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Soaking, round II

DGP

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So this time I'm going to do the soak right on my new SSDS. I'm going to fill the washing machine and then just let them sit without it actually going. Two questions that didn't come up last time: How long do I soak them, and do I do it inside out or rightside out? I was planning on using cold.
 

GoodHustle

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I would say to soak inside out in whatever temperature you choose. I think all Nudies are sanforized (not 100% sure about this), so soaking your jeans will not shrink them that much (3% at most). Also, I'm not sure what the purpose of your soak is but if you're trying to get them a little cleaned up or if you're trying to get rid of any funky smells, then I would soak for at least 30 minutes.
 

DGP

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Originally Posted by GoodHustle
I would say to soak inside out in whatever temperature you choose. I think all Nudies are sanforized (not 100% sure about this), so soaking your jeans will not shrink them that much (3% at most). Also, I'm not sure what the purpose of your soak is but if you're trying to get them a little cleaned up or if you're trying to get rid of any funky smells, then I would soak for at least 30 minutes.

These are brand new. I want to get rid of excess indigo because as much as I like my jeans, I don't want them to destroy my white leather sofa or tan leather car seats. I also want them to stay raw looking, as I like this better than broken in.
 

Brian SD

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A couple things, DGP:

After the jeans have been soaked/dried, they won't look "raw" anymore, because the starching and calendaring that caused them to have that sheen when new will go away when the fabric is soaked.

If you're aiming to just get rid of excess indigo, soak them in cold water for a good 3-4 hours. Put some fresh water in every hour or so. They'll still probably bleed, because it usually takes 5-6 washes to completely stop bleeding.. but that's my best advice.
 

DGP

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Originally Posted by Brian SD
A couple things, DGP:

After the jeans have been soaked/dried, they won't look "raw" anymore, because the starching and calendaring that caused them to have that sheen when new will go away when the fabric is soaked.

If you're aiming to just get rid of excess indigo, soak them in cold water for a good 3-4 hours. Put some fresh water in every hour or so. They'll still probably bleed, because it usually takes 5-6 washes to completely stop bleeding.. but that's my best advice.


Thanks Brian. I understand exactly what you mean about the sheen, and to be honest, I'm alright with losing that. When I said "raw," I meant I wanted them to stay as dark as possible, with as little contrast as possible.

I can only imagine how much the others in my building will hate me for taking the washer for 3 hrs, lol. Maybe I'll just use the kitchen sink, as the bathroom sink is too small, and the shower is a stall.
 

Maharlika

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Originally Posted by Brian SD
A couple things, DGP:

After the jeans have been soaked/dried, they won't look "raw" anymore, because the starching and calendaring that caused them to have that sheen when new will go away when the fabric is soaked.

If you're aiming to just get rid of excess indigo, soak them in cold water for a good 3-4 hours. Put some fresh water in every hour or so. They'll still probably bleed, because it usually takes 5-6 washes to completely stop bleeding.. but that's my best advice.


Brian-- Would it be a good idea then to wait until 5-6 washing before I have my raw jeans hemmed? Thanks.
 

Brian SD

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Originally Posted by Maharlika
Brian-- Would it be a good idea then to wait until 5-6 washing before I have my raw jeans hemmed? Thanks.

Sure you could do that if you wanted but it would be a little pointless. Usually by the time I've washed jeans 5-6 times, I'm done wearing them and it would be pointless to hem them.

Besides, nothings wrong with leaving them a small bit too large to accomodate for the amount of shrinking that happens from subsequent washes, or just from being in an atmosphere composed mostly of water. Jeans arent supposed to fit perfect, they're not bespoke trousers.
 

PG2G

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Are SSDS known for bleeding or something? I never had any problems with my RRDS.
 

GoodHustle

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Originally Posted by PG2G
Are SSDS known for bleeding or something? I never had any problems with my RRDS.

I haven't had any major bleeding issues with my SSDS. My wallet is indigo stained but that's pretty much it.

DGP - Since I don't have a proper bath tub for soaking jeans, I use a big bucket that I got from a 99 cents store. Stuffing jeans into a bucket for a soak won't damage the jeans but if you use this method for soaking, just make sure to straighten the jeans out while drying so that there aren't any weird wrinkles or creases.
 

DGP

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Originally Posted by GoodHustle
I haven't had any major bleeding issues with my SSDS. My wallet is indigo stained but that's pretty much it.

DGP - Since I don't have a proper bath tub for soaking jeans, I use a big bucket that I got from a 99 cents store. Stuffing jeans into a bucket for a soak won't damage the jeans but if you use this method for soaking, just make sure to straighten the jeans out while drying so that there aren't any weird wrinkles or creases.


Thanks for the tip. Yea, I had that problem with my Acnes, I did them just on a regular machine cycle, and it creased them and left marks. They are my first project jean as a result.
 

Maharlika

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Originally Posted by Brian SD
Sure you could do that if you wanted but it would be a little pointless. Usually by the time I've washed jeans 5-6 times, I'm done wearing them and it would be pointless to hem them.

Besides, nothings wrong with leaving them a small bit too large to accomodate for the amount of shrinking that happens from subsequent washes, or just from being in an atmosphere composed mostly of water. Jeans arent supposed to fit perfect, they're not bespoke trousers.


Gotcha, thanks!
 

Bona Drag

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Originally Posted by DGP
Thanks for the tip. Yea, I had that problem with my Acnes, I did them just on a regular machine cycle, and it creased them and left marks. They are my first project jean as a result.

Wait, a regular cycle left marks? Was this from the spin cycle, or did they sit in the washer all bunched up and wet after the wash was finished?

Also, whenever I read concerns about bleeding, I always wondered who the hell has a white couch? Now I know...
 

DGP

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Originally Posted by Bona Drag
Wait, a regular cycle left marks? Was this from the spin cycle, or did they sit in the washer all bunched up and wet after the wash was finished?

Also, whenever I read concerns about bleeding, I always wondered who the hell has a white couch? Now I know...


I'm assuming this was from the spin cycle. Just getting wet and rubbed together probably did that.

And yes, I do have an (off) white sofa. It's leather. It's awesome.
 

DGP

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Wow, jeans are DIRTY!!!! They've been soaking 15min or so, and the water isn't blue, it's sort of brownish, lol.

I ended up going with a plastic tub that doesn't require me to fold them over more than a few times. I did them inside out, though I'm not sure how much that matters for this.
 

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