This would article not exist without my friend and coworker Alicia… a fellow tall chick, taller than I am even, and remarked today that her jeans were too short.  Well, yep they were a little too short.  I squinted at her and said… “Well, you didn’t put them in the dryer, right?”  She nodded innocently… “Yep, I put all my clothes in the dryer.”  Oh, HELL no. I had to lay down the law for her, and she suggested I add this to my blog.  So here is my personal guide to taking care of your jeans and making them last!

1.  Buying the right jeans:

One VERY important thing I’ve learned as far as shopping for jeans goes, is that fit in the store will NOT translate to fit in real life.  If the jeans you try on in the store fit you perfectly, chances are they are too big.  Most jeans nowadays have stretch in them.  Check the label – most are 99% cotton and 1% lycra to add a touch of stretch – meaning as they break in and conform to your body the fit will change.  A perfect fit in the store is not ideal – they should be a tad tight in the waist.  The first few times you wear them they will feel a bit tight but they will break in quickly and won’t end up sagging in the ass and waist.

Also, if they’re barely long enough when you try them on, DO NOT BUY THE JEANS.  Considering you are likely flat-footed when trying on clothes, think about how short the inseam will look when in heels or boots, or if there is the slightest bit of shrinkage after a wash – REEDICULOUS.  Try shopping in the normal size heel you will wear.

2.  Breaking in:

Wear the HELL out of those jeans!  I do not wash my jeans for seriously a month or so after I buy them.  I wear them constantly.  I don’t feel the need for constant washings for jeans anyway – it’s not like underwear and I don’t sweat like a boy!  I usually Febreeze them after each wearing and if they get a bit stretched out – typically around the knees, I’ve noticed, I stick them in the dryer for 5 minutes and they’re as good as new!  I feel the breaking in period is very important for getting your jeans to perfectly conform to you… so live in them!  Only wash them if you absolutely have to…

3.  Washing (ALICIA, I am so looking at you!):

COLD WATER, and nothing but cold water, my GOD.  Cold water will not shrink your clothes, and it saves energy.  In fact, there isn’t much reason you shouldn’t be washing most of your clothes in cold water.  The agitator in standard washing machines is very damaging to clothes so wash your jeans inside out – this reduces wear and tear and preserves the color – ESPECIALLY on dark washes.  If you have a super dark pair make sure you wash it alone or only with blacks or dark clothes, otherwise you may end up with bleeding on your other clothes.  For these dark washes you may also want to use Woolite for dark clothes.  It’s gentle and preserves the color very well.  Use some fabric softener as well!

4.  Drying (ALI, again!):

Absolutely, under no circumstances, cram those jeans of yours in the dryer with everything else!  Especially you tall chicks!  What are you thinking girly?!  Your length will disappear SO fast.  I’ve had to throw away so many pairs of both jeans and work pants because either myself or my significant other wasn’t paying attention and made this mistake.  Highwaters are flattering on no one!   Once the inseam has shrunken, no amount of stretching will get it back.  Also the heat and tumbling motion cause a lot of dulling and wear and tear.  In lieu of the dryer, hang the pants flat over a door or chair.  They will dry over night.

5.  De-wrinkling:

There WILL be some wrinkling, because there is no heat in the drying process.  My boyfriend taught me a neat trick.  Now I have used Downy Wrinkle-Releaser in the past, but Jamie showed me that Febreeze works just as well.  With the jeans laying or hanging flat, spray the jeans with Febreeze.  The jeans should dry within five to ten minutes.  This should dramatically reduce the wrinkling.  You can also put them on while they’re slightly damp if you like – wearing them actually helps to dewrinkle.  I also use this trick with my work shirts and pants just about everyday.  The benefits are three-fold: it softens, freshens, and dewrinkles.  So that’s what works for me!

6.  Maintenance:

Remember – they do not need to be washed everytime they’re worn!  Or even every second time, or third time!  Unless you’re a severe germophobe, or you’re wrestling pigs to the ground on the daily, it’s just not necessary…  Take a smell of your jeans when you strip down at the end of the day.  You do NOT stink!  If I feel that my jeans need to be just freshened, and not washed, I will spray them with Febreeze and toss them in the dryer inside out for five minutes (this isn’t enough time to shrink them!).  Five or ten minutes in the dryer reactivates the stretch in the jeans so they bounce back to their original shape, and the Febreeze makes them smell fresh and clean.

You’ll know when they need to be washed…  You sweat a lot that day, you spilled something on them, the shape is getting a little malfomed, etc…  This goes for a lot of clothes too!  I’ve stopped washing my sweaters every single time I wear them because I realized I don’t need to.

And that’s my jeans thang!

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