9 Steps to Soften Denim and Make Jeans More Comfortable

Scratchy clothing tags can irritate sensitive skin, especially for kids. Cut off any manufacturer's tags from the inside of your new jeans using sharp, pointy scissors. Be very careful to snip close to the threads but not directly on top of them, to avoid puncturing the pants fabric. You can always save the tags as well, if you want to refer to any special washing instructions later.

Handy Tip: Keep snipped-off clothing tags in a dedicated place in your laundry room, with a note about which jeans they match up with, so you can easily access this information as needed.

Turning jeans inside out before washing them — especially when you're going to be purposely aggravating the fabric to manipulate its feel, as in this jeans softening tutorial — will help to preserve their look. This is important if you want to avoid fading on a darker wash, or don't like the look of distressing. Of course, if you find distressed and abraded details charming on denim, you can skip this step entirely.

Handy Tip: Wash your jeans alone — or only with other pairs of jeans — for optimal results.

White vinegar is a natural softening agent that can soften denim fabric, making it more comfortable to wear. Make a softening solution for your jeans by combining eight cups of hot tap water with one cup of regular, white household vinegar in a clean bucket or plastic tub. Place jeans into the solution, fully immersing the fabric, and soak for several hours or overnight. A vinegar soak not only softens denim, it can also help to preserve the color in dark rinse jeans and help prevent dye bleeding, especially when the jeans are brand new.

Handy Tip: Don't worry about your jeans smelling like vinegar chips. When they dry, the vinegar scent will evaporate, leaving a clean and fresh scent behind.

You'll need to dry your jeans before continuing onto the next step in the softening process. (Don't worry, you'll be washing your jeans again to get the vinegar out, before you wear them). Throw jeans (still inside-out) into the clothes dryer and dry completely.

Handy Tip: If you're concerned about shrinking your jeans, you can use the lowest heat setting on the machine.

When your jeans are fully dry and still hot from the dryer, roll them into a tight ball. Start at the hems and roll tightly, as you would a sleeping bag, working all the way up to the waistband. Make those jeans into the smallest, tightest ball possible. Then use a bathrobe belt or other longish piece of fabric to tie up the jeans ball so it stays condensed, and leave it to cool for half an hour to an hour. Rolling your jeans this way when they're still hot from the dryer helps to stretch the denim, loosening the tightly knitted fibers of the fabric, for a softening effect.

Handy Tip: If you're rolling up several pairs of jeans, as an alternative to tying them up, you can fit them into a basket or other container where they're tightly packed in, to prevent them from unrolling.

Now you're going to sand your jeans, to give them a softer, lived-in feel, without putting in the hours of wear. Unroll your jeans and, making sure they are still turned inside-out, use a small square of sandpaper to gently scrape the surface of the denim fabric. Start at the top of the jeans, moving your sandpaper square in horizontal strokes to scrape the fabric. Take your time scraping your way along the fabric (you can brush away the bits of loosened fiber that come off the jeans as you go), all the way down to the hems.

Handy Tip: Use fine grit sandpaper to achieve a softening effect.

Place jeans (still inside-out) into the washing machine. Wash jeans by themselves, without detergent, selecting the warm or medium temperature water setting on your washer.

Handy Tip: When laundering only one pair of jeans, select the low-water setting (if your washer has one) to preserve water for smaller laundry loads.

Put your freshly washed jeans into the clothes dryer, adding four new (clean) tennis balls. The tennis balls will give your jeans a strenuous "massage" as they go through the dryer cycle, helping to soften the denim fabric for a worn-in feel.

Handy Tip: Set the dryer on low heat to prevent shrinkage, especially if your jeans have a high amount of stretch. Or if you don't mind a bit of shrinking, you can select the hottest setting, which will help to further soften the jeans.

Wear your jeans often, to soften the fabric and help it mold to your body. Wash them frequently too, which will help to continue breaking down the denim fabric so it feels worn out and softer against your skin.

Handy Tip: Get our latest tips on how to wear jeans stylishly.