If you're just about to throw your favourite pair of jeans into the washer, stop before you make a huge mistake. At least, that's according to the head honcho of denim giant Levi's, who insists you should never wash your jeans because it wears down the material. The company's CEO Chip Bergh first made the news five years ago when he made the shocking revelation that in the 10 years he has been wearing his favourite pair of jeans, they have never seen the inside of a washing machine. Instead, he just spot-clean them if there's a particular stain, or in worst-case scenarios, hand washes them when they need a quick freshen up. But now he's back again in a statement to CNN he said how important it was to stop washing your pants. Immediately, Mr Bergh said: "If you talk to real denim aficionados, they will all agree you should never put your jeans in the wash."I spot clean my jeans when they need to be washed. Worst case, I hand wash my jeans. And I do it myself. I mean I love my jeans, and I take good care of them."This raises the obvious concern about the sheer number of germs that must accumulate on a pair of jeans that haven't been washed properly in more than a decade. Well according to Kelly Love, co-founder and CEO of non-toxic cleaning brand Branch Basics, this isn't a problem. She says just putting them out in the sun to get some air will work wonders."Of course, it depends on where you're wearing your jeans and what's getting on them, but normal wear is not going to pose a health threat and doesn't warrant fear of grossness."At least not from the microbes picked up from your skin and being out and about town."Sunning outside in the hot sun for several days ideally, until there is no odour is actually better than washing for breaking down the volatile organic compounds.
"Sunning is also better for the environment, conserves water and energy, and, in fact, a good practice for all clothes because it reduces the number of washings required to remove chemical residues," she advised. But if you're a bit short of sunlight, fear not, as the freezer will do just as good a job but you might have to do it a few times to get rid of all that dirt. Speaking to Well and Good, author and microbiologist Jason Tetro, said: "It will work, but you need water and it has to be below -18 degrees Celsius."If you do that, then there's a good chance you're going to kill off 90 per cent of the bugs, which means about 10 per cent are going to survive."Think of the money you'll save on washing powder.