Have you discovered unsightly piles of lint stuck to your jeans? When initially manufactured, jeans shouldn’t have any lint. Over time, however, these fine strands of textile fibers can accumulate on the surface of your jeans. Lint won’t necessarily harm your jeans, but it can still affect the appearance of your jeans nonetheless. The good news is that you can protect your jeans from lint by taking a few precautions.
Choose Jeans Made of High-Quality Denim
If you choose jeans made of high-quality denim, you shouldn’t have a problem with lint. Lint itself is either comprised of textile fibers from other garments, or it’s comprised of denim fibers of the jeans. If your jeans are made of cheap, low-quality denim, the denim fabric will degrade more quickly, resulting in the accumulation of more lint. To avoid the hassle of cleaning lint off your jeans, choose jeans made of high-quality, durable denim, such as those sold here at MakeYourJeans.
Cut Back on Washing Your Jeans
How often do you typically wash your jeans? While washing is essential to cleaning and removing stains, you should use caution to avoid washing your jeans too frequently. The more you wash them, the greater the risk of lint.
Each time you wash your jeans, the denim fabric will wear down a little more. It’s not a substantial amount of wear, but it can still cause small denim fibers to release from the surface of your jeans. As these denim fibers collect inside the washing machine, some of them will stick to your jeans to form lint. To protect your jeans from lint, consider washing your jeans less frequently, such as once every two or three times that you wear them.
Clean Your Dryer’s Lint Filter
Before placing your jeans inside the dryer, remove and clean the lint filter. You should get into the habit of cleaning your dryer’s lint filter each time you use it. Unfortunately, many people neglect to clean the lint filter. Not only does this increase the risk of a house fire, though, a dirty lint filter will expose your jeans to more lint.
If you place your jeans inside a dryer with a dirty lint filter, lint won’t have anywhere to go. Rather, the clogged filter will trap lint inside the dryer’s drum where it’s able to latch onto your jeans. It only takes a minute to clean the lint filter, but doing so will give you the upper hand in your battle against lint.
Use Dryer Sheets When Drying
In addition to cleaning the lint filter, toss one or two dryer sheets inside the drum when drying your jeans. Dryer sheets consist of sheets of polyester material that’s been coated and processed in various chemicals, including fabric softeners and fragrances.
The beauty of dryer sheets is that they are able to neutralize static electricity, which could otherwise cause lint to stick to your jeans. Specifically, the fabric softener in which they are soaked works by counteracting the loose, free-roaming electrons in your jeans. When a dryer sheet comes into contact with your jeans, it releases some of the fabric softener, which in turn neutralizes static electricity.
Using dryer sheets won’t prevent your jeans from developing lint, but it can certainly help by preventing lint from sticking to the surface.
Invest in a Lint Roller
A lint roller is a smart investment that can protect your jeans, as well as other garments, from lint. What is a lint roller exactly? It’s a small rolling tool that contains one-sided tape. While holding the lint roller in one hand, you can rub it across the surface of your jeans to remove lint. Lint rollers are small, simple devices that only cost a few bucks a piece, making them a smart investment for all fashion-conscious men and women who wear jeans on a regular basis.
Use Regular Tape
If you don’t have a lint roller — or if you don’t have access to your lint roller — you can use regular tape as a substitute. After all, lint rollers are essentially nothing more than a roll of tape. The only difference is that lint rollers are easier and more convenient to use than tape because of their rolling design.
To remove lint from your jeans using tape, cut a 2- to 4-inch-long strip of tape and press it against the surface of your jeans. Like with a lint roller, lint will stick to the adhesive tape of the tape, allowing you to remove lint from your jeans.
Wash With a Liquid, Not Powder, Detergent
Liquid detergent is less likely to cause or contribute to lint than powder detergent. Powder detergent tends to stick to garments, thereby rubbing the surface to create lint. Liquid detergent, however, is just effective at cleaning jeans but without leaving them vulnerable to lint. Just remember to measure out your liquid detergent to ensure you are using the right amount. Adding too much liquid detergent could stain your jeans, so always measure before adding it to your washing machine.
Choose Non-Distressed Jeans
Distressed jeans offer a uniquely stylish appearance. But if you’re worried about lint, you should probably choose non-distressed jeans. Distressed jeans, by definition, contain areas of intentional wearing, such as fraying around the knees, thighs and bottom of the pant legs. They are certainly stylish, but the worn areas of distressed jeans may release strands of denim fibers that accumulate to form lint.
Scrape With a Razor
If the surface of your jeans is scuffed to the point where lint has accumulated on it, you can remove the lint using a razor. Using a razor, carefully scrape the surface of your jeans to remove any lint or pills. As you run the razor across the surface, it should cut away any loose strands of denim, including lint. Keep in mind that this should only be done if the lint is coming from your jeans and not other garments.
