Care For Your (Denim/ Wool/ Cotton)

[Dion]

Yes, indeed! Bookmarked.

[Filthy2123ozjunkie]

Washing 5 IH shirts at once gets you this on the spin cycle.

[DrPat]

Several years ago I wrote some washing instructions for superblack denim and they were used as the basis for the official IH washing instructions for washing superblack and duck.

https://www.ironheart.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=2215.0

I was still having problems with white soap residue remaining in the shirt after washing and have finally come up with a solution.

But first, a little background on the IHSH-08.  This shirt is made of 16oz non-fading superblack denim.  It has an extremely slim cut and thin arms which means that rides high in the armpit and absorbs sweat more readily than the standard shirt.  It's also extremely stiff, which makes it susceptible to the dreaded white abrasion lines if spun to fast in the washing machine.  The stiffness combined with the inability to wash it vigorously means that soap residue remains in the shirt and this has an appearance to the abrasion lines.

After wearing this shirt many times without washing it started to smell.  I rubbed some liquid soap directly on the armpits and this caused some really horrible soap stains that repeated washes on the hand and gentle cycle did not remove.  I eventually soaked it in a 1:2 mixture of vinegar and water for a few hours and this removed the soap residue.  I thought that other white lines in various locations were due to abrasion and when they were also removed I was really happy.

Vinegar is only necessary for the most stubborn soap stains.  My normal washing procedure for this shirt is now:

(1) Use a translucent soap such as Dr. Bronner's.  Some of the "dark" and "black" soaps are opaque and more likely to leave soap stains.
(2) Wash with soap on the hand wash cycle.
(3) Soak the shirt in a bucket of water.
(4) Wash the shirt again on the hand wash cycle but this time without soap.

[SlimStraightNYUSA]

I'm a newbie to quality denim. I have a pair of Ralph Lauren Vatrick Slim Straight selvedge denim. nothing too heavy but I don't know the fabric weight. I didn't know how/what/why when I got them, I just knewI have some knice jeans. I washed them immediately and since (18 months) well over a dozen times. the contrast is very low key but the molding is pretty pronounced.

I got another pair from RRL , destroyed/repaired. Broken twill, light weight denim. I washed them cold and hung dry. Been wearing them here and there for 7 or 8 months. The wash wont make much difference thought, I suspect. The distressing and all that is already done.

I have another pair from Ralph Lauren Purple Lable. 10oz ultra black warp nd weft. 2% polyurethane moto jeans, outrageous skinny but very sleek. Dry clean only.

I started with a pair of Nudies 100% Turkisk cotton, organic and "dry", whatever their version of it is. 14oz. I wore them for two months before…wait for it!

I scored some 634-SV from ebay a month ago. Single hot soak. I dont wantthe contrast to be too drastic, and Ive got weightlifter thighs and ass so the distressing...should I begin to cold wash early to avoid near-whitening over time?

[neph93]

@SlimStraightNYUSA:

.should I begin to cold wash early to avoid near-whitening over time?

I would strongly advise wearing them as much as you like and giving them a wash when they look, smell or feel dirty. Other than that, relax and enjoy them!

[den1mhead]

@neph93:

@SlimStraightNYUSA:

.should I begin to cold wash early to avoid near-whitening over time?

I would strongly advise wearing them as much as you like and giving them a wash when they look, smell or feel dirty. Other than that, relax and enjoy them!

+1
I would go with neph93 wise words

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Chris]

New folks tend to get caught up in trying to wash/wear their jeans the "right" way.  There isn't one.  Take a deep breath, relax, and wear them as often as you like, wash them whenever you like, treat them however you like.  That's what makes them uniquely yours.

Oh, and when you wash won't make any difference in whether they eventually fade to white- that will happen anyway.  More frequent washing will make the contrasting less dramatic (and make your jeans last longer).

[ROman]

Amen

[Megatron1505]

Chris speaks truth.

[Oaktavia]

Curiosity has veered toward the age old denimhead topic of washing jeans in my pinball machine brain.

I am currently at my longest run ever without a wash with a pair of jeans at 95 days (not counting jackets or shirts).

Q: What is the longest unwashed amount of time y'all have waited (for those who count) to wash your jeans for your record? I know my 95 days may not be much to @swiss-jeansfreak or other dry enthusiasts but I am genuinely curious who specifically on here goes unwashed and what your record is.

[indigostiff]

@Oaktavia I am at 141 wears with my 666 XHS 25 oz. jeans - never washed yet. I plan on a wash at 150-ish wears, before they go off to Rain (Reyn?) for hemming.

They are ready lol.

[Oaktavia]

@indigostiff Nice dude, the pair I mentioned are also XHS but the 634 cut. I would love to see what your pair looks like if you have posted them before.

[indigostiff]

@Oaktavia here you go - unfiltered - the content of which I share with nobody else because of either my embarrassment or their lack of interest!

Crotch is strong

[Oaktavia]

@indigostiff nice, thanks for sharing man. I too feel that by 140 or so wears mine will be ripe for the machine but I'll see.

[Mizmazzle]

@Oaktavia are you counting initial soaks? I went 145 days after initial soak before a true wash on my XHSbb

I love how denim feels when its been unwashed a long time. Maybe kinda gross, but that heavy, oiled drape denim gets after a ton of wear is my favorite.

[pechelman]

i might be no help to the "how long have you gone between washing" discussion other than to say my decision to wash has been when i see dirt/dust start collecting behind or around the thicker constructional seams. If I see dirt there it's bound to be somewhere else that will be causing more wear and tear as an abrasive. I've thought about taking a shop vac to them, and have once or twice, but seeing what the soaking liquid looks like before the wash has so far made me feel really good about washing.

Depending on the season, this seems to be about ~60 days.

[Oaktavia]

@Mizmazzle I did not count my initial hot soak to remove shrinkage, no.

@pechelman I usually wash my jeans around 60s wear or so as well. I should have stated in my OG post that I want to push just this one pair to see how long I can get. All of my other denim is washed and repeated when needed. I just wanted to finally go super long before washing just to see if I can stand it lol.

[pechelman]

is the end goal a number, a fun experiment, or is there another benefit to waiting another month? Would getting the dirt/oils out of faded areas allow them to fade faster that you want to prevent? Genuinely asking since I'm still new to this. Also, no judgement here. asking to learn!

[indigostiff]

@pechelman I am roughly trying to follow this -- https://sosoclothing.se/the-break-in-breakdown-the-five-stages-youll-pass-through-when-breaking-in-raw-denim/

[WhiskeySandwich]

@Oaktavia @pechelman 60 wears is a good marker for sure, depending on your activity. I know Oak's usually looking killer in less time than that. I've been on a mission to hit 100 with my latest rotation, but i think results vary so much based on the denim, activity, etc. Longest I've gone is 87 and counting on my 21ib. I'm getting nervous about ruining them with a wash lol i love em oily!