Wash it as little as you can get away with. When you do, flip it inside out, cold water, gentle cycle, or just do it by hand. That’s really the whole thing. Heavier treated denim, the kind officialrickowens.com tends to use, keeps its shape and finishes so much longer with fewer washes than it does getting thrown in on hot every week. Check the actual care tag on your pair too, finishes aren’t the same across every drop.

Why Fewer Washes Wins
Every wash beats up the fibers a little and pulls some of the oils and dye out, the stuff that actually gives the fabric its look. A lot of these pieces have fades or distressing or coatings someone worked on during production, on purpose. Wash that constantly and you’re fading it in ways nobody planned for, flattening texture that was supposed to be there.

If the jeans don’t smell or look dirty, just air them out. That’s usually enough. Nothing secret about this, it’s fairly standard denim advice honestly, it just matters more here because so much of what makes the piece worth the price is sitting in that finish.

Cold Water, Not Hot
Hot water is harder on dye and fiber, full stop. More fading, and if there’s any coating or wax on the surface, heat messes with how that sits over time. Cold water is gentler across the board, slows all of it down.

Using a machine? Cold plus delicate cuts the friction and tumbling way down compared to a normal cycle. Honestly that tumbling wreck seems faster than actually wearing the jeans ever would.

Turn It Inside Out
Takes two seconds, matters more than people think. Flipping it protects the outer surface, where the distressing or coating lives, from rubbing against the drum and everything else in the wash. Less rubbing, longer life. Simple as that.

Also stops zippers or studs from snagging other fabric mid cycle. A snag turns into a small tear you won’t even notice until it’s too late to fix.

Skip the Dryer If You Can
Dryer heat is rougher on denim, period. Shrinks it unevenly, especially raw or lightly treated stuff, and stresses areas that are already distressed even more. Lay it flat, or hang it without stretching it out of shape. That’s the safer move basically every time.

No choice but the dryer? Low heat over high heat, but it’s still nowhere near as gentle as air drying. Most people just default to the dryer out of habit, not because it’s actually necessary.

What Not to Do
Bleach and harsh detergent strip dye fast and wreck any wax or coating. Fabric softener isn’t great either, it messes with how the texture develops naturally. Mild detergent, used sparingly, is the safer call here.

Dry cleaning gets suggested for heavily treated pieces sometimes, but it really depends on whether the cleaner knows how to handle that kind of fabric. Label says dry clean? Just follow it. Some finishes genuinely don’t do well with a regular wash.

Questions People Ask
How often should you actually wash it? No magic number here, but a lot of people with heavier treated denim wash way less than they would normal clothes, sometimes only after several wears or when it’s actually dirty. Airing it out covers most of the gap.

Can it shrink in the wash? Yeah, especially with hot water or high heat drying. Cold water plus air drying cuts that risk a lot, though some shrinkage is always possible depending on the fabric blend.

Is hand washing actually better? Puts less stress on the fabric overall, matters more for treated or distressed pieces. Gentle cold cycle is a fine middle ground if hand washing isn’t realistic for you day to day.

Does washing fade the distressing over time? Yeah, eventually, repeated washing softens and fades that stuff. That’s exactly why washing less helps it stick around longer. Some fading is just normal, coated denim shows it faster than plain denim would.

Do I really need to check the label every time? Yes. Finishes differ between pieces and collections, so the label on your specific jeans beats general advice, even advice that’s usually true across the board like this is.

Bottom Line
Wash it rarely, stick to cold water, flip it inside out, skip the dryer when you can, stay away from bleach. None of it’s complicated, it just goes against how people treat regular laundry out of habit. Treated denim like this holds up a lot longer once you stop washing it like it’s some plain pair of jeans from anywhere.

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