Caring for Your Jeans (or better yet…What Do Those Silly Symbols Mean?)

We often get asked the best way to care for your Beija Flor Jeans.  There are a lot of theories and opinions on this subject and I suggest that you find the one that works best for your lifestyle.  These are my most important tips in caring for your jeans and protecting your investment. 

Don’t wash jeans after every wearing.  I personally wear my jeans a couple of times between washing.  Beijas are known for their stretch and recovery.  You do not need to throw them in the dryer like some brands to “draw them up” after wearing.  They hold their shape or better yet; your shape. 

Don’t dry clean your jeans.  There are numerous reasons why but most importantly a dry cleaner is going to use chemicals on your jeans that will build up over time.  This will create a film on your jeans and they will lose some of the qualities that make them so awesome…like the stretch.  Plus it’s a waste of money!

Specialty detergents are worth it.  We sell two products on our website that I wish I could say we made but we did not.  The Laundress has an awesome selection of eco-friendly, fabric friendly and allergy free products.  I am a big believer in the  Denim Wash and Fabric Fresh.  I use the Fabric Fresh when I want to wear my jeans more than a couple of times or if I eat at that really smelly BBQ joint!  And the Denim Wash is great.  I wait till I have a load of just denim and wash all my jeans together.  I was an obsessively over-detergent girl in my younger days.  But what people don’t realize is less is more in the world of detergent.  Using too much can actually cause your clothes to mildew, a washing machine can only get so much soap out so pay attention to the amounts no matter what detergent you pick.

Always use cold water.  No discussion needed here, just do it!

Use low heat to dry your jeans.  I am a big fan of just drying my jeans halfway on low heat and then hanging them to dry the rest of the way.  But really as long as you are using low heat it is fine to dry your jeans.  (One exception here is with a coated denim.  Those jeans really need to be washed inside out and hung to dry.)

So what do those symbols mean?

The first symbol explains the washing temperature.  In this case it is recommended to be washed in water not to exceed 40C.  Most washing machines wash on cold at 30C, warm at 40C and hot at 50C.

The second symbol is related to bleach and in this case it is not advised to use bleach.  It means that the manufacturer is saying that it is not colorfast or not structurally able to withstand bleach. 

The third symbol is related to the dryer temperature.  One dot means low heat, two dots mean medium heat and three dots mean high heat.  And if the circle was completely filled in the manufacturer would be suggesting no heat. 

The fourth symbol is related to use of an iron and is likely the one most of us could figure out.  Again they use the same dot system as the dryer levels with one dot meaning low heat and so on. 

The fifth and last symbol is related to dry cleaning.  A circle with an x means do not dry clean. 

I hope this post is helpful.

xoxo

Amy