3 Simple Ways to Starch Jeans

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Try one of these DIY starching methods to get your jeans looking crisp and professional

Co-authored by Jeimy Flournoy and Ali Garbacz, B.A.

Last Updated: July 9, 2024 Fact Checked

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Starching your jeans is a way to take them from a casual clothing item to something looking fancy enough to wear to the office outside of casual Fridays. But starching doesn’t just have to be a job for the dry cleaners. In fact, there are lots of different ways for you to starch your jeans in the comfort of your own home, and we’re here to walk you through a few methods to try out so that you can get your jeans looking like they should be worn out to a fancy dinner.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Soaking Jeans in Starch

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Run your jeans through the washing machine or hand wash them before you begin starching to make sure that you’re working with a clean pair of jeans before getting down to business.^{[1]
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Any container will do, so long that it’s large enough to hold enough water that will completely submerge your jeans while they’re being starched.^{[2]
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Stir in 1.5 tbsp (14 g) of cornstarch to 2 cups (473 mL) of water to form a milky paste.^{[3]
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Add the paste into the large container of cold water and stir until it’s well-combined.^{[4]
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Completely submerge your jeans in the water and leave them to soak for 10 to 15 minutes. Feel free to go get some other work done while you wait. Just be sure to set a timer for when it’s time to pull them out!^{[5]
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Remove the jeans from the cornstarch water and hang them to dry. If you want to avoid making a mess of your floor, use a towel that can be washed later to wrap up the jeans and take them to hang on a clothesline outside or a drying rack to dry completely before wearing.^{[6]
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- If you plan on ironing your jeans to really make those creases stand out and get rid of any offending wrinkles, do so when the jeans are still a bit damp.
- Avoid using the dryer to dry your jeans. There is a good chance your jeans will shrink in the dryer, so if you want to avoid that, it’s best to just let them air dry.^{[7]
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- Soaking your jeans in cornstarch water will result in very stiff fabric. Keep this in mind when deciding how stiff you want your jeans to be and what kind of look and feel you’re going for.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Adding Starch to the Washing Machine

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1
Prepare your starch. You can either buy any liquid starch from the store, or you can make your own starch using powder cornstarch and water. To make your own starch:^{[8]
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- Add 2 tbsp (18.8 g) of cornstarch to 2 cups (473 mL) of cold water and mix well.
- If you’re looking to make your clothes even more stiff, add 1 tbsp (9.4 g) more of cornstarch and stir to combine.
2
Wash your jeans with warm or hot water. Load your jeans into the washer and set the water temperature to either warm or hot. Be sure to add your detergent as you normally would.^{[9]
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- Make sure you’re not adding any other clothes to the load that you don’t intend on starching. You probably don’t want to starch your favorite hoodie or t-shirt.
3
Add the starch during the last rinse cycle. Stop the washing machine when it’s on the last rinse cycle and add either the liquid starch or your homemade starch to the fabric softener compartment or pour it directly into the drum.^{[10]
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- Shake or stir your starch before adding to make sure that the starch particles are evenly distributed.
- Do not add fabric softener. Fabric softener basically has the opposite intended effect as starch, so you should only be using one or the other.
- If you can’t manually select when you want your washer to stop, set a timer to make sure you catch when it’s entering the final rinse cycle.
- Make sure that the water level is high enough to cover your jeans completely so that the starch will get distributed evenly.
4
Dry the jeans. Use the machine dryer or take the jeans out to air dry on a clothesline or drying rack.^{[11]
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- If you machine-dry your jeans, be warned that they may not come out as stiff as you would like and that they may end up shrinking.^{[12]
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- Your jeans should be left just a bit damp if you plan on following the next step and ironing your jeans.
Iron your jeans to really set those crisp creases and press out any undesirable wrinkles.^{[13]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Ironing Jeans with Spray Starch

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Make sure your jeans are as stain-free as you can get them before starching, since the iron can actually set stains and make them harder to get out later.^{[14]
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Prepare your spray starch. You can buy any spray starch from the store or get into DIY mode and make your own at home.^{[15]
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- To make your own spray starch, add 1.5 tbsp (14 g) of cornstarch to 2 cups (473 mL) of water and stir until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. The mixture should be cloudy even after the cornstarch is dissolved, so don’t worry if it’s not completely clear. Lastly, pour the mixture into a spray bottle.
3
Spray the starch evenly across the jeans. Spray a liberal amount of the starch water onto your jeans and then leave them for a few minutes to allow the starch to set. Don’t totally abandon them to dry completely. 1 to 2 minutes should be long enough!^{[16]
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- The amount of starch you apply will depend on how stiff you want your jeans. If you only want some light starching done, spray the jeans until they’re just damp. However, if you want heavily starched jeans that’ll stand up on their own, don’t be afraid to really let loose with the spray.^{[17]
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- Give the spray bottle a couple good shakes before spraying the starch to make sure that the mixture hasn't settled.
Carefully read the label on your jeans to figure out how high of a heat setting you can use when ironing them. Don’t use the steam setting when starching, since this won’t help in achieving the crispness you’re going for.^{[18]
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Fold your jeans so that the middle seams are aligned, then lay them flat on your ironing board and run the iron across the fabric while pressing lightly. Then flip your jeans and repeat this process on the other side.^{[19]
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Leave your jeans to dry completely on a clothesline or a drying rack. You don’t want wrinkles in your jeans after working so hard to get them out!^{[20]
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