Question for Those Who Wear Jeans All the Time.

Updated on July 08, 2019
B.F. asks from Newark, DE
25 answers

I just wanted to ask around--do you iron your jeans? There's been a lot of talk before about drying them and them shrinking, but I haven't seen anything on ironing them.
Mention the word "iron" and some ask "You still IRON things??!" And when it's hot out it sounds even more insane.
So what do others do? If you DON'T iron them how do you keep them from looking like you wore them all week and slept in them too, making you look sloppy? My husband doesn't iron his jeans or feel they need it, but he's a different shape then I am, naturally.

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T.S.

answers from San Francisco on

I've never ironed my jeans. The only time I've had them wrinkle is if they stay in the dryer too long without getting all the way dry and if that happens I just run them through another cycle. They also have never gotten wrinkled from wear. Maybe a little saggy from being stretched out but not wrinkled.

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J.B.

answers from Boston on

Hmmm...never in my life have I thought about ironing jeans. Mine have never been wrinkled either...wash, dry, fold, wear.

4 moms found this helpful

T.F.

answers from Dallas on

If something requires ironing, I don't buy it OR I send it to my cleaners when they come through for the weekly pickup. They get my nice pants and clothing so it stays in good shape.

I just do not iron.

I do wear jeans in the fall and winter a lot and as with ALL my clothes... as they come out of the dryer they are immediately folded or put on hangers so they do not require extra care and ironing.

When my husband was alive, all of his good shirts and clothes went on the dry cleaner pick up/delivery service. The cleaners keep nice things nice.

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N.Z.

answers from Los Angeles on

I wear jeans almost daily but never iron them. That’s the beauty of jeans.

5 moms found this helpful

D.D.

answers from Boston on

I don't even own an iron anymore.

4 moms found this helpful

W.W.

answers from Washington DC on

Nope. I don't iron my jeans. I typically put them in for a bit and then hang them.

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B.A.

answers from Minneapolis on

I have 2 types of jeans. Casual ones I just put in the dryer, smooth with my hands and hang up. Dressier jeans that fit well are hung up to dry then finished with a few minutes on low in the dryer when almost dry. I have never even thought about ironing them.

3 moms found this helpful

D.B.

answers from Boston on

I've never ironed jeans. Ever. I don't know anyone who does. I take them out of the dryer almost dry, and hang them up with the seams together. If they're still a bit damp, I hang one leg on one pants hanger (inner and outer seams together) and the other leg on a separate hanger, just to let the inside part dry out better.

If they're wrinkled, I hang them in the shower or put them in a dryer with wet clothes to freshen them up.

If it's too hot to iron, then it's to hot to wear jeans, IMO.

But to me, jeans are not dress clothes. They are casual, hang-around clothes that aren't making a fashion statement and which can and should be wrinkled. I don't think "sloppy" enters into it, frankly. If someone considers this part of their dressy wardrobe, then perhaps they should take their jeans to the cleaners for professional pressing or steaming, just like their dress clothes.

And based on your other posts, I think your husband has other issues besides his jeans being wrinkled. Given what you're dealing with, I wouldn't give jeans a second thought.

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R.L.

answers from Chicago on

I wear jeans all the time and do not iron them. I try to shake them out as soon and hang them up as they are dry so they don't look wrinkled.

It had never occurred to me to iron jeans, but I know a few people now who iron them. I think there are cultural and family differences around this issue.

If you think your husband's jeans really need to be ironed, then iron them.

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A.L.

answers from Atlanta on

Frankly, I don't even iron my dress pants, and I wear them every day to work. I certainly never would iron jeans, and I have never seen them come out of the dryer with wrinkles anyway.

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M.G.

answers from Portland on

No.

They usually come out of the dyer in fine shape. If they bag out from wear, then usually it's time to throw them in the wash.

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R.B.

answers from San Francisco on

I fold them carefully with a crease down the legs after they come out of the wash. But no, I'm not going to bother to iron them.

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R.P.

answers from Tampa on

Lol the first thing I told my boyfriend before I got married-I do not iron nor ever will! And 14 years later did not break my promise! Lol

We have 4 kids, 2 play on trip A level.. add 3 dogs and 2 more kids under the age of 4.. who has the time! I honestly do not know how ladies that work do it! Hats off!!

I dry them in the dryer. High heat shrinks cotton while cool or just air setting just dries them. Keep wrinkles off I take them out a little before or do not leave them in the dryer for a long time.. there are many setting on the drier to avoid them looking “broken in”. Also honestly when I was younger I used to purchase cheaper jeans like old navy.. it’s just thinner cotton and cheaper made, looked “okay” I guess after a dryer... now Hudson or true religion are just better made jeans and better quality. I never had a problem with them.

So just check your setting on the dryer. Mine has a steam option as well. Also all cotton jeans look worse vs with some stretch. Hope that answered your question.

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B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

I never have ironed jeans and I'm not sure why anyone would want to.
I've washed them in a washer and tumbled dry in a dryer - warm jeans fresh from the dryer on a cold winter day is a real pleasure to put on.
Unless they got really dirty, muddy, sweaty - washing them once a week was fine.
Washing and drying your clothes a lot will have them wearing our from the washing/drying more than from you wearing them - where do you think all that lint comes from?

What are your jeans made from that they wrinkle?
Cotton denim doesn't wrinkle easily.
Or - maybe you have one of those agitatorless vibrating wash machines?
I've heard that those can wrinkle things really bad.

If you want, you can hand wash them in your bath tub or a wash tub and then hang them on a line to dry.
They'll feel really stiff when they dry that way - so put them in the dryer - tumble for a short time with no or low heat - to soften them up and they are ready to wear.
No ironing needed.

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G.♣.

answers from Springfield on

I've honestly never felt like my jeans look bad ... no matter how many times I wear them or wash them.

I wash and dry them. I don't take them out of the dryer early or put them on a special setting. I do agree that they fit a little snug when I first put them on, but they always loosen up pretty quickly.

I'm wondering if maybe you need to buy different jeans. Maybe the ones you buy don't fit your body type. I only mention that because you said something about your husband having a different shape. He's still just wearing jeans. It is possible that you could find other jeans that are more flattering for your body type?

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S.T.

answers from Washington DC on

gods, no.

i iron my husband's work clothes. if mine are really bad i'll iron them.

can't think of any time that either of our jeans have needed to be ironed. when we take them off we hang them back up, and they never look sloppy. what are you doing with yours???

khairete
S.

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S.S.

answers from Atlanta on

I live in Georgia. I don't wear jeans in the summer.

I don't iron if I don't have to. So when I do laundry? I make sure it's taken out when the load is over and folded or hung up.

1 mom found this helpful

C.T.

answers from Santa Fe on

I'm a fish and wildlife biologist by training. I like jeans and flannel and hiking boots and tevas so it's hard for me to relate. I would never in a million years iron jeans! If your jeans are shrinking a ton try air-drying them or try one size larger and see if they shrink to exactly your size? I don't think un-ironed jeans look sloppy or wrinkled...they look the same to me. Don't you fold them when they come out of the dryer? None of my jeans have wrinkles and I pretty much immediately smooth/fold them and then put them in the closet.

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S.K.

answers from Honolulu on

No way. That's the one thing I can get away with without the dreadful ironing. Even if wrinkled initially, it looks good eventually when worn for some time. Maybe your jeans is a different material? There are just so many out there these days.

Updated

No way. That's the one thing I can get away with without the dreadful ironing. Even if wrinkled initially, it looks good eventually when worn for some time. Maybe your jeans is a different material? There are just so many out there these days.

1 mom found this helpful
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*.*.

answers from New London on

I love jeans and I wear them almost every day!!
I wash them on gentle cycle with All Free and then I put them in the dryer set on 10 to 12 minutes.
Then, as soon as the timer goes off, I hang them up on hangers.

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M.P.

answers from Portland on

50 years ago I ironed jeans, dresses, blouses. I've not used an iron for 40 years because the fabrics we have now come out of the dryer mostly wrinkle free. However some fabrics stay wrinkled. Heavy duty 100% cotton jeans may come out of dryer wrinkled. If these jeans are hung to dry they will be very wrinkled.

Most fabrics do not shrink on medium heat. However some 100% cotton jeans fabric that have not been preshrunk before made into jeans will gradually shrink. If the jeans have a harsh texture I would wonder if they will stay wrinkled and shrink and not buy them.

When I was in my 20-30s some styles of Levis were popular. They had buttons instead of zippers. If a person wanted to be wrinkle free they ironed them. I'm in my 70's and haven't seen seriously wrinkled jeans in several decades. Once in awhile I do see heavy, stiff jeans wrinkled. Usually, they soften over time to a softer less wrinkled look when they're dried in a dryer.

When a fabric includes a man made fiber they will not shrink because man made fibers don't shrink. Even a small percentage keeps fabric from shrinking. Now a days it seems almost all fabric has some lycra, also other brands, that help fabric stretch a little bit. They don't wrinkle in the dryer nor do they shrink.

As another mom said, smoothing fabric when warm out of the dryer presses out smaller wrinkles. My grandmother called this finger pressing. She did not have a dryer or an iron, still her clothes were acceptable.

Unless you are particular and want jeans to look pressed, modern fabrics should appear mostly wrinkle free. They won't look ironed. Because people rarely iron jeans, the current look is the in look.

I wonder why you care. If your husband doesn't care, why do you?

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G.O.

answers from New York on

To keep me from ironing anything, I take the clothes out of the dryer as soon as possible and hand smooth the clothes while they are still warm. If the load is too large (more than half full of the dryer barrel), the clothes wrinkle more since the clothes have no room to expand out and dry...they dry in the crumbled state they were in from the washer. Using a medium heat seems best to prevent major shrinking and wrinkles.
If I miss taking them out from the dryer right away, I’ll put a damp dish towel in and do a quick dry cycle (5-10 mins). I admit that sometimes I do this quick cycle multiple times if I get distracted and forget.
You might also try a little liquid fabric softener in the wash and that also prevents wrinkles upon drying.

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C.N.

answers from Baton Rouge on

I don't mind ironing if a garment needs it, but I don't iron jeans. I hang them up as soon as they come out of the dryer.

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N.C.

answers from San Diego on

It depends of the type of jeans and the fabric.
Jeggins, and if they stretch no, but traditional tougher fabric yes I do iron.

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N.K.

answers from Miami on

Depends. If they come out of the dryer wrinkled, yes, if they don't, then no. Usually, stretchy jeans, like skinny jeans, are fine as is, but my bell bottoms may need ironing. I have heard of people who iron their pillow cases, bed sheets, and even underwear. To each their own, I guess.

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