Why does my wife make me turn my jeans inside out before they go in the wash? She doesn’t know either. Paul Williams, Argyll
Send new questions to nq@theguardian.com.
Readers reply
She’s secretly ashamed that they aren’t Levi’s, and doesn’t want the neighbours realising that you buy perfectly decent jeans from lesser known labels. Arcanics
As someone with dyslexia, I have always considered Levi’s to be the king. leswilson
I do it to stop the tissue I left in my pocket from disintegrating and ruining everything else in the wash. EddieChorepost
Why not just remove the tissue? gmghouston
Have you ever tried to wash a tissue by hand? EddieChorepost
Washing jeans inside out is something I only started doing recently. The reason is simple: they dry quicker because the pockets no longer form big wads of wet cloth trapped inside. This may not be the original reason behind the practice, but it definitely works. Mat Hall
In Malaysia, I learned to turn washing inside out to dry so that the hot sun could really get to any damp-loving bugs lurking in the thicker seams. ChristoWainhope
So that they are ready for ironing. TryingToBeRational
Who the hell irons jeans? Sdc1000
Who the hell irons anything these days? Non-iron clothes look fine, especially now I’m retired and don’t need to meet customers. I do recall visiting someone with my mother; the lady of the house was doing the ironing and started on a batch of underwear. Even my mother thought that a bit extreme. canyoudoso
I always assumed it was to stop rivets, zips etc from rubbing against or catching on other garments. I certainly find that zips stay done up more if the puller is on the inside of the garment. It’s definitely nothing to do with ironing, because I avoid ironing at all possible opportunities. EBGB
Denim is yarn dyed in such a way that the colour is only on the surface of the yarn. The dye particles are vulnerable to abrasion, which is why the fabric goes white at the stress points, where the original colour of the yarn starts to show through. Washing inside out reduces the chance of abrasion against the drum of the machine and premature fading. rigoletto
Jeans are about the only garment I don’t wash inside out. The idea is that the lack of abrasion against the machine and other clothes means the colour holds better and the garment looks less worn; this is usually the case and why shirts (usually made from heavier fabrics) look darker on the inside. It’s also wise for anything with printed or applied designs, T-shirts in particular – unless, like me, you prefer workwear to look worn and faded. orso
