Heather says:
Do you remember when we talked about whether or not freezing jeans was a practical solution?
I’ve actually come across this twice now in the last month. The first was a speaker at a conference, he mentioned this as an aside, talking about how he expects the jeans -when he washes them in a year- to show the wear on the knees from playing with his child and then, just now in an interview of Levi’s CEO. (You don’t have to watch the whole thing it’s definitely on the dry side, but the point starting around 9:15 about sustainability is relevant)
I get what they are trying to say, but I wish, for everyone’s sake that they clarified what they mean. I don’t think Levi’s CEO is talking about your mowing the lawn, chasing toddler, bathing the dog jeans. I think, he is referring to that nice pair of super dark jeans that one saves to wear somewhere nice.
I think he may also mean the jeans you may wear to a casual office, where there is air conditioning and not a whole lot of heavy lifting.
I wish people like, Mr. Bergh, would remember that use case matters.
I don’t think he means the jeans worn by construction workers or field laborers.
Spot cleaning won’t work for line cooks.
Spot cleaning won’t work for anyone who lifts and bends and stretches their way through the work day.
And to act as though we -those who wash their jeans because we must- are wasteful, is really rather clueless.
Wash your jeans when they need it. The less you do, the longer they will last. It’s that simple. We don’t need to offend people on the bus just because some guy thinks not washing our pants is the way to save the earth.
Send your domestic questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.
I have never heard of freezing jeans. Many years ago when I still looked good in them, I would iron them. My wife thought that was funny.
Thank you!! I read the article with the video above and then the comments about the article and cringed the whole time because an argument broke out- people insulting others because they didn’t understand your points above. CLEARLY the jeans that don’t need to be washed after every wear are the ones that are worn infrequently and lightly. People got their panties in a wad because they thought that the mere suggestion that jeans needn’t be washed every single day was filthy! Geez.
I certainly wash my jeans as infrequently as I can get away with (as a single, childless woman, who works and lives in air conditioning, this is relatively infrequent compared to some I’m sure), but eventually they’re just… Uncrisp and soggy looking. I can’t take that. That and eventually they’re falling off your rear from stretching out. So jeans have to be washed at least about once every 2 weeks even under the best of circumstances if they’re being worn even every other day for part of a day, I would say. I just want to know how these people expect you to get your jeans to fit you again and whatever if you never wash them at all…. Does freezing them make them miraculously shrink back to original size?
I just heard about this recently and thought EEW! Mixing worn clothing, even wrapped in plastic, with food in the freezer just grosses me out. I don’t wash most of my clothes after a single wearing unless they’re dirty, except undies of course. Most shirts and pants get hung up to air out unless they’re not wearable again.
Additionally this advice to freeze one’s jeans makes assumptions about freezer space. In my previous home, I had a freezer out in the garage where it would not have been a big deal. Now? I have a teeny freezer above the fridge and there really isn’t a chance I could squeeze one pair of my jeans in there with the veggies, even if the thought of dirty jeans near the ice cubes didn’t skeeve me out a bit. I don’t have room for ice cream, much less someone else’s shoulds.
What an elitist pansy! I’ll leave aside the concept of “dress jeans” in the interest of not offending the dungaree clad masses (have you ever noticed how men look at woman wearing a nice dress?). I’m a construction worker and father of three who cooks, cleans, wipes bottoms, and gardens aside from my more masculine duties and a jeep addiction. I’ve been spit up on, puked on, burped on, farted on, toilet brush bristle-sprayed, BBQ sauced, grease splattered, flour showered, rough housed and hose drenched countless times. There ain’t no way those pants are going anywhere but the washer-every day. I hope this delicate flower at least changes his panty daily.
I use “dress” jeans for casual networking events where a dress would be over the top, but the clothes I actually wear just aren’t appropriate. If I’m going somewhere nice, like on a date, it’s definitely a dress unless the weather is just obnoxious. I don’t like being the ill-prepared woman who has to beg the jacket.
Daily wear jeans and the kids’ are all washed frequently, new ones get cycled in as the old ones get downgraded to yard work.
I don’t think people realize when their lives no longer reflect average. Then again, I know some things I say and do probably come off irritatingly elitist, too, but I know where I started.
I have a really hard time finding khakis that fit me, so “dress” jeans plus a blazer, nice jewelry, and good boots with heels = conference attire for me often (I’m a librarian – in which public librarians skew more casually dressed, and special librarians skew more business attire, and a lot of us academic librarians try for something kind of funky in the middle).
Likewise, there’s a lot of community events where skirts and dresses will just get you asked “what did you dress up for?” at least when you’re young-ish. Likewise, dates? unless we’re going someplace really fancy, or it’s summer when you can get away with more casual dresses, most of the time I’d end up way too over dressed compared to my date, and compared to everyone else in the restaurant as well.
Would it be nice if it wasn’t that way? absolutely – I grew up reading 1950s etiquette manuals for fun and I love fine china and tea sets and all kinds of nice things we don’t appreciate much in today’s culture. But I’m not going to attempt to single handedly change it and get looked at oddly, and comments made to me because of it either – it’s not THAT important to be worth that.
My husband has dress jeans that are actually trousers made of denim. They get treated the same as No Iron khakis..wash when necessary.
I turn them inside out like all our jeans to reduce friction and worn areas. This is a good idea for many pieces of clothing as it reduces the loss of a nice finish on T-shirts, sweaters and anything else that is knitted fabric.
Also, turning black items inside out before drying in the dryer almost eliminates the fading.
BTW, my DMIL ironed my DFIL jeans all the time as well as his underwear!! And she worked full time!! My husband was an only child…mmmm.