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Washing jeans

John F Dean

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The headline of The Independent reads “ Levi’s CEO explains why you should never wash your jeans”.

Really?!! I raise KuneKune pigs. As pigs go, they are nice and well behaved. Then there are the goats…the chickens..the dogs…the garden…the compost pile…sawdust…wood chips…..hay….straw. The 90+ degree temps and the air you can wear. After a normal day my jeans walk to the laundry by themselves. I admit, I have been known to wear jeans a second day … that is when my dog sniffs them and crawls in a corner growling and glaring at me. I know if I went for a third day I would have to resort to a stake and garlic.

This takes me back to “What not to wear”. I always wanted to be on that show so I could wear a sports coat and silk shirt for the pigs.

Some people age like fine wine. I aged like milk … sour and chunky.

Staff note (Tereza Okava) :

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/levis-ceo-explains-why-you-should-never-wash-your-jeans-a6881031.html

Nancy Reading

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I had to look for that quote and it sounds like it can be taken a bit too literally! However I do like this quote as a suggestion for washing clothes:

This means keeping jeans on in the shower and covering them in soap as you would your body, Bergh explained.

Maybe that would work generally - just wear and wash!

washing your jeans

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John F Dean

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Minus the soap, I have done close to that with a garden hose. On the right day my clothes are dry in 20 minutes, and I am cooler.

Some people age like fine wine. I aged like milk … sour and chunky.

Tereza Okava

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I had a friend in Japan many years ago who traded in jeans, which was Big Money- she'd fly to LA and buy a container full and resell them, and also sought out rare and antique models. She told me this, that they weren't supposed to be washed, and at that time Japanese machines and washing were really hard on clothes (heavy-duty spinners and then drying out in the sun, not good for your dark-wash jeans!).
I mentally made a note to never buy an expensive pair of jeans, and went ahead wearing the cheap ones I like. I also keep lots of dark-blue dye on hand and if any of my clothes get discolored, I dye them dark again. But I'll be darned if I'm going to wear jeans that can get up and walk away on their own....

Anne Miller

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Way back when, I was told that girls did something like the picture that Nancy posted, except they got into a tub of water.

Back then, I have been told jeans shrunk so the girls got into a tub of water so the jeans would shrink to fit them tightly...

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Christopher Weeks

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I live an office-work life with managing a homestead on the side. Unless I specifically get them mucky with something -- whether that's kitchen oil, cat shit, or just more than a little mud, I wash my jeans about every 40 wearings. A little crusty stuff -- mud or dough or whatever, I just scrape off with a wooden blade once it's drying down. They don't seem to ever stink of body odor -- I guess that's underwear doing its job.

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Nancy Reading

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Oh my! Just remembered this! - Levi've obviously changed their minds since the 80s.

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Pearl Sutton

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If you are working outside and soak your jeans, that's one thing, they drip for a LONG time. If you are in the shower you are now either taking off wet jeans and either spinning them out or letting them drip for a day, OR leaving them on and getting your ya-yas chafed badly.

I wash mine when they need it. Need being the operative word. "I wore them shopping" does not need it. "I wore them the last 20 times I went shopping" might. "I wore them to wrassle pigs" needs it.

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Jay Angler

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Clearly the person who advised that hasn't had their pants treated with defensive momma duck poop...

Step one is rinsing the pants off with the hose while wearing them.
Step two is walking to the house and putting them straight in the washing machine.
Step three is having a shower.

And if anyone puts rocks in Hubby's antique washing machine, he'd have words. We *try* very hard not to let any hardware end up in there, but I've pulled out the odd washer, nut, small screw, etc. Pockets be that way!

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Jennie Little

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Anne Miller wrote:Way back when, I was told that girls did something like the picture that Nancy posted, except they got into a tub of water.

Back then, I have been told jeans shrunk so the girls got into a tub of water so the jeans would shrink to fit them tightly...

I heard that too.

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Carla Burke

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Jennie Little wrote:

Anne Miller wrote:Way back when, I was told that girls did something like the picture that Nancy posted, except they got into a tub of water.

Back then, I have been told jeans shrunk so the girls got into a tub of water so the jeans would shrink to fit them tightly...

I heard that too.

I was one of them. LOL - but, back then, I had the shape for it. 🤣

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Joylynn Hardesty

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In spring, I typically wash my garden pants once a week. But then comes the humidity. Last week I put my jeans on a hook until next time... The hook is about nose level... Ummm no. Into the laundry after one wearing.

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Wendy Cohoon

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I wash everything in a couple of 5 gallon buckets, by hand. We just did 3 loads of laundry at a laundrymat after 3 years - it cost us over $20! Jeans, and fleecy blankets are the most difficult to wash, because they are heavy when wet. Keep jeans for dress wear, and get yourself some work pants. I have some old work pants that were my dad's, they are huge, but that's what belts and braces are for. They are light in the wash and dry in no time.

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