Should you really put your jeans in the freezer?

Existential questions have always plagued man: who are we? Where do we come from? Who created us? But among these questions, there are some of a more practical nature but capable of arousing even more discussions than the first: how do we wash our pure Japanese cotton jeans? There are as many answers as there are theological interpretations of the Bible, and it is equally challenging to find out who is right. Some say that our denim trousers should never be washed in the name of poor personal hygiene, those who maintain that hibernation is the only possible way by choosing to put them in the freezer rather than in the washing machine, and those who, victims of marketing, use specific and very expensive sprays. To gain clarity, we must start with the few certainties we have.

In an interview with The Guardian, Clare Hanson, product development manager for Nobody Denim, stated that for jeans to keep their shape and color, they must be washed inside out with cold water, either by hand or in the washing machine, with a minimum dose of liquid detergent. He goes on to say: "The tumble dryer is the real enemy, because exposure to heat damages the fibers, shrink the jeans, and accelerates the aging process". George Chan, technical officer at RMIT University's School of Fashion and Textiles, agrees. He suggests allowing as much time as possible between washes and hand-rinsing in cold water to avoid "agitating the denim too much". Let's say that the common denominator of all urban legends about washing denim, as well as the opinions of real experts, is that cold is necessary while high temperatures are detrimental to the fibers that make up the fabric. This assumption gives rise to a much-discussed myth: putting jeans in the freezer.

According to George Chan, "the idea is that the freezer kills bacteria in jeans and eliminates bad odors". But although this rumor has been floating around the web for years, endorsed by the founder of Evisu Hidehiko Yamane and made a comeback with Gen Z on TikTok, scientists have debunked it on several occasions, claiming that domestic freezers do not reach temperatures low enough to kill germs. Levi's CEO Chip Bergh stated in this regard, ' It just doesn't work', telling CNN that he had not washed his 501s for over a year. Speculation aside, experts agree on spot-cleaning jeans, airing them outdoors, or using an organic fabric spray, such as this one from Tangent, or self-made by diluting tiny doses of alcohol and vinegar. But in principle, perhaps there are questions we don't know the answer to: like the origin of the universe and the correct routine for our denim.