This video didn't show "how-to"! I think we could all have figured out how to put a pair of jeans in the freezer...but what do you do when you take them out? Do they have to thaw? Do you have to shake them out? I am assuming you don't pull them out and put them on as you would from a dryer...

so i have not tried-being a woman, tight fit is important-jeans get stretched out somewhat from multiple wearings. only a dryer can tighten back up those fibers. You could turn inside out, shake them out and put in dryer completely dry with a small damp towel- heat kills bacteria, the small towel steams and causes jean shrinkage, but only do for about 20 minutes. This preserves color. Either method, if you spilled something on your jeans, you're screwed, unless you rinse them.

Hey I'm really looking forward to prioritizing my freezer space with my jeans :-)... but how long do you leave them in for?
Kristen

This ridiculousness is why I can't look at the majority of design sites anymore, (when will we go back to talking about design?) with everyone in a self imposed la-la land.

Freeze my jeans? "Oh yea, that's what everybody does".

You should have done this 3 days ago for April Fools! Would have been great.

Hmmm this video could've been so much more. There was no after the freezing instructions, no time frames, no comparison to stains pre-freeze. Citing an abc news story hardly seems like irrefutable evidence. What if the jeans are stained, rather than just worn/feeling dirty? The only thing I can imagine the freezer gives is a renewed stiffness to the fabric.

I may be in the minority of 23 year olds--but I only need one pair of jeans. I live in Texas and it's plenty warm all year round. That means I have the options for shorts, skirts and dresses nearly every month.

Anyway, that means I hardly wear jeans except when it's awfully cold. And even then, cords are a better options.

I would hate to wear stretched out jeans all the time. I don't know if my one pair of jeans is considered 'serious'--they are the Pilcro Aristrocat straight skinny jeans from Anthropologie. They were reasonable at 98 dollars.

I have owned them for 18 months and they look the same despite weekly washes. I like snug fitting jeans.

I bought the new standard APC jeans several years back and got the same story from the sales person. The other option was go in the ocean with them.

I tried the freeze method, but was ridiculous with a tiny fridge. Eventually I decided to wash them on cold with woolite dark to rid myself of diaper (droppy) butt. I hung dryed them for a while. After a few years and the color had worn out of the knees due to wear I started putting them in the dryer.

Dark jeans are a pain, but look good and are nice and toasty for the chilly months.

I've been using the freezer method for at least the last four years. I wear mostly dark, black or raw denim that would otherwise be faded and ugly if run through a washer+/-dryer. It's typically a practice for denim that's been worn-in to perfection or for jeans that don't stretch out; for example J. Brand, Nudies, Ksubi, LEVIS (capital E)...

I only do this about once a week, or especially after a night in a smoky bar. Just put the damn thangs in any plastic grocery bag and take 'em out the next day or whenever you want to wear them again. They aren't frozen, just cold. I also live in TX so it can be a nice treat in the summer as opposed to dryer-fresh hot pants.

I've always wanted to go into the ocean to set my raw denim, but the nearest ocean is the Gulf of Mexico. So that'll have to wait til I'm on a cleaner coast.

I just wanted to say that I just love apartment therapy, makes me happy :)

Holy smokes... that is ridiculous! The freezer does not kill bacteria, it puts into dormancy, washing gets rid of bacteria!

I have no idea what this article is doing in a shelter blog. Did you need a day off and copied a several year old article to fill space?

Yuck.

I have 2 words: Crazy Town

(...OK, and one more: Gross)

I think it's hilarious how upset some people are getting over this video all because it goes against what they know as "normal". This is no surprise to me. Living in Manhattan I've learned that if you buy something (clothes, books, whatever) from a thrift store you put them in your freezer for 24 hours in a plastic bag and it'll kill bacteria, if there's bed bugs, etc. so this is not a shocker. All you have to do is google "freeze your jeans" and you'll find tons of articles saying the same thing. Who thought a suggested cleaning method would upset people lol.Go outside and get some Vitamin D.

What about that spaghetti stain on them?

Maxwell, I like you, so I'm not even going to get into the fact that your post deals with jeans so expensive that you can't wash them (conspicuous consumption, anyone?) but I will say that if you don’t have anything to post we all understand, just skip a day!

To me, jeans are the ultimate in casual clothing. To me, this level of planning and effort and maintenance is in total conflict with the point of wearing jeans in the first place.

Any post that uses "serious" as a modifier for "jeans" has got to be a prank. I don't care how much you pay for them, jeans are not serious.

Gwyneth better watch her back, this is serious GOOP turf

This how-to cracked me up. Freezing can kill some bacteria if something is frozen long enough, but it won't kill all bacteria no matter how long it's frozen in a common household freezer. I agree that jeans are casual clothing, at least for me. I can think of about a thousand other things to spend money on besides jeans that I can't throw in the washer with some good old Tide. Jeans with baggy knees and a baggy butt look dirty and worn, IMO. I guess if a person stood all day. And what about odors? Worn jeans that have never been washed will eventually smell like the butt of the person who has been wearing them since some of the bacteria will remain. I don't know about those who do freeze, but to me the idea is pretty gross. Give me a pair of Levis that I can wash when they get dirty any day of the week over some outlandishly extravagant pair of jeans that can't.

Seems like a great argument for $19.99 jeans at Sears or a nice pair of old school shrink to fit Levi 501's

...and that is why buying "Serious" jeans is complete ridiculous.

What determines a jean's level of "serious-ness"? Over $100? $200? $300?????

Spending that much money on jeans is completely foreign to me.
I like to wash my clothing with soap.

Haha. As a mom of 4, I can get a lot of snot marks on my Levi's from the babies, so I have to wash them. Having said that, my husband is addicted to Levi's Shrink to fit 501's, which are not "consumptive." He only has a couple pairs, so I can see him doing this, at least a couple times, to keep that nice dark indigo.

I don't know about everyone else here, but I don't usually wash my clothes because I'm worried about bacteria, unless I've been sick. I wash them because of dirt, oils, etc. Freezing may kill most of the bacteria, but it won't get rid of any of these. If the dye was done properly, it should be wash-fast.

there is no such thing as serious jeans. A suit is serious. These jeans are just expensive. This is one of those things- like perms in the 1980s or ironing one's hair in the 1970's that will be lampooned in the future.

Please, go back to design and ignore regrettable fads.

REALLY? I can't figure out what is more stupid, paying a ridiculous amount for jeans or freezing them. This kind of a worry is pretty pathetic.

You know, lately I've been thinking that I'm just simply the WRONG demographic for Apartment Therapy. I've always enjoyed looking at the house tours and getting design inspiration, but lately posts are trending towards what I'd consider a high-income, high-consumerism lifestyle.

The idea of having JEANS, a casual item, that are so expensive you must think of alternative methods of washing them, seems totally absurd to a person like me. My favorite jeans are dark wash American Eagle, usually $40 new. I wash them inside-out and in cold. When they get worn out (after 6 months)...I buy a new pair.

Am I in the wrong place? Is there a "design on a shoestring" blog I should be reading? Or a "design for middle income" blog?

Ugghhh. I am the kind of person who washes everything and anything after wearing it once even if I only wore it for a couple hours. And I use all the sanitize/anti-bacterial settings on my machines. Perhaps I'm at the other end of the crazy spectrum but to me this sounds so gross. As someone else mentioned freezing does not get rid of bacteria (probably mostly odor causing—retch) but to each his/her own unless you come to stay at my house. Then I will wash your jeans while you are sleeping in super hot water with oxy clean and detergent and dry on the hottest setting—to get the funk out.

This was serious too long for something so simple. And what do you do if there is a stain? How long do you leave in?

i think there is some confusion here. I have several pairs of jeans that i wear everyday, use for going out, wear on the weekends, ect.. those jeans i wear two or three times, then wash inside out to clean them. I usually line dry so they dont get too short. Washing returns their normal shape, and doing so inside out maintains the color longer.
BUT, i have a pair of dark denim trousers that I wear for work. They are almost black, and I love the color. When I washed them the first time they lost tons of dye and faded. Big bummer, as they were expensive. So I researched the best way to clean them. Dry cleaning is expensive and gross smelling. This method kills the bacteria that you leave when you sweat, which is what makes your jeans smell!
Obviously this isnt for your everyday jeans that you get dirt and stains on, this is for your super nice dress denim that you paid major money for!

I have owned a few pairs of designer jeans and all except one pair have held up just fine in the washing machine, week after week. I exchanged the one pair that did not hold up at Nordstrom. Hooray for excellent customer service!

Wow, never ever thought of THIS! (I buy my jeans at thrift stores for under $10 a pair, and I wash and wear normally until they no longer are in a condition I like, then I return them for someone else who likes the frayed worn look to use. Hard to recycle more than that!)

Why are there so many smelly people on AT?
I mean seriously...yes, this whole freezing jeans things is kinda silly....but wow, what kind of hygiene habits do you folks have where a pair of jeans has to be washed or frozen after a single use? And new jeans every 6 months??? seriously?? Do you test sandpaper slip n'slides for a living or something???
These comments go from one extreme to another lol!

Guys! Guys! Guys! Why all the negativity?? Give Maxwell a break here. He went out and bought his first pair of fancy pants, oh, my bad, I meant fancy jeans, and he doesn't want to wash out the "good coolness". Now, what's wrong with that? Everybody does it (that's what the sales lady told him, and you KNOW she wouldn't EVER lie).
Didn't y'all notice the heavenly music that played during the second appearance of the "fancy" jeans? Weren't they just gorgeous?? They were BEAUTIFUL, and worthy of much needed freezer space; just throw the ice cream out, because if he eats any of it he won't fit into them anymore anyway.
Oh, and please, let's not forget how he gave us great instructions in the beginning: 1)lay flat, brush off (really?) 2)empty pockets (why, Lordy, whoda thunk?) 3)fold carefully & completely (holy s--t, genius!) 4)place jeans in bag (I'm glad that was explained) 5)tuck & press air out (good to know) and last, but not least....6)place in freezer (no comment needed here)
Now, I think the reason his fancy pants, oops, jeans, will stay clean is because they'll stay in the freezer. He doesn't know he's supposed to take them out. The sales lady didn't give him page 2 of the instructions.
My 50 gillion pairs of clearance GAP jeans will just have to be ok living smashed up in my dresser, since I'm not giving up any of my precious ice cream freezer real estate for anybody's clothes. This is absolutely stupid.

ps...how close would anyone here want to get to the dude that wore his freezer jeans for 300 something days? I don't care about the bacterial levels, I care about the pee and ass smell levels that would burn the hair right out of my nose. Gross.

Sorry, but my jeans get actually dirty, not just dirty feeling, so not washing is not an option. Treating a piece of workwear as something so formal and precious that you can't put it in water is just ridiculous.

I could see hand washing them, or using a milder detergent, but the farthest I go is turning them inside out and using cold water.

For serious? I don't wash my jeans to get the bacteria out. I also don't (usually) eat off of them so maybe I'm doing it wrong?

Sweat is salty, skin has oils on it (and I have dry skin), oils attract dirt. If I don't wash my pants they get dirty. Freezing isn't going to break down the oils.

People really think that the freezer kills the bacteria? Is this an anecdote from Bill Bryson's childhood, and is there a funny and strangely educational moral to it?

That being said, I did put my non-serious jeans in the freezer ONCE. I had spilled lots of wax from a candle and it was the only solution I could think of. Couldn't find my jeans for three weeks, because who would think to look for their jeans in the freezer?

maraudingcat, I own only one pair of jeans as well. I'd much rather wear leggings, skirts, or dresses. My partner doesn't own a single pair.

This is highly inspirational. I'm just going to buy an extra freezer to store my clothing in between wearings. I don't know why I've wasted all this time and money on washing my clothes. Let alone on my closet organizational system!

You guys are hating WAY TOO HARD! If there is anything we have learned from the land of blogs, it should have been this: if you disagree... DON'T READ IT!

I'm 23. I'm a germ-a-phobe.

I live in a tiny apartment with no washer/dryer and I also like to wear my jeans for several weeks before I wash them because I buy a lot of dark denim. I don't spend hundred of dollars on my jeans, but I spend enough that I want to preserve them ($70 or so... Levi's, Luckys and Vigoss). I have older jeans that I wear when I know I'm going to get sweaty or dirty.

So, between monthly or bi monthly washings...I FREEZE MY JEANS! Don't freak out, ok!?

If my jeans are saggy/sweaty/stained/dirty... I wash them on cold in a washing machine. Although, honestly, I'm not sold on a public washer being much more sanitary than my freezer.

A lot of you are acting like Maxwell betrayed you by buying expensive jeans... as if it's the first thing on Apartment Therapy that you can't afford! Get over it. It's not YOUR identity... it's a BLOG!

HAHAHA wally3 you are cracking me up!

Is there a "like" button for Saria the Cat's comment?

Duh, wot?

This video is such BS, it answers NONE of the logical questions one would have about "the freezer method" like HOW DOES IT ACTUALLY CLEAN YOUR PANTS and WHAT ABOUT KETCHUP STAINS. Also, ABC "research" sounds like a case study, which does not give you generalizable information! I've never seen something so ridiculous on AT.

WTH? Freezing does NOT kill most common bacteria. I worked in a microbiology lab (w/ E. coli & S. typhi, mostly). Where do you think we stored our cultures so we could re-grow them years later if needed? In a -80C freezer.

@Thorndale

I also have an Abe Lincoln body so the butt get's saggy in my jeans FAST. Also it's impossible to find jeans long enough so I want to preserve them as best I can. I hand wash them in the bathtub.. Sounds like more work than it is. I just run cold water, add some dish soap and let them soak. I then run them a new bath of clean water to soak again. I hang them outside if it's nice if not, over the show bar so they drip in the tub.

The bacteria levels (15 days or a year) will be the same even without freezing.

(: ..wally3... funny anecdote.

Oh, thank goodness. Another controversial quandry I have escaped -- I don't own any jeans. Now I can get back to perusing apartment decorating topics.

And this is just another brick in the "I'm hopelessly old and uncool" wall that separates me from the Beautiful People. I find this ridiculous.

Can't talk. microwaving my underwear.

This also works for small pets and kids that don't want to take a bath...

/snark

I'm a major clothes horse but I'd NEVER spend more than $100 on a pair of jeans...
...and I'd never put a pair of dirty jeans in the freezer with my chocolate Haagen Dazs, frozen veggies & Vodka.

"serious jeans"? Are YOU serious?
Anybody applying the word "serious" to jeans cannot, and should not, be taken seriously.

I think the word you're looking for is "sucker".

Okay, I know that this is completely off subject, but I was so distracted by the amazing throw pillows on Maxwell's sofa that I need to ask: "Maxwell, where did you find those pillows? I must have them!"

is this considered "JUICY COUTURE"

I don't think jeans are comfortable.

Thanks for addressing a popular urban myth with your thoughtful opinion. I'm surprised by the comments on this post. Not sure why people are so bent out of shape about it. Not a big deal...

I'm done with Apartment Therapy/Unplugged/etc. after this post. Unplugged drew me in with their post on wireless speakers 'for all budgets' the other day... only to find out that none of them are actually available to buy. Last month there was an incredibly snarky/rude/ignorant post about another craft/art blog (which was quietly/shamefully removed from the AT site.) Then there's this one...I'm pretty sure I could have figured out how to put my jeans in the freezer without the video but how does it keep them clean? How long do I leave them there?
Sigh. I'm just done.

For those poo pooing the whole thing because of cost, this can apply to even levis if you are buying them raw. It has nothing to do with expense really, only that years back it was mostly designer jeans doing it. Raw denim is over dyed and as such sheds its dye like mad when you wash it, making it fade very quickly.

The upside is it gives a very distinct look, and fades very naturally. It starts out almost black, with a kind of waxy shine. After a while when you first wash it then it will shed a lot of dye, and the jeans will naturally fade based on your wear, instead of having weird patterns you get on prefaded jeans.

The downside is that you can't just throw it in the washer and dryer all the time if you don't want it to fade very quickly and poorly. All clothing fades from washing, but raw denim fades extremely quickly from its natural, almost black indigo.

This is less of a "expensive jeans" thing and more of a "specific finish" thing. It isn't any different than having to deal with leather care etc.

You can't be serious. You feel special for joining a world of overpriced jeans? You think it's nifty to pay a lot for clothes you can't wash? Then of course, you never actually show us how to do this thing that most of us with sense (and washable clothing) wouldn't do.

To keep a shred of respect for this site, I'm going to believe this was a PSA to anyone considering becoming a ridiculous clothing snob.

Wow, this generated a lot of passion on both sides. What the heck? Some people just take their jeans more seriously than others, and some people can afford to pay more for the designer ones.

Personally, my jeans get stained before they get smelly so it'll always be wash for me. IMO, though, if you're willing to pay a little bit more for the jeans (e.g. I buy the $40-60 Levis, not the off-rack generic $20 or under ones), the color and the jeans stays whole for a lot longer. I wear my Levis pretty constantly and they've been going good for at least three years.

Just a thought, here. I was a textile arts major a million years ago in my undergrad days. We did a lot of dying with natural and aniline dyes. If your designer (or non-) jeans need actual washing, and you are worried about the overdying, a few suggestions.

First, wash them separately! (Or with other jeans that might benefit from any dye runoff!) Use COLD water and a cold water soap. I'm not sure now about the dye used in commercial jeans (originally it was real indigo, but I suspect not any more) but there are chemicals (called mordants) you can add to some dyes to set them. This includes plain table salt. I'd add a cup of salt to the wash water, just for kicks. (Most other mordants are more toxic and tricky...) Then I would make sure any dripping is clear, not blue (if blue, rinse more) and then either air dry or dry in a fairly hot dryer -- assuming you can afford to risk the possible shrinkage. Heat should help set the dye too. If worried about shrinking, you could try air drying THEN running through a hot dryer (while dry, not wet) which might help -- or not! Good luck!

OMG, I just lost so much respect for apartment therapy for posting that. Not wash your jeans = fashionvictim. Look, if you want your jeans to look good, GO TO THE GYM! Nice ass = nice jeans.
This jeans washing trend was popular i Sweden three years ago. The owner of Cheap Monday, a Swedish jeans brand was into not washing jeans. He finally had to go to the hospital because the dirt got under his skin. This is soooo incredibly gross. Who cares is it looks good - he probably smelled and had bumpy zits all over his ass. This freezing method, it is not going to get rid of actual caked up mud, or what are skidmarks??
If you like the jeans so much, just buy a couple of pairs. Turn them inside out! Put them inside those net bags! Wash them on cold. Use mild detergent. Hang dry them. That will keep your jeans dark AND clean.

@pixelsicle

While this seems silly, the point of this site is to provide inspiration for apartment dwellers. Design is a part of that, but there are other factors -- living without a washing machine for example. No need to be so snarky.

As for the jeans debate, I own very expensive jeans, but I did not pay much for them. After discovering a pricey brand that fit my odd body proportions quite well, I scour stores like Nordstrom Rack and get them at a discount. So if you want to make assumptions about me based on the label of my jeans, well, you know what they say about people who make assumptions.

I think a lot of you are misunderstanding this, and have a lot of misconceptions about raw denim.

The jeans this is usually done with are of a much higher quality denim material. 'Raw' refers to the fact that none of the dye has been washed out yet. They were dyed at the factory and stitched together and sent to the shop. The reason why you wait to wash is because the dye will start to wear out in the places where it naturally fades on your own body rather than the cookie cutter jeans from American Eagle etc. If you wash them too early on in the breaking in process, the dye washes out and that fading no longer occurs.

These are not your work jeans. These are a fashion item. Just like your favorite chandelier, you can justify the costs of looks and application. You wouldn't use your favorite couch as something to kick back on with your muddy boots in the garage. Same with these pants. Most people won't wear them out when it is heavy raining, when they will be doing a lot of physical activity etc.

The aforementioned reason helps explain why the jeans get a lot less dirty than you think they would. Just as many of you justify spending a lot on a piece of furniture that you don't abuse and keep looking nice, you don't abuse these jeans either.

A few more things.

Most of your keyboards and laptops have much higher levels of bacteria than these jeans.

Here is a time lapse of this fading process:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg8acKHCeNI

Here is a video of a lab test on raw denim after 15 months:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcZQOt-7_9k

You guys kill me. I am still laughing over "can't talk, microwaving underwear"! I'm in the camp of can't be bothered but I will share this: 20+ years ago I encountered the best butt filled Levi's ever. This hunky MexTexan explained his secret: Sit in the tub with cold water and vinegar for 15 minutes. It shrinks to fit and seals the dye. I thought he was joking, but macho man go all serious and said it was common knowledge from where he came from.

@bepsf - Vodka In Freezer - YEAH!

@ m@ - HA!

@ Abe Lincolns - sorry you have such trouble with fit - bummer (not making fun, I just though of that pun and I couldn't resist)

@ washable dark jeans wearers: I have had luck in keeping my jeans from fading quickly by adding 1-2 cups white vinegar to the wash, using Woolite Extra Dark Care detergent and turning them inside out (in the washer and dryer).

I think many of us find this post way too hoity-toity and it offends our down-to-earthness as AT readers. We want to say, "get over yourself, man". And former fans of AT might feel that this post is a turn-off - like they can't quite relate to Maxwell and AT in the same way. (So, it's not necessarily about the COST of the jeans for many critics - but to spend so much $ on jeans that require such particular "care"...that sounds ludicrous to many people. So obviously, we won't be buying the fancy pants....)

And many of us were disappointed that Maxwell took the time to make a video that was lacking in complete info about this "home cleaning tip". Too many unanswered questions for people who are into this whole thing. (and the video was too long and drawn-out for the little info given) (and the sound of the rocking elephant made me want to turn off the video)

AND...a whole bunch of us are just grossed out because even though there are claims about killing bacteria in the freezer, there is a lot of "residue" on jeans that is obviously still there after removing from the freezer. I wish Maxwell would have used a word other than "clean" in reference to this process. The accepted concept of cleaning is to remove residue (and possibly also disinfect). If you wore white jeans without washing...can you imagine the state of those jeans after "freezing to clean" for the same amount of time? They would be filthy (along with all the unseen oils, dead skin cells, etc...).

What we all need to do is to love each other and wear jeggings, like Conan. They're washable and they always give you the same awesome fit.

http://jeggings.tv/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/conan-jeggings.jpg

Please will someone tell me where I can get those orange pillows in the background??

Restaurant seats, movie seats, public transportation and taxi seats..........you're collecting all kinds of funk from other people in that expensive denim. In addition to your own funk.

Wash your clothes!!

@Chambana: that 2nd video is from the FUTURE! nice!

Life is so complicated now. Back in the day, when I was young, the more worn, faded, torn and soft jeans were, the better.
You wore dress pants when jeans were not appropriate. Life was simpler then. Hopefully, the next generation will embrace this lifestyle.

Such hooey. Looky here: 1. Turn your schmancy jeans inside out. 2. HAND wash them in warm water with a squirt of Woolite, or Dawn. 3. Toss 'em in a hot dryer. And you're done - clean, germ-free, original-fitting jeans.

Raw Denim is cool? Phfffft. Went to a picnic a long time ago wearing some fairly expensive, very dark blue denim shorts (my excuse is that I worked in the fashion industry). As the day wore on, my legs also became blue, which obviously was more embarrassing than wearing faded denim. Since that little "raw" denim fiasco, I've always washed my denim before wearing. I'm thinking the clothing industry is pulling a fast one on the public if they're marketing "raw denim" as some kind of high-end fabric. They save money by not having to make their material color-fast. Hmmm, looks like the Emperor may be finding himself in some new clothes yet again.

I love the dramatic way in which this video is produced! Super funny.

I think this is the funniest thread I've seen on AT. Thanks everyone

But, but, but---I LOVE freshly washed jeans! I can't imagine ever buying a pair that I couldn't wash and dry a hundred times.

(thank gawd someone other than me said butt and pee smell...much less that "skidmarks" word.... (((sshhuddddder)))...) This post made me start to itch.

I'm not so grossed out by this--simply because I don't think you'll be wearing these jeans every day. I don't wash my dressiest dresses every time I wear them; I figure this is something similar.
I'm not sure I'll ever freeze my jeans; it would have been nice, however, to have had more info in the clip. How long do you freeze them? A few hours? Overnight? A few days? Are there methods for getting out real dirt or grime that are associated with the freezer method?

terrible 'how-ton' video. the typing in the background makes me want to punch something. and the whole how-to part was missing.

Love the new comedy section on Apartment Therapy.

I've never tried putting my jeans in the freezer but one thing I do know is that exposing bacteria to the conventional freezers most of us have at home will not kill them, it will just halt their reproduction for a while. Once you take them out and start wearing them, the bacteria will begin to reproduce normally.

I have heard, though, that freezing them does tighten up the fibers. But then again, buying new jeans after a couple years works as well. Make sure to donate the old ones to charity :)

Too high maintenance! Why would someone pay a lot of money for a pair of jeans that takes so much more time to care for? For the time and effort you could have less expensive, newer jeans more often.

Honey, what's on for Dinner tonight???

A pair of Armani Jeans with a mush T-shirts and a Salad.

Hummmmm..... Yummi...!!!! Armani Jeans.

What kind of watch are you wearing? I love the simplicity - and seriously want one myself!

WOAH! Man. Why all the negativity? If people want to spend $100s on their jeans, who cares? I would never spend what most people are here seem to be willing to spend on furniture, but I don't begrudge them that. If I had the money, I'd probably do that too.

I may be biased about the expensive jean habit, but only because I have never found ANY jeans that fit me until I started moving to more expensive brands. I found a pair of $170 7 jeans at the Rack for $100, and they fit like a glove. For jeans like that, since they are the only jeans I can find that fit, I would put in a little extra effort to keep them nice. Who knows when I'll find another pair like that?? :)

This has inspired an AWESOME IDEA!!! A deep freezer is a MUCH less expensive storage unit aka piece of furniture! Eat that Crate and Barrel!!!

"Raw" denim? Jeez, I'm old enough to have worn jeans before there was stone washing, acid washing, vintage-izing, over-dyeing, whatever. They were just jeans, period. I bought men's Levis, took them in at the waist until they fit me perfectly, then wore them until they had holes in the knees that were too big to ingore. Oh, and I washed and dried them reguarly. No big deal.

This sounds gross, stinky and unsanitary. Buy jeans a bit too large and wash and dry before wearing. Then you can wash them without much further shrinkage.

Wow! a lot of you have NO IDEA how serious denim can be.
I would NEVER EVER EVER EVER put my beautiful pair of $300 jeans in the wash. NEVER!!!!!
I definitely freeze my jeans instead of washing them. It sounds ridiculous, I know. But so is cleaning silver with tooth paste. It works. go figure.

I don't like the jean thing, but I do like what a freezer method can do for silk blouses. Wash the blouse in the washer with appropriate silk-cleaner. Then roll the wet blouse up in a towel to get more dampness out. Then take the blouse out of the towel, scrunch it into put a bag and put it in the freezer. After it is frozen - freezer burned is better - press it with an iron on a light setting. Voila, and no dry cleaning solutions.

Looks like I'm a little late to this discussion... I'm the co-owner of a denim brand (3sixteen) and a denim shop (Self Edge). We get questions every day on how jean care - should I wash? How long should I go without washing? Should I get into a tub wearing them? Is it ok to put them in the washer?

One of the biggest myths is that you MUST go a long time without washing your raw jeans. Yes, it's true that prolonged wear without washing will result in contrasty fading, but you can achieve that look even if you wash your jeans every one or two months. It all comes down to personal preference. My rule of thumb is, if I am starting to catch a whiff of them, it's time to wash. If our customers want to go a year+ without washing, that's totally fine too. Just don't ask me to repair them until you do.

One downside to going a long time without washing your jeans is that the dirt embedded in them actually weakens the fabric. This is why some jeans end up with crazy rips and tears (a lot of this also has to do with fit and activities done in them, of course). Consistent washing will preserve the life of your denim and help them to last longer. There's no need to wash them every week like our parents did when we were kids; but once a month is not bad at all.

And to those that think that jeans can't be serious, come on now. We're on a website where we discuss furniture and home decor... these are all luxuries. Everyone's got their thing.

I believe it works but if you dont your jeans to get worn out then dont wear it. Jeans are suppose to fade when you use it. This is why i dont buy expensive jeans like Seven or Diesel anymore. Just think of all those germs on the jeans next to your food. Yuuuuuuck!

The video! And the thread! :'D

I haven't laughed this hard in ages.

That's hilarious! And what makes a pair of jeans "serious"? The "need" to freeze them? But you know what freezing IS great for is getting bubble gum or candle wax off things (as long as they fit in the freezer).

oh for gosh sakes, how precious are these posts, meaning that you're blaming AT or Maxwell for being over the top about money and jeans, yet the reverse snobbery here is laughable.

I agree the video needed to be post-informative, but Why can't you just take it as new information to add to your trivia file - Oh, how interesting, I never knew about raw denim.

Well I'm tired of looking at house tours that have no inspiration and look like dorm rooms, so there. Take that in your reverse snobbery noses and stuff them :)

Just because there are items on here you might not afford, doesn't mean you can't get an idea from them. I am not rich, but I certainly don't want to look at poor people's homes (like me) to get ideas for my home. I want to look at expensive, designed, homes to do my own version at a price I can afford.

Get over yourselves!

i haven't washed my newest jeans in 6 months. i wear them almost everyday. no pimpley ass. no skidmarks. no smelling like ass. what, do you people not wipe?

the only reason i haven't washed my jeans is that i want to break them in first. perhaps i've been misinformed, but was told the longer you wear them without washing & especially drying, the more you leave your imprint. i was also told to wear my jeans in the shower/bathtub, wring them out and then to let them dry on my body. i've yet to do this.

yeah, with the raw denim i had blue legs after work for the first week or so... no big deal.

So much tarradiddle.

Seriously folks,

Life is complicated enough. Why do you want to add more to it? Jean is a piece of garment to cover oneself. You buy it, wear it, wash it. Throw it away when it wears out.

New rule: don't waste money in clothes that you can't even dry clean.

@visual The thing is this has been around the internets for years so it's not even that new.

oh for pete's sakes, sporadically cold-wash them with a little detergent and line dry if you're that spaz about keeping the denim in good shape.

If you are so serious about expensive jeans, forget about freezing, just spend more money and buy a new pair each time you want to show the world how rich you are. You can donate your old pairs to places like Salvation Army and someone else will get them for a reasonable price, and relaxed enough to wash them!

why do you guys KEEP insisting on making us relive this useless article?

I'm surprised that visitors to a design blog are so knee-jerk against high-quality/expensive clothes, and the percieved "fussy" care for said clothes. It's not a post about caring for your $3000 gucci silk dress, good quality jeans are so worth it if you appreciate that kind of thing. If you've ever seen the care and work that goes into the design and manufacture of high-end jeans, freezing is a great idea (plus it's less work than washing/drying and usually greener, too). That video is garbage, though, as is reposting this time after time.

This video is hilarious. Maxwell obviously has a sense of humor about how expensive his jeans are, and the oddness of freezing process, so why is everyone being such a dick about this? And the person who has just "left apartment therapy for good"? Priceless.

I do not know anyone who has ever bothered to freeze their jeans/raw denim, nor have I, but I am pretty sure I will not be leaving AT over it :-)

must be a slow day....original comments are from April 4. Whats next...how to make ice cream from one ingredient...or my all time favorite how to fold a fitted sheet?

Well...

...if the purpose of this post was purely entertainment and/or to buy an unscheduled off-day, I'd say it was a MAJOR SUCCESS.

Alternatively, if neither is applicable, I'd say you all need to get a life.

Seriously....get over yourselves, all of you.

ban clothing and thorndale; from your comments I'm assuming you're women, and maybe that's a mistake, but I'm a very tall woman with the same issues. Have you tried wearing men's jeans? I find they fit me so much better than women's jeans, and it's easy to get the 36 inch inseam I need. Plus there are so many different styles for men now that you can find a style that looks more feminine.

I have no problem with people wearing fancy jeans and freezing them. However, I've got true grit and I don't wear jeans I can't get dirty in. Just saying.

The Smithsonian weighs on this topic, decisively, in my opinion:

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2011/11/the-myth-of-the-frozen-jeans/

Wow, what an epic thread. A.P. anal retentive control freakism outdoing itself with freeze dried cleaning of "raw" denim. lol! Who comes up with this stuff. Only post more viral is "who wears shoes indoors, etc..." LOL!

This is funny! :D

I turn my dark wash jeans inside out to wash (on delicate), then let them air dry on a rack. They seem to last pretty well.

good idea. painful video. c'mon.

Wow, idk what's wrong with all the people commenting. If you don't like it, then don't do it. This isn't a new concept, even if some people haven't heard about it. It's been proven by science. Good job, Maxwell!

Goodness! Such negativity!
Here's the thing, I have a pair of such jeans, and yes I paid a little bit more for them than the jeans at the gap but as a result I a) supported a small American business, b) bought a top quality product, c) most likely won't buy jeans again for a couple of years, so in the long run I've paid as much as those of you who buy them every 6 months! Though, how much people spend on their clothes is actually irrelevant. It fascinates me that someone's choice of clothing rendered such intense negativity on a blog where we like to read about new design trends, and where we appreciate well made things and clever tips. I personally love beautiful apartments and beautiful clothes. No, it wasn't the best video (there are better guides to freezing your jeans around the net) but I think Maxwell is really getting a rough time for this one. Relax!