- Whether or not jeans should be washed — and how often — has been a hot debate among denim lovers.
- Levi Strauss CEO Chip Bergh once said that he completely keeps his jeans out of the washing machine.
Among denim lovers, the question of if, how, and how often you should wash your jeans is controversial.
Levi Strauss CEO Chip Bergh has said that jeans should be kept out of the washing machine, and once attended a a 2014 conference in a pair of jeans he hadn't washed in over a year. The main takeaway at the time seemed to be that you should never wash your jeans, ever. But Bergh recently told CNBC that isn't quite the case.
"I never said don't wash your jeans," Bergh said in the interview. "What true denim heads, people that really love their denim, will tell you is to never put your denim into a washing machine. So that's what I do. I never put my denim into a washing machine."
Instead, Bergh says he spot cleans his jeans if he gets something on them. And if they get really dirty? He wears them into the shower and washes them with soap while they're on his body — not just a regular handwash.
"If I drop some curry on my jeans, I'm gonna clean it," Bergh said. "But I'll spot clean it. If I've been out sweating and they get really gross, I'll wash them in the shower. I'll just hop in the shower and soak myself down and wash them."
Bergh also said that avoiding the washing machine is both better for the longevity of your denim and better for the environment.
"The denim industry consumes a ton of water," Bergh said. "Half of it is growing the cotton, and then the other half is the consumer throwing their jeans in the washing machine."
If just the thought of peeling a pair of wet jeans off your body makes you shudder, though, there are other options. Levi has suggested that customers put their jeans in the freezer once a month to stop them from smelling.