10 TYPES OF DENIM WASHES

We have independent garment washing teams, production lines and professional designers to develop various styles.
Whether you are a designer, a small fashion store, or a trading company, we can fulfill your needs and order quantity.
The 10 major types of denim washes as below. It still have more various washing styles, please contact us to get further information.

1) Stone Wash

Stonewash consists of washing denim fabrics with pumice stones in order to produce distressed and faded looks. The pumice stones are loaded into the washing machines along with the denim and abrade the denim during the wash cycle, removing the indigo dye as well as creating a worn look.

Stone washing has a huge environmental impact. The grit from the pumice stones can get into the pockets of garments and has to be physically removed. This requires the denim to be washed several times in order to get rid of the dust and grit, the disposal of which creates large amounts of waste. It can take more than 70 liters of water to remove the pumice residues out of one load of denim!

2) Enzyme wash

Enzyme wash is a great method to give a faded look to the garment without damaging it. In fact, it is said to be the most environmentally friendly of all jean washes. The wash also requires less investment.

The enzyme is a protein obtained from bacteria and fungi. These enzymes work on cellulose. Denim being cotton is made of cellulose. The process is considered to be eco-friendly as the enzymes are biodegradable.

The most common enzymes used in the industry are alpha-amylases, proteases, catalases, and cellulases. They are available in three categories namely neutral, acidic and hybrid.

Acid cellulose gives faster results among the three, but it affects the strength and indigo color of the jeans and is also prone to back staining. The neutral cellulose on the other hand has a less adverse effect on the strength of the fabric. Also, it gives better salt and pepper effect and the fabric is prone to less back staining. Hybrid enzymes are a combination of acid and neutral enzymes are known for better results in a faster time frame.

After the enzyme wash, it is important to do a clean-up process to kill or deactivate all the enzymes. It is achieved by increasing the temperature, upsetting the pH value, etc. During enzyme wash, it is very crucial to control the parameters of the wash cycle, like the pH value, temperature and duration. Any of these parameters going wrong can produce inaccurate results.

3) Acid wash

Acid wash jeans were popular in the ’80s and they made a popular comeback during the last decade. Acid wash denim looks like denim that has suffered acid discoloring. Acid is used to distress or discolors these jeans. It is typically added to a washing machine without any water. This is why some brands label acid wash jeans as dry wash jeans. Stones can be used in the manufacturing process of acid wash jeans to help shorten the manufacturing process and to soften denim faster.

• You can wear acid wash jeans with casual outfits
• Most acid wash jeans are light blue jeans, dark blue jeans, or gray jeans

4) Bleach wash

Bleach washing is used for that faded effect – it gives a light blue shade to denim.

During the bleach wash, strong oxidizing agents like sodium hypochlorite, calcium hypochlorite, hydrogen peroxide, and potassium permanganate are used to produce a very strong bleaching effect. The selection of the chemical used depends on the dye and the desired effect to be produced.

This wash is a tedious process and all the chemicals must be thoroughly removed from the fabric to avoid further damages, bad smell, skin irritation, etc. The bleach wash can also damage the cotton cellulose and negatively affect the strength of the fabric.

5) Rinse Wash

Rinse washes, also known as mill washes, are the simplest kind of denim washes. They simply remove the excess indigo dyes out of the fabric and are used to create the darkest shades of jeans. This wash uses the least amount of water out of all washes.

6) Sand Wash

Hand sanding is when sandpaper is used to distress denim. This water-free process is performed before washing to give denim light wash patterns and a worn look. The results can be subtle or create a very distressed appearance.

7) Whiskering

This refers to a number of surface treatments that result in horizontal lines (whiskers) across jeans that look like creases. Other than whiskers, another term called train tracks is used for a fading along the outer seam of a pair of jeans- this looks like train tracks, hence it is called rail tracks. Many methods including use of laser and hand abrasion with rodes are used to make these lines.

8) Distressed denim

Distressed denim or destroyed denim is a type of denim that has been intentionally made to look worn out. Various objects such as stones and tools such as sanders are used to create different styles of destroyed jeans. You can wear distressed jeans with casual fashionable outfits.

• Distressed jeans can be ripped or damaged only on the surface
• Destroyed ripped jeans typically show the white cotton (under the indigo layer)
• You can wear destroyed jeans with jean jackets or flattering tops

9) Snow Washing

This is achieved by dry tumbling with pumice stones soaked with bleaching agents to produce a ‘snow’ pattern effect on denim. Stones are used to deposit a chemical on garments to strip off the color. This chemical deposit removes color only from the outer surface of the garments and produces a frosted appearance. Indigo and selected sulphur dyes are the most popular candidates for this procedure.

10) Monkey wash

Usually after the denim clothing is washed normally, the potassium permanganate solution is sprayed on the clothes with a spray gun according to the design requirements, and a chemical reaction occurs to fade the fabric. The concentration and spray volume are used to control the degree of fading. After spraying the monkey water, rinse it with water. Spraying monkeys can form a variety of shapes, such as cat whiskers, white strips and so on. (The whiskers can also be wiped by hand).
The essential difference between sandblasting and sandblasting is that the former is a chemical action, and the latter is a physical action. From the effect point of view, the former fades uniformly, the surface layer and the inner layer are faded, and a strong fade effect can be achieved. In the latter, only the surface layer has faded, and the physical damage of the fiber can be seen.

Other

It still have more various washing styles, please contact us to get further information.