wash your jeans?

[handymike]

Now you guys got me scared.
I bought some white 501 STF for Summer. They are labeled 31 which is a size small for me, but they fit great- even after a cold soak and drying out in the sun.

 

[Al 916]

My Iron Hearts, which I've washed at least a dozen times hot, fit exactly the same everywhere as the day I bought them. Ultimately if you're buying jeans too large and hoping to shrink to fit with sanforized it likely won't work out. I'd almost say losing an inch in the waist sounds more like loomstate. I've always seem way more lasting shrink in the thighs.

I can only speak for the IH I have. One pair of 21oz 634 sanforized and washed as bought with a few warm gentle soak washes - no shrink (as quoted on IH care details) and a pair of 25oz 888 sanforized but unwashed, bought to correct size hot soaked and agitated, shall amount of shrink and then loosened back to initial size (again exactly as quoted on IH care details).

IH quote unsanforized as shrinking and suggest different care.

Just my limited exp with this brand. (exactly the same as yours dwilson)

Best
Al

 

[navetsea]

well sanforized jeans on IH might have different spec, my sanforized jeans shrank on the leg length and rise height which is not coming back , the shrinking on the waist and hip quickly gained back after couple of wears, they don't twist on the leg for sure. but somehow still shrank on 2 of mine, on the warp probably since mostly affects length.

my unsanforized jeans shrank and twisted not only twisting on the leg but twisting on the top block as well...

I can force wear my 21 and 24 oz to stretch back to somewhat "comfortable" waist and hip fit even when both are sized down, so I don't know... they are just cotton, I forced it through my hip bone wear it from wet to dry... they stretched and remain stretched until the day I wash them.

but who care to do this unless you have too much time at home to wear something dripping wet sitting over towel until the jeans dry several hours later, I work from home with stone tile flooring living in tropical climate, so I don't mind. I rarely washed them since I have too many rotation and I only vacuum clean them and spray it with antibacterial aerosol spray.

 

[Monitor]

That's total BS. Sanforization reduces but doesn't eliminate shrinkage. It won't shrink as much as un-sanforized, but it will shrink. Sanforized shrinks about 1/3 to 1/2 as much as un-sanforized. And no, it will not stretch back out to 100% of what it was. Prepare to ultimately lose about an inch in the waist after a few washes if you're using a washing machine

I machine-wash my jeans, all at 60c up to 90c and I NEVER had a single Sanforized pair that shrunk, at least not to an extent I would describe as significant. What little change took place, completely dissipated within three days worth of wear. Tops.

All my jeans start out a bit tight or stiff once out of the washing machine and end up very baggy after a month of wear, which is how long I usually stick to wearing a single pair.

I'm not talking about Iron Hearts of course but I have been through countless relatively quality jeans, Raw or otherwise, and never once had an issue with machine-washing any of them. I've only hand washed my IH's and that had zero effect on them.

As for buying a smaller pair, while I'm not a fan of it, I know that if I stumble upon a pair that's one size smaller than what I'd normally buy, I can rely on it becoming much more comfortable after a week of wear.

So my entire jeans experience is literally completely opposite of yours, though the brands we buy may have never crossed so that's entirely possible too. On the other hand, I live in my jeans & spend 18 hrs a day wearing a pair, never changing when I get home or whatever so dunno.

 

[Styleslover]

Yes, but I don’t dry it. Dryers always mess up the finish on them.

 

[navetsea]

finish like a waxed denim?

 

[Al 916]

Yep, also forever in blue jeans

 

[Styleslover]

Yep, also forever in blue jeans

Funny thing, is I haven't worn jeans in years. I generally prefer sweatpants, khakis or wool trousers. Something about denim, I don't care for it anymore.

 

[Cyber Lip]

My Iron Hearts, which I've washed at least a dozen times hot, fit exactly the same everywhere as the day I bought them. Ultimately if you're buying jeans too large and hoping to shrink to fit with sanforized it likely won't work out. I'd almost say losing an inch in the waist sounds more like loomstate. I've always seem way more lasting shrink in the thighs.

LOL, sizing up an inch w/sanforized has worked perfectly for me. Your Iron Hearts must have been pre-washed. Some makers are doing this now, selling them pre-washed. I have a few Loomstates and those shrunk like 2-3 inches in the waist