When pressing pants, all you need to do with the iron is gently press downward for a second or two and give the fabric a squirt of steam as you do so, with none of the back-and-forth movement that comes with regular ironing. [1] X Research source If the care label is missing, check the tags to any matching articles if it came as part of a set with a jacket or vest. If you are unsure of what setting to use, practice on the inside of the pants first, where no one will see any marks (such the waistband or the pockets). [2] X Research source Start with the lowest temperature possible if you don’t know which one to use.
The “wrong side” is whichever part of your clothing doesn’t see the light of day. [4] X Research source In the case of pants, that means the inside of the waist and legs. Since pockets are so small, this is a good place to begin practicing “pressing” as opposed to “ironing. ”
Keep your presses short and sweet. Pressing too hard for too long can result in an imprint of the zipper, seams, or pockets underneath. To be safe, adjust the pockets and fly as needed to keep them out your iron’s way. If your pants are pleated, don’t attempt to press the creases out of existence. Keep them folded as they were originally stitched and press them as is. To protect the fabric and prevent it from shining afterward, cover the area that you are about to press with a thin layer of cloth. Make sure that it is clean and free of lint and fluff.
Look inside the bottom of each leg to find its seams. Pinch the inseam and outseam of one leg together at its hem. Lay the leg back down just like that. Smooth the hem out while holding the seams together. The two farthest points from the seams should mark the bottom of your creases. Do the same with the outseams in the waist of your pants to find the tops of your creases.
Don’t go all the way up to the waistband. For pleated pants, keep the top of your crease just below the very bottom of the pleats. For non-pleated pants, keep the top of your crease six inches below the waistband. Remember to lift the iron off the pants after each press. Don’t drag it up along the seam as if you were ironing. Doing so can stretch the material and create an odd fit and/or appearance. Unless the care label says otherwise, don’t spare the steam since this helps your creases to remain sharp. Be mindful of the pockets as you near the top. Fold them out of your iron’s path to keep them out the way, so you don’t end up with their imprint on the front of your pants.
If needed, press each leg in between its creases to get rid of any wrinkles there. Just be careful around the seams running up the middle of the leg, since these might create imprints when pressed. To keep its creases sharp, give the first leg a chance to cool off before flipping the pants over and pressing the second leg.
Use a spray bottle and cloth to avoid soaking your pants accidentally. Keep the pants on the ironing board until they are dry.
The wood needs to be unvarnished to absorb moisture left by the steam.
Your pants may still contain some moisture even after smacking them dry. Allow them to hang for a few hours and air-dry before putting them on.
