of kids so money was always short. The neighboring ranch was owned by a bachelor who once a year would buy jeans. I don’t know if he broke them in or not – jeans weren’t a fashion statement at that time and place – but they were his only pair and he would wear them for a year without washing them, then give them to the family for whichever kid they would fit that year. Mom would light a fire under a kettle in the yard, and use a stick to drop the donated jeans in to boil for several hours. I would assume soap was involved as well. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-blue-jeans/698275/2 "2014-09-12T11:12:17Z")
Not washing clothing seems just plain disgusting to me. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-blue-jeans/698275/3 "2014-09-12T11:28:45Z")
Yeah, eww. When I was in my teens, we would (UK, 1970s) take a long, very hot bath, while wearing a brand-new pair of jeans. The thinking was, they would shrink to mold to your shape and fit perfectly. Which of course is nonsense, but I believed it at 15. ---
**Author:** ![DZedNConfused](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dzednconfused/32/15991_2.png) [@DZedNConfused](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DZedNConfused)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-blue-jeans/698275/4 "2014-09-12T11:57:30Z")
I’m going to chime in with another EWWWWWW Sustainability or not, I do NOT want to be stuck in an elevator (or anywhere else, like a restaurant buffet) with someone in jeans that haven’t been washed in a year or more. I’m not a germophobe but that’s just gross and nasty people. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-blue-jeans/698275/5 "2014-09-12T12:13:47Z")
> [@DZedNConfused](#): > > Sustainability or not, I do NOT want to be stuck in an elevator (or anywhere else, like a restaurant buffet) with someone in jeans that haven’t been washed in a year or more. If you Venn diagram “people who wear the same pair of jeans for a year without laundering” and “people who ride elevators or eat at restaurant buffets” you’ll see they do not intersect at all. ---
**Author:** ![qazwart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/5fc32e/32.png) [@qazwart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qazwart)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-blue-jeans/698275/6 "2014-09-12T14:14:19Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > If you Venn diagram “people who wear the same pair of jeans for a year without laundering” and “people who ride elevators or eat at restaurant buffets” you’ll see they do not intersect at all. I’m not so sure of that one. I live in New York, and I find that members of the group “People who never wash their jeans” can also be members of the group “People who ride in the same elevator as me.”. However, if you do a Venn diagram of _People who wear the same pair of jeans for a whole year without laundering_ and _People who get “the babes”_, I’m pretty sure you’ll find that one a non-intersecting diagram. ---
**Author:** ![mbrice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb9ed0/32.png) [@mbrice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbrice)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-blue-jeans/698275/7 "2014-09-12T16:06:55Z")
A green suggestion: hang the jeans out on a clothesline once in a while. Fresh air does wonders in eliminating bad smells. In garment odor control, as in politics, sunshine is one of the best disinfectants. ---
**Author:** ![Charmbrights](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@Charmbrights](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charmbrights)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-blue-jeans/698275/8 "2014-09-12T17:52:54Z")
There is a study going on in the UK of non-pre-washed jeans being worn for six months without washing, or so a report on the BBC said. The jeans were issued free to people who promised not to wash them, and to return them, to allow their condition to be assessed. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-blue-jeans/698275/9 "2014-09-12T19:55:25Z")
I usually wear my jeans at least 5-6 times, maybe more, before washing them. But most of the time I’m wearing them at home or at my office and as Cecil says, I change into clean underwear every day. So there’s never been a problem with odor (and believe me my wife would not be shy about telling me if there was). ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-blue-jeans/698275/10 "2014-09-12T21:39:46Z")
[QUOTE=kayaker] If you Venn diagram “people who wear the same pair of jeans for a year without laundering” and “people who ride elevators or eat at restaurant buffets” you’ll see they do not intersect at all. [/QUOTE] Some of the BART trains here still have cloth seats, which do a tremendous job of absorbing farts, urine, sweat and worse from the homeless people who see the train as a rolling bedroom. I challenge you to sit on the train for an hour and not have an overwhelming urge to boil your pants before riding the elevator up to your office. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-blue-jeans/698275/11 "2014-09-12T23:46:49Z")
Don’t be a damn hippie, & wash! ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-blue-jeans/698275/12 "2014-09-13T02:00:20Z")
Showering, bathing, clean underwear or not - nasty tight denim encasing one’s nether region is going to get a definite stank later, if not sooner. Sweat, urine, blood, or worse - gonna get waves of fetid smell wafting up. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-blue-jeans/698275/13 "2014-09-13T11:27:36Z")
> [@Charmbrights](#): > > There is a study going on in the UK of non-pre-washed jeans being worn for six months without washing, or so a report on the BBC said. The jeans were issued free to people who promised not to wash them, and to return them, to allow their condition to be assessed. **Charmbrights** , if you wouldn’t mind keeping an eye on that study and let us know when results emerge, we’d be happy to do an update (if required) at that time. Thanks in advance! (We just don’t have enough staff to worry about looking for updates, we need folks to let us know about 'em.) ---
**Author:** ![brainstall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@brainstall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainstall)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-blue-jeans/698275/14 "2014-09-13T12:41:24Z")
I go commando, except in the winter when it’s cold enough for longjohns. I can’t imagine wearing jeans over and over, especially in the summer, without washing them.:eek: ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-blue-jeans/698275/15 "2014-09-13T13:55:22Z")
I wonder if the freezing ultimately consumes more resources than washing. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-blue-jeans/698275/16 "2014-09-13T18:36:43Z")
I could see wearing the jeans 2 or 3 times without washing - I’ve done that in a pinch. As long as you aren’t spilling things on them or sweating them soggy or otherwise making a mess. But I wouldn’t be comfortable with more than about 3 days, if that is a solid 8 to 10 hours each day. Also, airing between wearings (like alternating pairs) would help my mental state, if nothing else. **mbrice** , what are the effects of the UV in sunlight on the fabric? Sunlight tends to fade materials, and UV is damaging to some materials, though perhaps not so much to cotton denim. ---
**Author:** ![LAV25](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/97f17d/32.png) [@LAV25](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LAV25)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2014, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-blue-jeans/698275/17 "2014-09-16T08:07:37Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > **mbrice** , what are the effects of the UV in sunlight on the fabric? Sunlight tends to fade materials, and UV is damaging to some materials, though perhaps not so much to cotton denim. Perhaps turn them inside out before hanging them to air out and catch rays? That having been said, I had heard about the “no wash for six months” thing and tried it last fall when it was still somewhat warm. I’m a somewhat sweaty guy, and, well, three days and they were in the wash. Didn’t try freezing or sunlight though, might have another go, see if I can push it up to a week. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2014, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-blue-jeans/698275/18 "2014-09-16T08:23:43Z")
I wear my jeans three times, occasionally four times, and then wash them. And that’s not going to change. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2014, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-blue-jeans/698275/19 "2014-09-16T10:11:31Z")
I was recently reading [this article about raw an selvidge denim](http://www.artofmanliness.com/2014/04/22/raw-selvedge-denim-introduction/). It included: > [@](#): > > What you want to do is to strike a balance between distressing the jeans and washing out the fabric’s indigo and your fades-in-the-making too quickly, and them smelling like swamp crotch. To achieve this balance, wash them every two months. Remember, denim jeans are workwear. Do you think 19th century miners were holding off on washing their jeans just so they could get fades? No, and neither should you. > > While washing your jeans every 2 months might seem too frequent to a raw denim purist, it probably seems too infrequent compared with how often you’re used to washing your regular jeans. But you honestly don’t have to wash your jeans all that often. If they’ve started smelling before the 2 months is up, then giving them a wash early is a-okay. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2014, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-blue-jeans/698275/20 "2014-09-16T14:46:35Z")
Those denim nuts who freak out at the very idea of washing jeans are, of course, nuts. I have expensive selvedge jeans, which I bought at a large markdown, and which I wash once they’ve been worn a few times. They look good, they don’t stink, and if you buy a size up, they’ll shrink to a good fit with normal wear and washing. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-blue-jeans/698275.md?page=2)