How to Care for Ripped or Distressed Jeans

Why Distressed Jeans Need Special Care

Ripped and distressed jeans are cut on purpose, often with a laser, sanding, or a blade. Those openings are the design, but they are also the weakest points in the fabric. Around a rip, the yarns are severed, and the cut ends are exposed to more friction than any other part of the jean, so a normal wash cycle can deepen the tear or send fraying threads outward.

That does not mean you have to retire them. It means the care routine changes. Wash less often, use the gentlest cycle that still cleans the garment, and avoid heat that shrinks the cotton and stresses the cut edges. With a few small habits, the rips stay about the same size and the fades stay in place. If you want a refresher on the basics, see the general jean care guide.

Inspect and Secure the Tears Before Washing

Before you put a pair of ripped jeans in the washer, look at each opening from the inside. Loose threads are common there, and they are tempting to pull. Do not pull them. A single pull can turn a tidy slit into a long run along the grain line of the denim.

If a thread is long enough to catch on something, trim it with small, sharp scissors instead of tugging. If a rip has already begun to gape open, close it with a few loose hand stitches or a safety pin on the inside before washing. That keeps the washer from catching the edge and widening the hole. For more on when a tear is worth fixing early, see the tear repair guide.

Washing to Protect the Rips

Wash distressed jeans inside out in cold water on the delicate or gentle cycle. The inside-out position shields the cut edges from direct contact with the drum, and cold water keeps the cotton fibers from relaxing and swelling the way hot water does. A wash bag adds one more layer of protection for the most fragile pairs.

Skip fabric softener. Softeners coat the cotton fibers with a film that can lower the strength of the yarns around the cut ends, which invites more fraying. If you already use one, see the fabric softener guide to decide whether it is worth the tradeoff for distressed denim.

Washing is the biggest stress your jeans meet. CottonWorks notes that all textiles shed tiny microfibers when worn or washed, and cotton microfibers can biodegrade after use. Washing less reduces that shedding and also reduces the chafing that makes rips grow, so reserve the machine for actual dirt.

Dry Flat, Never Tumble

Heat is the clear enemy of a clean rip. Tumble drying shrinks the cotton and agitates the fabric so the severed yarns are pulled in different directions, which makes holes larger and fades patchier. Hang the jeans on a line or lay them flat on a drying rack. The air dry vs. tumble dry guide explains the tradeoffs in detail.

Handle damp jeans carefully. Wet cotton has less strength than dry cotton, and a gentle tug near a rip can open it further. Lift the jeans by the waistband and the seams, not by the leg openings, and never stretch damp denim to speed up drying.

Keep the Fades and Fraying in Check

Most distressed jeans get their fades from stone washing, enzyme washing, or sanding done at the factory. Those fades are part of the finish, and they will shift slightly with every wash. To keep them close to the original look, wash in cold water and skip brightening or whitening detergents, which lift indigo faster than standard detergents.

Between washes, spot clean. A small mark on the knee or thigh does not need a full wash cycle. Dab it with a damp cloth and mild soap, then let the area air dry. See the stain removal guide for tough marks and the washing frequency guide for how often to do a full wash.

Repair a Rip Before It Grows

The best time to fix a rip is as soon as you notice it getting larger. A small hole can be patched from the inside or closed with a simple stitch, and the fix is invisible if you use thread close to the denim color. Wait until the hole is the size of a coin and you are looking at a much bigger repair. The patching guide shows the options.

Denim with rips will never last as long as intact denim, but thoughtful care extends its life. When a pair finally wears out, recycle it instead of letting it go to a landfill. The EPA reports that in 2018, about 11.3 million tons of textiles were landfilled in the United States, and extending the life of a garment, through gentle washing and timely repair, is one way to reduce that number. Agricultural research agencies, including the USDA's Agricultural Research Service, continue to study sustainable systems that lower the impact of fiber production, making the effort to care for what you own worthwhile.

What to pick for your use

Questions

Should I turn ripped jeans inside out before washing?

Yes. Turning them inside out puts the cut edges against the inner layer of fabric rather than the drum, so the rips face less direct friction. Combined with a gentle cold cycle, it keeps holes from growing.

Does washing make the holes bigger?

It can. Water and agitation relax the cotton and pull at the severed yarns. Washing inside out in cold water on a gentle cycle, then air drying, limits that effect. The longer you can go between full washes, the longer the rips stay the same size.

Can I put distressed jeans in the dryer?

Not if you want the rips to stay put. Tumble drying shrinks the cotton and agitates the fabric, which widens holes and makes fraying more aggressive. Hang or lay flat to dry instead.

Should I use fabric softener

No. Fabric softener breaks down cotton fibers and can make rips more fragile. It also reduces the abrasion that gives ripped jeans their look. Skip it for distressed denim.