Let it loose: 6 reasons you shouldn’t be washing your jeans too often

You might have heard that Chip Bergh, the CEO and president of global clothing giant Levi’s, has a thing against washing his jeans. He famously spoke to a crowd in 2014 wearing a pair of jeans that had never been washed, after more than a year of being worn!

Ironically, Bergh urges other people to reduce how often they wash their jeans for environmental reasons but do we even fully understand what those environmental reasons are? And are there other reasons we should stop washing our jeans so often? Well, we’re here to break it down for you. As compiled from The Huffington Post, here are six reasons for you to cut back on washing your jeans too much.



1- Washing destroys jeans faster

We’re all for a good pair of distressed denim but washing them too often can turn those dreamy duds into a nightmare — fast! A Vogue article perfectly describes the perils of messing up a pair of perfect jeans with a washing machine. “I turned the washing machine dial to cold, walked away for an indeterminate amount of time and when I returned, my beloved jeans lay mangled at the bottom of this so-called cleaning device,” explains author Marjon Carlos. “The soft, smooth texture was hardened by the thrash of the spin cycle and deluge of water and my jeans were paler than last I remembered. The shape was also askew.”

2- They fit better when they’re a little stretched out

When’s the last time you were able to really get down and comfy in a pair of freshly washed denim? Never? Yup, we agree with you there.

3- Long drying times

According to some experts, taking a shortcut is a big no-no. Robert Schaeffer, the owner and founder of a high-end denim shop in Los Angeles, once said, “The most horrible thing for jeans is putting them in the dryer.” Not to mention, if you wash your jeans in the dryer, you’re driving up your electric bill.



4- It’s actually not that gross to have dirty jeans

According to a test done by the University of Alberta in 2009, the amount of bacteria on a pair of jeans was “pretty normal” after an entire 15 months of wear, without any washing. And the jeans contained just about the same amount of bacteria after washing and wearing them for 13 days.

5- Washing machines waste a lot of water

It may seem like a quick load of laundry to you but the amount of water necessary to wash jeans with a machine is jarring. Bergh spelled it out in a blog post. “An average pair of jeans consumes roughly 3,500 liters of water and that is after only two years of use, washing the jeans once a week,” he said. “Nearly half of the total water consumption, or 1,600 liters, is the consumer throwing the jeans in the washing machine. That’s equivalent to 6,700 glasses of drinking water.”

Bergh doesn’t explain where the other half of that water goes. However, to get an even bigger picture of how much water every pair of jeans uses, National Geographic says it takes 2,900 gallons of water simply to produce one pair.

6- Dirty jeans prevent unwanted human interaction

Want everyone to just leave you alone for a little while? Slap on a pair of your dirtiest jeans. That should do the trick.

Compiled By Amna Hashmi

Published in The Express Tribune, September 27^th, 2016.

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