Don't wash your jeans, freeze them
I've definitely worn a pair of jeans for a few weeks before washing them. Sometimes because I don't feel like they need it, and sometimes because I prefer the baggier fit. Who likes clean jeans? They're stiff and tight and somehow mine always end up shorter.
But a student at the University of Alberta decided he didn't want to wash his jeans, for like, a year. And they were skinny jeans, to boot. Ew?
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Student Josh Le chose to do this experiment to see if he could break in the tight jeans so much that they'd hug the contours of his body. Really? That's why he wanted to do this? Dude. Lame. Come on.
But the experiment ended up serving a different, rather interesting, purpose.
After 15 months and over 200 wears (if I'm doing the math correctly, and I would be surprised if I am, I think that means he wore the jeans about 42 percent of the days during the experiment), Josh decided to get the jeans tested by his textile professor. You know, see if any fourth dimension bacteria could be discovered.
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Surprisingly, the jeans were remarkably clean. The crotch area was the grossest part, with over 10,000 times the amount of bacteria found there than, say, the leg or butt. However! The jeans overall were no dirtier than a pair Josh wore for only 13 days. So, we're good, right? No need to wash more than once a year?
Well, Josh did report that the smell could get pretty ripe. There's a solution, though. Freeze 'em for a few hours and they'll be odorless. Idea bubble! I have a freezer in my apartment, but I don't have a washing machine ... I think he's on to something.
Will you wash your jeans less since they're really not that dirty?
Written by Lindsay Mannering for CafeMom's blog, The Stir.
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Image via Robert S. Donovan/Flickr
