Carl Chiara, director of brand concepts and special projects for Levi Strauss & Co., is among the growing number of jeans enthusiasts¹ who believe in washing them as little as possible.

Mr. Chiara, who says he wears jeans every day in both work and social situations, believes that "the less people wash their jeans, the better their jeans become. Denim² really does shape to people's bodies, and when you wash a jean you lose some of that shape."

He doesn't like to put his jeans in a washing machine because agitating³ the denim makes the fibers⁴ on the cotton fabric⁵ swell⁶ and 'bloom.' That in turn causes the yarns⁷ to tense up and actually get shorter, shrinking the jeans. This also mars the "open" look of the denim, Mr. Chiara says. The color may fade or change as well.

He also avoids heat-using hot water on his jeans or throwing them in a dryer-to protect the quality of the jean, he says.

So does he dry clean his jeans? No, because he doesn't like them coming back stiff-and perhaps with a center crease⁸ if they get pressed like trousers. 'The jeans should take on your personal day-to-day life and look like you,' he says. For example, his own jeans bear the weathered marks of his keys, which he keeps in his front pocket, and his bag, which tends to rub against his upper thigh⁹.

This is not to say that Mr. Chiara doesn't ever clean the 15 pairs of jeans that he owns. He gently spot-cleans spills with a damp sponge and 'whatever is under the kitchen sink-usually Windex or 409.'

At the end of each day, he hangs his jeans on a hook in his bathroom. When he takes a shower, the steam 'freshens [the jeans] up a little bit,' he says. He prefers hanging jeans by a belt loop to preserve their shape.

After six months of wearing a pair of jeans, Mr. Chiara does a comprehensive cleaning; his method could also be used by those who like to wash their jeans more often. Usually, he fills a bathtub to about six inches with room-temperature water and adds two tablespoons of Dr. Bronner's Magic Liquid Soap, which he likes because it is mild. Then, he immerses the jeans in the tub, laying them flat.

Sometimes, with dark jeans, he'll add 1/8 cup of white vinegar to the water. 'The vinegar sets the indigo¹⁰ and keeps it from fading,' he says.

Mr. Chiara is careful not to scrub the jeans or move them around vigorously. He just lets them soak for 20 minutes before hanging them by the belt loops to drip dry. While letting the jeans air-dry, he may slip a 'woodsy' scented¹¹ sachet of potpourri¹² into the jeans as he lays them flat.

If it's sunny out, Mr. Chiara sometimes likes to wear the jeans when they're 'almost completely dry' and sit in the sun. 'This final phase of drying them out on my body helps the jeans take on my shape,' he says.

查拉是美国利惠公司品牌理念及特别项目主管查拉说，他上班和休闲的时候都穿牛仔裤，他觉得牛仔裤洗得越少，感觉就越好。牛仔布有很好的塑型作用，但如果洗得太多，就会失去那种特有的型。

他不喜欢把牛仔裤放进洗衣机里洗，因为洗衣机搅动牛仔布时，棉纤维吸收水分后膨胀，导致棉纱变紧缩短，牛仔裤就会缩水。查拉说，这也会破坏牛仔裤那种自然放松的感觉，还会导致褪色或变色。

查拉说，他不用热水洗牛仔裤，不会把它放进烘干机，目的是保护牛仔裤的品相。

那他干洗自己的牛仔裤吗？答案是否定的，因为他不喜欢牛仔裤干洗后那种硬梆梆的感觉，以及熨过后留下的裤缝线。他说，牛仔裤每日与你相伴，应该带有你自己的风格。。举例而言，他的牛仔裤前兜有钥匙长期摩擦留下的痕迹，大腿部位则有背包摩擦留下的痕迹。

这并不是说，查拉从来不洗自己的15条牛仔裤。他会用湿海绵，沾上厨房里随手找到的去污剂，一般是Windex或409洗涤剂，轻轻擦拭牛仔裤上的污渍。

一天的事情做完后，查拉要把牛仔裤挂在浴室的钩子上，他说洗澡时的水蒸汽能让牛仔裤振作起来。他喜欢拿钩子勾住皮带环，以保持好裤形。

一条牛仔裤穿了六个月后，查拉会做一次彻底的清洗。那些经常清洗牛仔裤的人也可以借鉴这种清洗方式。通常而言，他会在浴缸里放上半缸常温的水，加入两勺布朗博士魔力洗衣液(Dr. Bronner's Magic Liquid Soap)，因为他喜欢这种洗衣液的柔和。然后，他把裤子浸入浴缸，平展铺开。

有时候，如果牛仔裤颜色比较深，他会在水里多加1/8杯的白醋。他说，醋可以使靛蓝变稳定，防止牛仔裤褪色。

查拉很小心地不去搓揉牛仔裤，也不用力搅拌，只是泡上20分钟，然后勾住皮带环把裤子挂起来沥干。在让牛仔裤自然晾干的过程中，他可能会在裤子里塞一个具有森林气息的干花香包。

如果外头阳光明媚，查拉有时喜欢穿上快要干的牛仔裤，坐在太阳底下。他说，让牛仔裤在我身上完成最后的晾干过程，能让裤子更贴身。