Have you noticed some of the dye from your jeans bleeding onto your shoes? Well, you aren’t alone. Countless men and women experience this very same problem. When their wear their favorite pair of jeans, they discover that it changes the color of their shoes. If you wear indigo jeans with white shoes, for example, it may turn your shoes to a bluish color. Not only is this frustrating, but it can cost you serious money when you’re forced to replace the discolored shoes. To prevent this from happening, though, you must first understand what causes it.
Dye Is Released From the Jeans
The reason your jeans are staining your shoes is because they’ve released some of their dye. Whether it’s a pair of skinny, straight-leg, boot-cut, high-rise, boyfriend or stretch, all jeans are processed with dye. Dye is responsible for giving the denim its color. Without it, denim would simply be white because it’s a type of cotton, which itself is white.
Dye doesn’t always stay locked inside the denim fabric, however. In many cases, it may leach out, allowing it to reach other garments or accessories like your shoes. As your jeans release some of their dye, the colored liquid will travel down your pant legs before reaching your shoes. And being that most types are shoes are made of leather, their porous nature will naturally absorb some of this dye, thereby changing their color to reflect that of your jeans.
Choose High-Quality Denim Jeans
There are a few steps you can take to prevent your jeans from bleeding onto your shoes, one of which is to choose high-quality jeans. Not all manufacturers produce and sell high-quality denim jeans. Some use cheap, low-quality denim in an effort to save a few bucks. Unfortunately, these low-quality jeans will often stain your shoes because the dye hasn’t set in the denim fabric. After wearing them just once, you may discover that some of the dye has leached onto your shoes.
Make Sure Your Jeans Fit
I know this probably sounds like common sense, but it’s worth mentioning that you should wear jeans fitted for your specific body. If your jeans are too big, they’ll have excess fabric around the bottom of the pant legs that touches your shoes. And with more of the fabric touching your shoes, the risk of bleeding dye is naturally greater.
To find jeans in the perfect size, consider ordering from MakeYourOwnJeans. Unlike most retail apparel stores, we sell jeans in custom sizes. You provide us with your body measurements, and we’ll use those measurements to design a custom-fitted pair of jeans. Along with the other tips listed here, this will reduce the risk of your jeans staining your shoes.
Choose Jeans With a Narrow Opening in the Pant Legs
In addition to choosing high-quality jeans, getting the right cut can also reduce the risk of dye bleeding onto your shoes. Boot-cut, relaxed, baggy and similar cuts with a wide opening in the pant legs have the highest risk of bleeding dye onto your shoes. With a wide opening in the pant legs, they tend to wrap around your shoes when you wear them. As a result, a greater surface area of your shoes will be directly exposed to the denim. If you’re worried about your jeans staining your shoes, avoid cuts with a wide opening and choose a cut with a narrow opening instead.
Beware of Jeans Made of Dry Denim
If your jeans are made of dry denim, they’ll be more likely to bleed onto your shoes than jeans made of washed denim. Upon hearing the term “dry denim,” some people assume it’s literally dry, non-moist denim, but this isn’t necessarily true. Dry denim refers to denim that isn’t washed during production. The denim is harvested from the cotton, after which it’s used to make jeans, jackets or other denim garments. During this process, dry denim is not washed or otherwise soaked in water.
Washed denim, on the other hand, consists of denim that is washed during production. Jeans made of washed denim are less likely to stain your shoes because they’ve already been washed. When denim is washed, it’s submerged in water where some of the “loose” dye is released. This is actually good, as it discourages fading as well as staining.
Wash and Dry Your Jeans Before Wearing Them
Whether your jeans are made of washed or dry denim, you can reduce the risk of them bleeding onto your shoes by washing and drying them a few times before you wear them. Each time you wash and dry your jeans, some of the “loose” dye will be released. Therefore, running jeans through the washing machine and dryer a few times will often protect your shoes from discoloration.
Before washing and drying your jeans, though, it’s recommended that you can check the care label. On this label, you’ll find instructions by the manufacturer on how to clean and care for the jeans. Being that different manufacturers use different materials and construction techniques to make their jeans, cleaning and care requirements vary. By following the steps listed on the care label, you’ll preserve your jeans’ integrity while reducing the risk of them bleeding dye onto your shoes in the process.
Wash Your Jeans With Vinegar
Although it sounds unusual, washing your jeans with vinegar may prevent them from bleeding dye onto your shoes. Just pour 1/2 to 1 cup vinegar into your washing machine, at which point you can place your jeans inside to begin washing them. There’s no need to use any laundry detergent. The vinegar alone will clean your jeans while also safeguarding the dye from bleeding. There are other color-protectant laundry products you can use, but vinegar is an inexpensive, safe and highly effective, making it a popular choice. Washing your jeans just a few times with vinegar should prevent the dye from bleeding onto your shoes.
