Question (posted by name redacted due to extreme embarassment): Should I dryclean my jeans, and if not, how should I wash them?

Answer (posted here by @LA Guy , administrator, denim wearer and washer, recovering engineering chemist): I feel that it's overkill to dryclean your jeans, but if you are very concerned about keeping them from losing more indigo dye then they already have, them by all means, go ahead. Indigo is a surface dye, afixed to the surface of the warp yarns by use of a reducing agent, and will wear away with abrasion.

That said, I've found that it's fine to wash your jeans inside out, on a delicates cycle, and to flat or hang dry them. More careful people handwash them using woolite dark, but I'm far too lazy to do that.
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This Q&A was first posted in our I have a Jean thread (clever, right?) Want to ask a question or contribute your knowledge to the community? Join the discussion here.

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