A good pair of jeans can easily last you five years, maintaining a high level of visual appeal and structural integrity. On the other hand, however, a pair of low-quality jeans made with poor craftsmanship and/or materials may last you for just one year (if that), at which point they’ll begin to break down and eventually become unwearable. This is why it’s important to follow some basic steps to get the most bang for your buck. Thankfully, you can stretch your dollar a little farther by utilizing the tips listed below.
Buy Premium Denim Jeans
Ever heard of the mantra “quality over quantity?” Well, it’s a good rule to follow when shopping for denim jeans. Sure, you can probably find cheap jeans available for $10 or $20 bucks from your local Walmart or retail store, but you have to think about the long-term value of those jeans. If they only cost $10 or $20 bucks, chances are they’ll break down soon, forcing you to spend more money to buy another pair of jeans. If you’re willing to invest just a little more in a high-quality pair of jeans, however, you’ll get more bang for your buck. So avoid the temptation of buying cheap, low-quality jeans, and stick with premium jeans instead. It’s a smart investment that will pay off in the long run.
Wash Less Frequently
There’s no rule — written or otherwise — stating that you must wash your jeans after each time you wear them. Some people wrongfully assume this is true, so they end up washing their jeans too many times. But you have to remember that each time you wash your jeans, it wears down the fabric. Denim is arguably one of the strongest and most durable fabrics on the planet, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s indestructible. When washed too many times, it will degrade and eventually break down, shortening the lifespan of the jeans. Levi Strauss recently revealed that he rarely washes his jeans — a sentiment also shared by professional fashion designer and icon Tommy Hilfiger. Unless your jeans are visibly dirty, you probably don’t need to wash them.
Spot Clean
Even when your jeans are visibly dirty, you should try spot cleaning them instead of cleaning them in the washing machine. When you discover a patch of dirt or stained material on your jeans, blot the area with a warm washcloth and small amount of laundry detergent. Assuming the stain is still on the surface, this should remove it. If the stain has settled deeper into the fabric, you may need to use some stain-removing detergent. Regardless, you can clean most dirty and stained areas on jeans simply by spot cleaning them. This is the safest way to clean denim jeans, as it eliminates the wear and tear caused by washing machines.
Avoid Iron-On Patches
Iron-on patches are a great way to add character to jeans (or any garment). You can find iron-on patches available in hundreds of different designs, including phrases, words, animals, logos and more. But the problem with iron-on patches is that they often fall off, and in doing so they may also damage your jeans. Unless you’re willing to take that risk, it’s best to avoid using any iron-on patches on your jeans, especially if you want them to last.
Use Caution When Wearing Jeans
Of course, you can also get more bang for your buck by using caution when you wear jeans. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to walk on pins and needles while wearing denim jeans. Rather, you should be conscious of what’s around you, and whether or not those elements pose a danger to your jeans. If you are sitting in the bleachers eating a hot dog while watching a ballgame, for instance, you should use extra caution to avoid spilling any condiments on your jeans. Hopefully, such condiments will come out through spot cleaning, but it’s best to err on the side of caution by avoiding them in the first place.
Right Size
If there’s one thing you don’t want to overlook when shopping for a new pair of jeans, it’s the size. Just because you wear a men’s 32×32 in one brand, doesn’t necessarily mean that you wear a 32×32 in a different brand. Different designers use different sizing, adding even greater confusion to the process of shopping for new jeans. So, how do you find the right size without pulling your hair out in frustration? The easiest solution is to custom order your jeans from the denim experts here at MakeYourOwnJeans. You can specify your own body measurements during checkout. By specifying your own measurements, you can rest assured your jeans will fit your right. This alone should be reason enough to order your jeans from MakeYourJeans as opposed to buying them in a local retail or department store and “hoping” they fit.
Choose Heavier Denim
Should you should jeans made of light or heavy denim? Generally speaking, lightweight denim is better suited for the warm spring and summer months. However, heavier denim is more durable, making it last longer than its counterpart. This is particularly true if you plan on wearing your jeans outdoors, as heavy denim will withstand just about anything you have to throw its way. So, consider the overall “thickness” when choosing a pair of jeans, opting for thicker, heavier denim if you want to get the most bang for your buck.
Avoid Heat
A good rule of thumb to follow when caring for jeans is to always use the cold setting — for both washing and drying. While it’s best to avoid washing your jeans in the washing machine when possible, there are times when you’ll still have to use the traditional washing machine. You can minimize the stress this causes, however, by setting your washing machine to the cold water setting. And when you get ready to dry your jeans, either line dry them or use the low/no-heat tumble dry setting.
