Howdy ho fellas. Miss our denim lecture 101 post? Can feel the same way with the others alike? Apologize for such hiatus, we had so many things piling on our plates. But when we had the chance and the spare time, we jumped right into it.. Towards the current series of #OLDBLUE101, we’d like to bring up one of yer most favorite talking points, no other than ‘Debunking the Myths’; the science or fiction, the fact or myth. As the previous episodes, we feel the need to talk about some of the infamous urban legends surrounding this blue denim industry.
Do We Really Need Special Denim Detergent?
Well you already got your raw denim pants by now. After many days (or even months??) you tirelessly wear ‘em and show ‘em off to all your crews, you’ll reach a certain point when you just can’t stand the smell and feel the urge to wash ‘em off. All of the sudden another denim related problem pops up in your head; regarding what kind of detergent you should use to wash your precious jawnz in a way that it won’t ruin ‘em and still maintaining their blue sparks all at once.
Some might suggest you to use a detergent specially made for denim. it’s surely a good thing if you can find one. But for most of us, it isn’t just something that can be Gojek-ed anytime any day. you surely won’t find ‘em at your local grocery store, moreover in the mom ‘n pop bodega at the corner of your street. The thought of ‘ruining’ your denim with wash, mixed with the hassle of finding the perfect detergent is just a thing of nightmares for any newcomers in this blue-blooded hobby out there.
Well don’t get all stressed out, the soothing truth is you can always find an alternative for this ‘problem’. Just head to the laundry aisle on your local grocery store, and here’s what you need to find: a detergent that has NO bleach, that’s made to retain color, and preferably with no softener. One thing, bleach content in the detergent will surely make your denim loss its color faster. Moreover, y’all do not want your denim to get strange white spots all over ‘em do ya? So a detergent that contains bleach is a BIG NO for your denim. and what about softener? many of us denim-heads want our denim to maintain their ‘crisp-ness’ after washing. so that’s the why.
As for us Indonesians, we actually have some kind of detergent that’s made with quite the same purpose as the specific denim detergent one. Yes, you can always use a detergent for Batik. It’s specifically made to retain colors in the fabric. It’s mostly natural and another plus side is that you can easily find it.
So, do you really need a special denim detergent for washing your beloved denim? Well if you can find one, we urge you to use it. As many of those premium denim detergents also contain eco-friendly natural ingredient that’s not only good for your denim. But if you’re having a hard time to find one, a detergent that you can find in your local grocery store will do the job just fine. Once again, just make sure it contains no bleach. It’s not just about what kind of detergent that we use to wash our denim, but also it’s about how we wash ‘em.
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Inside Out, Does It Really Matter?
Seems like our daily ‘problem’ encounter with denim never ends. right after you already find the right detergent (whether it’s the specialty denim detergent or the regular no-bleach detergent) that you need to wash out yer jawnz, you’re faced with another thought on your mind. Nothing else than how you should wash your denim. Or more specifically, the thing that we want to bring up here, is about should you wash ‘em inside out or not.
Although both inside-out and normal washing techniques will get the job done on cleaning and purifying your denim, to our knowledge, it’s always better to do it inside-out. There’s no exhaustive scientific research behind the reason. the reasonings are simply leaning more towards logical explanation. We’re here exactly to bring up those several advantages on why it’s better to wash your denim inside-out.
The first and foremost reason is to minimize indigo loss and prevent excessive bleeding on your denim. safe to say it’ll preserve the indigo on your denim in a better way. Denim typically has more embellishments (those fancy copper rivets, the particular doughnut buttons, and even the zippers) than other garments. so turning denim inside-out is a logical choice to glean the benefit of a washing while minimizing the potential damage on certain parts of your favorite pair of denim.
Have you ever seen some faded jeans with odd wrinkles (mostly verticals) suddenly showin up after wash? well, aside from the high level of spin, most of the time it’s because the denim is not washed inside-out. So if you’re not fancy those kind of creases / fades, better to spend a minute or two to turn your denim inside-out before chucking ‘em in the washing machine.
Washing inside-out also means allowing the dirtiest part of your denim to get more exposure to water and detergent. sometimes we might not realize that the dirtiest part of our denim, counter-intuitively, is on the inside. As it’s the closest part to the skin. So yeah, we think those are more than enough advantages on washing your denim inside-out. do mind that it’s applicable both thru machine wash and hand wash method.
And if you’d like to get to know a more detailed way on washing your denim from the beginning ‘till the end, we actually already made a specific 101 video about that matter, hover thru our IGTV channel or Youtube channel to find the video. Remember to always keep your denim clean, moreover in this current condition we’re living in.
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Do This Spray Really Do The Magic?
Aight, if you’ve already done your home-work in lurking here and there about how to take care of your denim, chances are good that you came across with this bottle-packed spray-based denim refresher. They’re advertised on being able to eliminate or cover any odours on your denim. moreover, it’s also said that refreshers will have the ability to prevent dirt, oils, and other undesirable substances from settling into the fibers of the denim.
Many of you would think that you finally find the perfect solution to keep your denim fresh and clean without the need to wash ‘em out. Well, is it really the case?
it might be. but only to some extent. While the denim refresher surely does good things to your denim, it’s never intended to replace the importance and the natural function of washing. There’s still no other way around it. Washing (‘till this very moment) is still the most effective & traditional way, the most intensive way to give a full and deep cleansing of your denim.
Think of this denim refresher as the extra / additional supplement to your denim. While the full ‘nutrition’ can only be fulfilled with the good ol’ wash (of course with the right way). Using the denim refresher will be an effective way to keep your denim fresh between washes. from several labels we’ve seen, it’ll also be an effective & quicker way to deal with smaller stains on your denim without the need to soak / wash ‘em all at once.
All in all, a denim refresher is intended to and will be an effective way to deal with smaller cleansing necessity in an instant n’ quick manner. While the ‘bigger’, major, and deep cleansing issue shall only be dealt with the good ol’ wash.
