Which camp are you in, the one that believes you should wash your jeans at least every few wears or the camp who rarely washes denim and believes it looks and lasts better without being washed? My boyfriend and I have been arguing this issue, as I am in the camp that believes jeans should be washed after every few wears and more often if they are dirty. He thinks the denim looks better when not washed and can be sponged off if dirty, has been wearing the same pair of jeans without washing them for several months now. I decided to go do some research on this topic, since I think this is a bit extreme and sort of gross. This video weighs in on the topic, and I thought some of you might find it helpful or at least interesting.

To Wash or Not to Wash that Denim?

Why would you not want to wash your jeans? Won’t they get gunked up with hideous bacteria? Well, not so fast, in 2012 a Microbiology Professor at the University of Alberta found that when he went 15 months without washing his jeans that the jeans that had not been washed for 15 months had the same bacterial content as a pair he had washed a week before, wow!

Levis at one point said you could freeze your jeans to get rid of bacteria, but as it turns out this doesn’t work, but as it turns out heat will kill bacteria if you cook your jeans in the oven for 10 minutes in an oven that is set at 121 degrees, double wow! So you are probably asking yourself why you would want to do this anyway? Why not just wash your jeans and wear them like most people? Well, according to the Jean Afficianodos if you want your 100% cotton raw denim to fade in cool vintage wear and tear patterns that are specific to the natural anatomy of the wearer you can’t wash them because washing gets an all-over fade and you will never get those cool streaks that look like you were hopping trains in the Great Depression or busting wild broncos in the Texas Panhandle. But seriously, we want to look authentic, don’t we? The Denim Blue Jean is after all the hallmark of the rugged American forging their way across the rough and tough terrain to build a new future among a rugged landscape.

Now there are so many methods that jean companies use the days to get that well worn already faded look, but they are never going to look like the ones these fellas wore unless you buy raw denim and don’t wash them for at least 6 months. These guys don’t look dirty to me in their rough jeans, I think many would agree they look pretty darn good.

Do You Really Need To Wash Your Jeans?