1. Denim Care

THE MADEWELL GUIDE TO

DENIM CARE

Our expert tips to looking after the pairs you wear.

HOW TO CLEAN YOUR JEANS

LESS IS ALWAYS MORE. To preserve the rich color of your denim, avoid over-washing. In fact, our experts suggest laundering your jeans only once every 10 wears. Between laundry days, spot clean with cool water and a mild detergent.

PREP APPROPRIATELY. 

First, zip up your jeans and turn them inside out. Then, machine wash in cold water with a mild detergent to preserve the color. Never use bleach—it will lighten indigo and discolor white denim.

FOR BEST RESULTS, AIR DRY. 

If your jeans get a little stiff, put them in the dryer on low heat for a few minutes to soften them up. Don’t have time to wait? Follow the drying instructions sewn into your jeans—typically, it’s fine to tumble dry at a low heat.

HOW TO TREAT STAINS

STEP 1: MIX YOUR MAGIC POTION

All stains are not created equal, and each type requires its own specialized treatment. Start with warm water and add one of the following ingredients

– For coffee and grass: concentrated dish soap (the one you have hanging around your sink).


– For ink: glycerin-based soap (available at your local drugstore).


– For red wine: hydrogen peroxide (you know that brown bottle sitting in your first aid kit? That’s the one.)

STEP 2: SPOT TEST 
Try your solution out on an inside cuff or other less-visible area to guarantee colorfastness.

STEP 3: BLOT THE STAIN ON THE OUTSIDE AND INSIDE
Gently rub the mixture into the fabric.

STEP 4: RINSE STAINS IN WARM—NOT HOT— WATER
Stains are most likely to loosen and lift with 85-degree water—think the temperature you’d shower in. If the water’s too hot to touch, it could bake the stain in.

HOW TO BANISH SMELLS

AIR YOUR JEANS OUT BETWEEN WEARS. To preserve the rich color of your denim, avoid over-washing. In fact, our experts suggest laundering your jeans only once every 10 wears. Between laundry days, spot clean with cool water and a mild detergent.

TRY A REFRESHING "COCKTAIL." 

Spray your jeans with a mixture of two parts water to one-part unflavored vodka and odors will evaporate along with the alcohol (it’s a neat little 21-and-over trick favored by vintage clothing dealers). Just be sure to test your homemade solution first on an inside cuff or other less-visible place to make sure it won’t discolor the fabric.

BRING THEM INTO THE SHOWER. To preserve the rich color of your denim, avoid over-washing. In fact, our experts suggest laundering your jeans only once every 10 wears. Between laundry days, spot clean with cool water and a mild detergent.

HOW TO CARE FOR RIPS + TEARS

LET YOUR DENIM AGE GRACEFULLY. 

Natural wear is going to happen—especially around the thighs and back of the knees—and it gives character to jeans.

BE GENTLE. 

Rips and tears can open further in the washing machine, so we recommend hand washing and air drying your favorite distressed denim. Want a little more insurance? Hand-sew a couple of stitches on either side of the hole to prevent the fabric from pulling apart.

PATCH 'EM UP. 

Follow our head denim designer’s lead and use fabric from an old T-shirt, which has stretch and will move with your body.

HOW TO WASH WHITE DENIM

STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING. 

Chances are you’re doing the white-jeans-washing thing a little wrong. From here on out, no more bleach, dryers, scrubbing, soaking or stain-remover pens.

AVOID BLEACH. 

Even chlorine-free or color-safe bleach will cause white denim to yellow over time. While you’re at it, skip white vinegar too, a popular but ineffective substitute. Vinegar does prevent dark or black jeans from losing their dye (we call this “bleeding”) but it won’t noticeably freshen up your whites.

THINK PROGRESS, NOT PERFECTION. 

Really, really white jeans aren’t realistic in the long term—and we like them that way. Let the color slowly soften over time to a more natural, milky shade. And stains? They’re just proof that you have loved—and lived—in your denim.
HOW TO KEEP YOUR BLACK DENIM BLACK

SET THE DYE BEFORE THEIR FIRST WASH. 

Soak your jeans inside out in a bath of cold water with one cup of white vinegar and one tablespoon of salt.

AVOID THE DRYER. 

Air drying prevents fiber breakdown, making it the best way to prolong the richness of the color. Dry your denim right side out and hanging by the back belt loop. Bonus: the weight of the denim will help prevent creases.
ASK THE DENIM EXPERT

I'VE HEARD YOU SHOULD WEAR YOUR JEANS IN THE BATHTUB TO WAS THEM SO THEY DON'T LOSE THEIR SHAPE. IS THAT TRUE? That’s not necessary anymore. Back in the day, jeans were sold without having been prewashed, so the fabric shrunk about 3% the first time you washed your jeans. But ever since the 1980s, we’ve used special treatments on denim so they don’t shrink as much.

MY DENIMHEAD BROTHER TOLD ME THAT FREEZING JEANS OVERNIGHT KILLS BACTERIA AND ODORS— IS HIS TIP WORTH DISPLACING MY ICE CREAM BARS? 

Sorry bro, this denim myth has been debunked: bacteria can easily survive a night in your deep freezer. If germs are your concern, washing is the best option.

I'VE HEARD THAT WASHING INSTRUCTIONS ARE KIND OF BOGUS. WHO DECIDES WHAT GOES ON THESE LITTLE TAGS?

It’s quite scientific, actually—fabric pros test all our jeans styles in an actual laboratory using technical equipment that replicates ordinary wear and care. Pairs are washed, rewashed and re-rewashed to determine colorfastness and shrinkage. They are also stress-tested to make sure seams stay strong and stretch stays stretchy. The result? Little tags you can trust.

I LIKE MY BLACK DENIM TO BE VERY, VERY BLACK, SO INSTEAD OF FADING THEM IN THE WASH, I AIR THEM OUT IN THE BACKYARD BETWEEN WEARS. IS IT MY IMAGINATION, OR ARE THEY STILL GOING GREY?

You’re not imagining things. The sun’s rays can lighten black and indigo washes, so avoid hanging your jeans in direct sunlight when you air them outdoors.