Apparel
Denim that survives a hot wash
Most denim damage comes from the dryer, not the wash. Here is what heat does to the weave, and what to do instead.
By Ravi Deshpande1 min read5,890 readers21 Aug 2026
Denim is a cotton twill, and cotton fibres shrink and weaken with heat. Nearly every complaint about jeans losing their shape traces back to the dryer.
What a hot wash actually does
It accelerates dye loss and shrinks the weave unevenly, because the warp and weft do not shrink at the same rate. That is why jeans come out of a hot cycle slightly twisted at the side seam.
Sanforised versus raw
Sanforised denim is pre-shrunk at the mill and will move perhaps one percent. Raw denim can shrink five percent or more on first wash, which is intentional and expected, but only once.
The practical routine
Cold wash, inside out, line dry. Wash less often than you think. If the fit needs restoring, a short tumble on low heat will bring most sanforised denim back without the damage a full hot cycle causes.
More in Apparel
All Apparel- The Northfield linen shirt, after a Delhi summerFour months, roughly sixty wears and thirty washes. Linen either softens or falls apart, and the weave decides which.
- Linen shirts for humid citiesWeight, weave and cut decide whether linen works in humidity. We wore nine shirts through a monsoon to find out.
- Running shoes after 200kmNew shoes tell you nothing. We logged 200km in four pairs and measured what the midsole had actually lost.
Also see this week's ranked board.