How to care for denim: washing, drying and keeping jeans looking good

To care for denim, wash your jeans less often, turn them inside out, use cool water and a gentle cycle with a mild detergent, and air dry them rather than tumble drying. That keeps the shade from fading, stops shrinkage and helps stretch denim keep its recovery. Between washes, airing and spot cleaning usually does the job.

Good jeans can last for many years, which is why denim is one of the best things to buy second-hand. Here is how to look after it, and what to look for when you buy or sell it.

How often should you wash jeans?

Less often than most other clothes. Denim is a sturdy cotton twill, and frequent washing is what fades it and wears it out. Many people wash jeans only when they look or smell like they need it, and air them between wears.

• Air them overnight by hanging them up, away from the wardrobe.
• Spot clean marks with a damp cloth and a little mild detergent.
• Wash when needed, not after every wear.

How to wash jeans

1. Check the care label. Some denim, such as raw or selvedge denim, comes with specific advice.
2. Close the zip and buttons so they do not snag other clothes or the jeans themselves.
3. Turn them inside out. This protects the outer surface from rubbing, which is what causes fading and white lines.
4. Use cool water, around 30 degrees, and a gentle cycle.
5. Use a mild detergent, and one for dark clothes if the jeans are dark.
6. Wash with similar shades. New and dark denim can bleed dye for several washes.

How to dry denim

• Air dry by hanging the jeans from the waistband or laying them flat.
• Reshape while damp, smoothing the seams and pulling the legs gently to length.
• Avoid the tumble dryer. Heat shrinks cotton and weakens elastane, which is what makes stretch jeans go baggy and lose their spring.
• Keep them out of strong sun while drying if you want to avoid fading.

Rigid, stretch and raw denim

• Rigid denim, 100% cotton with no stretch, is the toughest but can shrink a little in a hot wash. It softens and moulds to you over time.
• Stretch denim contains elastane. It is comfortable but more sensitive to heat, which can make it lose its recovery.
• Raw denim has not been washed after dyeing. Fans often wear it for a long time before a first wash so it fades in their own pattern.

The composition label tells you which you have.

Fixing common denim problems

• Baggy knees and seat on stretch jeans: a cool wash and air drying can help them recover a little. Washing less often also helps.
• Fading: it cannot be reversed easily, but turning jeans inside out and washing cool slows it.
• Small holes and wear at the crotch: worth darning or patching early, before they grow. A tailor or alterations shop can do this neatly.
• Broken zips and buttons: often a quick, inexpensive fix at an alterations shop.
• Hems too long: easy to shorten. If you like the worn look of the original hem, ask an alterations shop whether they can keep it.

Buying second-hand jeans

Jeans are one of the trickiest pieces to buy on size alone, because waist sizes on labels often differ from the actual measurement. Compare measurements with a pair you own that fits:

• Waist, laid flat across the waistband, then doubled.
• Rise, from the crotch seam to the top of the waistband.
• Inside leg, from the crotch seam to the hem.
• Hip and thigh, if the seller can give them.

Our guide to measuring clothes for buying online explains each one, and our UK size conversion guide covers waist and leg sizes.

Also check the photos for:

• wear at the inner thighs and crotch, where denim thins first
• fraying at the back hems, where jeans drag on the ground
• stretching at the knees on stretch denim
• marks and fading that may not be part of the design

Selling jeans

Denim that has kept its shape and shade sells well second-hand. Wash and air dry the jeans, then lay them flat and add the waist, rise and inside leg in cm. Photograph the front, back, labels, inner thighs and hems in daylight. Say whether they are rigid or stretch, as the label shows, and how they fit: true to size, high rise, relaxed through the leg. Our guide to writing a listing description has a template you can use.

The short version

Wash jeans less, inside out, cool and gentle, and air dry them. Keep stretch denim away from heat. Mend small holes early. When buying, compare waist, rise and inside leg with a pair that fits, and check the inner thighs and hems.