Dolly Koghar gives her own, human tips on this life skill.
By: Dolly Koghar
I was lazily browsing my laptop in a haze, when an intrusive pop-up titled, “How Often Should Jeans Be Washed?” caught my attention, and I inadvertently got sucked into the Minotaur’s labyrinth, in this case, into a web of sites! So here, I’ll share my know-how on jean care, since almost everybody possesses a pair or more of denims; even hubby dear, who finally relinquished his tailor-made, grandpa trousers for a pair, despite still deeming them inappropriate for certain places and situations.
The post was from a certain brand of detergent, scrupulously touting itself as the best buddy to your denims, while they still fit you. Advertisement creators are geniuses; they’ve encapsulated the human psyche to a tee, and know exactly what we do subconsciously and automatically in the privacy of our rooms and bathrooms. The article’s tagline was, “Taxes, death and the sniff test, – they’re all certainties of life. And whether we’d like to admit it or not, we’ve all grabbed a piece of cloth off the floor (or the chair) and inhaled to see if it’s wearable.”
I had to read whatever else they had to say. It continued with saying that underwear should be washed every day, which is more than obviously, common sense, but with Google and Alexa telling us everything, what should be obvious is getting blurrier by the minute. Try recalling any phone number, even that of your nearest and dearest, and chances are, we can’t. Neither can we remember our children’s birthdays without being nudged by our phone calendar reminder! Our brains haven’t dimmed, but are being forced to discard what mattered, to make space for the needless jumbo-mumbo we keep plying onto it. Our grey cells are confused and are gradually moving into auto-mode, akin to our smart cars, which can now take us to our destination while we nap, WhatsApp, or watch a movie on the dashboard, all whilst having bypassed the drama of life, of which we are, or should be a part of, outside the window.
However, it’s jean care we’ll concentrate on here and not our increasing dependency on AI, to whom, unwittingly, we are handing over our crucial, intrinsic, and singularly unique freedom of thought and expression. Even more damagingly, we and our children are slowly but surely eroding ourselves of the ability to connect with each other, mano a mano. So here goes my very human take:
• Jeans should be washed when they are smelly and dirty, to avoid bacteria buildup, odours, and even skin irritation. Nevertheless, there’s no one-size-fits- all number, jeans worn for labour and gardening will need more frequent washes but if you occasionally throw on a pair for some quick errands or to pick up the kids from school, then wash them on average after 4 to 5 wears.
• You can spot-treat stains in between a thorough wash.
• Freezing the pants does kill bacteria and reduce odours, but this sorcery doesn’t remove dirt or oils.
• Over washing will cause jeans to fade, lose their shape, and weaken the fabric.
• Resist the urge to to throw the denims into the dryer, as it damages fibres and causes them to shrink and fade. Air dry them completely, by stretching the seams so the jeans lay flat before hanging them up. If urgent, opt for a low, or no-heat dry cycle, and use dryer balls to keep your jeans tumbling.
• For washing, follow the tag instructions.
• Load your jeans inside
out to protect against direct exposure to detergents to reduce additional wear and tear.
• For embellished and ripped jeans, place them into mesh washing bags to prevent rips from becoming larger, or embellishments from falling off.
• It’s okay to wash denims with other items, using a mild detergent with cold water on the delicate or gentle cycle of the washing machine. Alternately, for darker jeans, like indigo and black, opt for detergents specifically made for dark clothing to prevent fading. If they are new, the dark dungarees should be washed solo the first few times to prevent the dye from bleeding onto other clothes.
