Authored by Ruth Dsouza Prabhu in Clothing
Published on 11-22-2009

Jeans have remained a wardrobe staple irrespective of the changes in fashion trends. Over the years, the denim look has been used in casual wear, formal wear, party wear and even office wear. It has been worn with rips at the knees, prints down the leg, sequins on the pockets, large belts and has even achieved gravity-defying feats with the dangerously low waist style. Straight cuts, boot cuts, slim fits, skinny fits, stretchable and more, jeans of all kinds have hit the shelves.

While light colored jeans were the look a decade or so ago, denims of today are largely on the darker side. Your style quotient lowers considerably however, if you have a pair of faded denims on. It is now a fashion requisite to maintain dark washes in their original form and there are a few ways in which you can do this.

• The simplest way is to avoid washing your dark denims until you absolutely must. This also means that you have a good enough number of jeans to wear so that you are not in the same pair all the time. When you feel the time is right, hang your jeans on the line and spray on some water till it soaks through. Let it air dry on the line. Be sure not to keep your jeans under direct sunlight though. A shaded place will do just fine.
• When your jeans are in dire need of cleaning, hand wash them. Fill up your tub with cool water. Put in some mild detergent and let your jeans soak a while. Rub the jeans together to get the dirt out without being too harsh on the dye. Rinse off in cool water, squeeze lightly and then air dry them.
• If you are using a washing machine, then turn your jeans inside out to reduce the friction on the colored surface of your denim. Let only cool water into the machine and use the smallest amount necessary of the mildest detergent. Before you begin the wash cycle, pour in a cup of salt. This will help hold the color fast.
• Another way to lock the color of your jeans is to soak it in vinegar before you wash it. Be sure to air dry your jeans well after this to prevent a lingering smell.
• Never put your wet jeans into the dryer of your washing machine. The heat generated here takes its toll on the color. If you have to use a dryer, let your jeans drip away all the excess water and then use the tumble dry option instead.
• You should also avoid ironing your jeans. But if you are finicky about creases, then turn your jeans inside out and iron them. Avoid ironing on the seam.
• A simple trick to retain the color of your dark denim is to wash them in the machine with similar dark colored clothing which may have a tendency to bleed. This will ensure that your denim absorbs some of the color and remains dark despite a wash.
• If you don’t mind spending a bit when it comes to looking after the shade of your jeans, then the dry cleaners are your answer. They will be able to clean your jeans while maintaining its color. The possible downside to this, besides the wallet-factor is that your jeans may loosen a bit in terms of fit over a period of time.

Maintaining the color of your denim can be a task in itself, but it is not one that cannot be accomplished.