How to Wash Raw Denim Without Killing the Fades
Cold water, inside out, mild detergent, hang to dry. Washing raw denim does not destroy fades. Waiting too long does, because dirt cuts the cotton fibres from the inside.
Wash raw denim inside out, in cold water under 30C, with a small amount of mild detergent, then hang it to dry away from direct heat. Do this every 4 to 6 months of regular wear. Washing does not kill fades. Leaving grit in the fabric for a year does, because dry dirt cuts cotton fibres from the inside every time you move.
How often should you wash raw denim?
Every 4 to 6 months if you wear the jeans a few times a week. The old advice to wait a full year, or to never wash at all, comes from a period when people wanted extreme high contrast fades for photographs, not from anything about how cotton behaves. Sweat, body oil and street dust are abrasive. They sit in the weave and saw at the fibres, which is why unwashed jeans blow out at the knee and the crotch long before washed ones do.
The honest trade is this. Wash less and you get sharper, higher contrast fades, but the jeans wear out sooner. Wash on schedule and the fades come in slightly softer, and the jeans last years longer. Sable sells jeans meant to be worn, so the schedule wins.
What is the exact method?
Turn the jeans inside out, close the buttons, and wash them cold and alone. Inside out protects the outer surface, which is where every fade you care about lives, from rubbing against the drum.
- Turn them inside out and fasten every button and zip. An open metal button scrapes the fabric for the whole cycle.
- Wash alone, or with other dark denim only. Indigo bleeds heavily on the first two or three washes and will stain a white shirt.
- Cold water, 30C or below. Hot water sets shrinkage and pulls indigo out fast.
- A small amount of mild liquid detergent. Skip fabric softener, it coats the cotton and flattens the texture. Skip bleach and anything marked oxi.
- Gentle or delicate cycle, lowest spin your machine offers.
- Hang to dry, inside out, away from a radiator and out of direct sun. Never tumble dry.
- Take them down while very slightly damp and put them on for ten minutes. They dry to the shape of your legs instead of to the shape of a hanger.
How long does raw denim take to dry?
About 24 hours hanging indoors, and 8 to 10 hours outdoors in moving air. Raw denim is heavy, usually 12 to 16 oz, so it holds a lot of water and it dries far slower than a shirt. Do not speed it up on a radiator. Fast drying against a hot surface is what makes denim go stiff and board-like, and it can shrink the leg unevenly.
| Method | Time to dry | Effect on fit | Effect on fades |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hang indoors, inside out | About 24 hours | Keeps the shape | No change |
| Hang outdoors, shaded | 8 to 10 hours | Keeps the shape | No change |
| Hang in direct sun | 6 to 8 hours | Keeps the shape | Fades the indigo unevenly |
| On a radiator | 3 to 5 hours | Can shrink the leg | Stiffens the fabric |
| Tumble dryer, low | About 1 hour | Shrinks 2 to 5 percent | Rubs the high points flat |
Does freezing your jeans actually clean them?
No. Freezing kills some surface bacteria, so the jeans smell better for a few days, but the bacteria come back as soon as the denim returns to body temperature. More importantly, smell is not the problem. The problem is abrasive grit and body oil, and a freezer removes neither. This was tested publicly by a University of Alberta study in 2011 and the freezer trick has been repeated as fact ever since. Treat it as a way to postpone a wash by a week, not as a wash.
Will raw denim shrink when you wash it?
Sanforised raw denim shrinks about 1 to 3 percent on the first cold wash, which is roughly one to two centimetres off a 32 inch inseam, and it mostly comes back after an hour of wear. Unsanforised denim, sometimes sold as shrink-to-fit, shrinks 5 to 10 percent and does not come back, which is why it is bought one to two sizes up and soaked before the first wear.
Every pair in the Sable jeans collection is sanforised, so buy your normal size and expect the fit you tried on. If you are between sizes, the size guide on each product page gives the flat measurements rather than a generic chart.
What about spot cleaning between washes?
Spot clean with a damp cloth and nothing else. Dab, do not rub, because rubbing lifts indigo in a patch and leaves a pale halo that is far more visible than the original mark. For a spill, hold the fabric under a cold tap from the inside so the water pushes the stain out rather than through. Air the jeans overnight after wearing and they will need washing much less often.
Questions people ask
Can you wash raw denim in a washing machine?
Yes. Turn them inside out, use a cold gentle cycle at 30C or below with a small amount of mild detergent, and use the lowest spin setting. The machine is not the enemy, heat and agitation are.
Should you wash raw denim before wearing it?
No, if it is sanforised. Wear it for a few months first so the creases set where your body actually bends, which is what creates the fades. Unsanforised shrink-to-fit denim is the exception and should be soaked in cold water before the first wear.
Why is my bath water blue after soaking new jeans?
That is loose indigo, and it is normal on the first two or three washes. Indigo sits on the outside of the cotton yarn rather than soaking into it, which is exactly why denim fades where it rubs. Losing the loose surface dye does not affect the fades that matter.
Can you tumble dry raw denim?
Avoid it. A tumble dryer shrinks raw denim 2 to 5 percent, and the tumbling rubs the raised areas of the weave flat, which is where your fades are forming. Hang drying takes about 24 hours indoors and costs nothing.
How do you get the smell out without washing?
Air them inside out overnight near an open window. Most of the smell is bacteria on the surface of the fabric, and moving air removes far more of it than a freezer does. If airing stops working, the jeans need a proper wash.