“From the cotton field in rural India to the local rag bin, a typical pair of blue jeans consumes 919 gallons of water during its life cycle, Levi Strauss & Company says, enough to fill about 15 spa-size bathtubs … Levi Strauss suggests washing jeans rarely, if at all – the theory being that putting them in the freezer will kill germs that cause them to smell.” – The New York Times, November 1, 2011.
Levi Strauss
Research Department
1155 Battery Street
San Francisco, California 94111
Hi,
I’m a big fan of Levis and have worn them for years, but I didn’t know until the other day that you could put them in the freezer to get them clean. Silly old me has been washing them. Sorry.
While saving water and living Green is good, I’d like a little more information before I toss my dirty jeans into the freezer.
· Let’s start with the magnets on the freezer door. Any recommendations - take them off, leave them on? Or doesn’t it really matter?
· How long does it take Levis to get clean in a freezer? Am I actually freezing the jeans until they’re as hard as a rock or just getting them good and cold? Our freezer is pretty small, and I’m not sure there’s room for a size 36-32 along with meat, bread, butter, vegetables, four ice cube trays and two half-empty ice cream cartons. If I follow your instructions and the food in the freezer ends up spoiling for some reason, who pays for replacing it? You or me?
· If I leave most of the food in the freezer along with my Levis, are the jeans going to come out smelling like meat or frozen ravioli? If the answer is “yes,” what are the chances stray dogs or cats will follow me down the street?
· Do you suggest that the jeans be folded or rolled up into a ball? If I fold them, will they come out with lots of creases in odd places?
· Will the freezer shrink my Levis? They’re already awfully tight in a couple of spots.
· How long does it take frozen Levis to thaw? Does anyone in the Research Department have first-hand experience they are eager to share about getting into a frozen or an ice cold pair of Levis?
· My wife likes to keep extra butter in the freezer. When butter is near a pair of Levis for a spell, does it turn blue? Will we be having buttered toast some morning and one of us will say, “This sure tastes like denim?”
· I really like the neat circle on the right back pocket of my Levis, left there by my Smokey Mountain snuff can. It would be a pity if parking my pants in the freezer erased the snuff circle. If that happens, can I sue you?
Hope to hear from you soon. I’m not going to stuff my Levis into the freezer until I read what you have to say. That may be as old-fashioned as all get-out, but I always like to have a little supporting data before I try anything new.
Sincerely,
Larry McCoy
(Posted November 28, 2011)