How often should you really wash your jeans?
I recently had this random convo with one of my coworkers who revealed he wears his jeans a good 3 to 4 times before throwing them in the wash. And, I was like...
Oh my! And I thought 3 to 4 wears was bad!
"After just one wear, your jeans are covered in microbes, including bacteria, skin cells, your natural oils, and traces of whatever was on that park bench you were sitting on. Most of these microbes are technically harmless. So not washing your jeans isn't going to be hazardous to your health," according to Business Insider.
But, wouldn't the jeans also smell after multiple wears?!
Well, I went to social media and asked my Instagram peeps for their thoughts. And, of course, everyone had different types of answers. Some said it depends on where you live, how much you sweat and what you were doing throughout the day while wearing the jeans.Check out these responses:
Does it depend on where you live? Some peeps think so...
daboot_finest_lady: "This must be a northern thing - rewearing clothes after they have been worn ... in the southern states we sweat ... there is no way we are rewearing clothes that we have had on. Period. Do not @ me... just a point being made"cleohutchinson: "After every wear, I live in the tropics its hot as hell"
xoxokiadanielle: "I live in NYC and take the subway so every time I wear I wash"
runawayrosie_: "Nah it's hot as hell where I live, so once or twice tops. If you wear good quality jeans, and decent underwear and live somewhere cooler maybe you can get away with longer though?"
she_is_meika_baby: "I live in Newark and work in NYC. I’m on the Path train daily for work and if I come into the city on weekends may have to jump on the MTA. People are disgusting. I cannot go w/o washing my items after wearing."
limortel: "Every time I wear it ... live in Florida can't wear anything twice. Soon you come home it goes straight in the hamper"
Some say it depends on the activity you're doing...
buffbagswell_el: "2 times if you did absolutely nothing all day"pudge916: "It depends on the type of jeans, how long I wear them, where I go in them, and what I do when I hv them on. & Some jeans go in the washer, others go to the cleaners."
lejahbougielee: "Depends on the activity in the jeans. I usually wear them twice before I wash them"
the_hirtzers: "Depends on activity if I went hiking they are getting washed if I wore them after I showered for 2 hours before bed I'll wear again but 2 days at most"
_conceiteds.only: "It just depends on how long you had them on and were you sweating in them if not a good 2 days for me but I have so many clothes I don't need to wear them again"
Others say it depends on how often you wear them, but also pointed out the quality of the denim jeans and saying washing those jeans everyday can lead to the denim fading...
begolden247: "Jeans shrink when you wash them... keep them longer, don’t wash them."ucallme_chef: "U not suppose to wash real denim so I say 3-5 times, but cheap jeans I wash every time I wear them. The more u wash denim the more you destroy the jeans"
lilmissent: "Depending on the brand of jeans! My more expense jeans I only wear to events so I don’t wash them every time I wear them...kinda like a evening gown you only wash it if it has a stain on it. But my Jeans from America Eagle I wash them every time I wear them because I am a mess and spill stuff all the time lol!"
marjeanhuncho: "Bro you are not supposed to wash your pants after every wear !! All y’all mfs crazy who raised y’all a pair of pants can be worn 2-3 times (not consecutively)before you need to wash them because eventually they’ll begin to fade"
_.negus: "Y’all must be out here buying that cheap Walmart denim. You can wear Levi denim about 3 or 4 times before needing to wash them. You just need to make sure you wash your ass before putting your jeans on"
laly_0582: "I'll wear mine 3 times before I wash them. My denim isn't cheap. Wash your ass, not your jeans..."
savagerealitytvI: "hand wash all my jeans.... but I use them at least 3 times before washing them"
seanciroc: "Depends on the type of jean. If it's a high end label then hardly & only after a few wears as sometimes they shrink or design stitching gets ruined. If they're black 🖤 jeans not for a long time or to many washes will cause colour loss. However & above all else if the jeans smell - please wash them!!! Now what's up with those nasty 🤢 people that wear jeans & no underwear!?? That should be a crime!!!"
On the other hand, some pointed out that it doesn't matter what kind of jeans you're wearing; one wear and the jeans should get washed...
nita_luv_2k4: "Everytime I wear them. Look I got thighs and I sweat like a man.. Ain't nobody got time for that."ll_about_kiaj: "Um ewwwww 3 to 4 wears...once is my limit."
msmary_says: "One wear them wash. It's an ocd thing"
bassmichelleash: "Just imagine how many people you have interacted with throughout the day and how many germs has transferred to those same jeans you want to wear for three days. That’s why people stay sick"
brown_goddess239: "I wear mine once . Wait until I get two week's worth of Jean's . Then wash them all at one time"
To my surprise, A LOT of people agreed that you can wear jeans a good 3 to 4 times before washing them.
johnbaboss: "Maybe after 4 wears"mrsnatadair: "I wear mine at least twice unless they got dirty or something. And make sure to wash them inside out. You can also consider hanging them up to dry. Makes them last longer."
yo_co123: "That sounds about right,about 3 times unless I spilled something on them."
209_0queen: "I get about 3-4 wears out of mines y’all. I do disinfect my jeans after each wear so. Everyone is different though."
jazz_fierce: "@jessixaxsin DUDE. These people out here are wasting water. How the fuck they get their jeans so dirty? To wash them every single time? Like no."
So then my next question would be: If you do wear your jeans multiple times before washing them, where do you keep your already worn jeans at? Do you mix the worn jeans in a drawer with the clean ones?
toastybunch: "Thts how it’s originally supposed to be but I wash after one wear cuz it’s gross to me. Where would I store my already worn jeans?? Definitely not with the cleans"str_lali: "Im a germophobic. You get exposed to all kinds of viruses n bacteria once you put a foot out your house. You wouldn't want to mix your dirty jeans with the clean ones. I dont even wanna sit on my couch with clothes I've worn throughout the day. Idk. To each their own though."
After all of this, how often you wash your jeans seems like it depends on the quality of the denim, when they smell, the activities you're doing and how much you sweat in the jeans, how often you wear them in a week, and how dirty the area you live in is.
What do you think? How often do you wear your jeans before washing them? Drop a comment below!
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