How To Iron Dress Pants [0:00:00]
Well pressed trousers, an outward symbol that you’re a sharp-dressed man ready to meet
whatever life throws at you.
You think ironing your pants is a simple task, but look around, it seems that most men are
wearing wrinkled trousers or slacks with no crease.
What’s going on?
Why is such a simple task so difficult?
Well, it turns out that the skill of ironing your trousers isn’t something we’re born
with.
In fact, most men don’t know the tricks and tips to ironing trousers effectively.
In today’s video, we’re going to cover how quickly and easily ironing your trousers.
Here’s what you need to get started.
First, a clean iron.
You need to make sure the iron is clean.
A dirty iron, it leaves rust or sediment stains on light-colored trousers.
Test for this by first ironing a white rag or old pillowcase to see if it leaves a stain.
To get rid of sediment buildup, run a solution of 50% vinegar and distilled water through
the iron steamer until clean.
Next stop, we’ve got clean trousers.
You want to make sure the trousers are free from dirt and stains before you start to iron.
The heat from an iron will permanently set stains, so be careful if you’re ironing
after having worn your trousers once.
Next stop you need to a standard ironing board.
It’s much easier to use an ironing board than ironing on a table.
Now, the ironing board doesn’t need to be fancy.
A basic ironing board picked up at a local department store is all you need.
Finally, distilled water.
Distilled water is key as you don’t want to have sediment leftover once the water evaporates.
Pour the distilled water into your iron if it has the steaming feature.
This is going to make it much easier to press wrinkles out of the fabric.
You may also want to use distilled water in a spray bottle for getting rid of tougher
creases on the trousers.
To start, set your iron to the right heat setting for your fabric.
Always check the care label on your trousers to ensure you don’t damage the fabric.
The general rule is low heat for synthetic fabrics, low to medium heat for wools, and
high heat for linen and cotton.
If you’re dealing with a blend, go with the lower temperature of the two and slowly
increase if needed.
One important note when ironing dark-colored trousers as well as more delicate fabrics
like wools, you will never push the iron along the fabric.
Instead, you will press the fabric evenly laying the iron on top of the fabric for a
few seconds, then lifting it straight up before moving to the next spot.
Failure to do this can result in you damaging the top layer of the fabric and creating a
sheen.
Step one, ironing the pockets.
You want to make sure the pocket lining isn’t wrinkled.
If you have close fitting trousers, the wrinkle pockets can show through the fabric.
A quick pass with the iron will solve this problem.
Step two, the top of the trousers.
Hold the lining out of the front pocket, press the top of the trousers being careful around
pleats and other folds.
Put the front pocket back in place and then move towards the seat of the trousers.
Pull out the back pocket and press around it.
Put the pocket back in.
Then, finish up by pressing the waistband being careful around buttons and belt loops.
Flip the trousers over and repeat the process on the other side.
Step three, the bottom crease.
Lay your trousers out flat.
You will work on one leg at a time.
Flip the leg you aren’t working on over the end of the board.
For this next step, you will make sure the seams of the pants are lined up properly in
the middle.
Smooth the fabric with your hands before ironing to ensure there aren’t any large folds.
You will now work to form the crease.
Press the iron at the edge of the cuff on one side, then repeat the step on the other
side.
You should now have a sharp crease formed a few inches along each side of the leg.
Step four, the top crease.
You will now do the same thing at the top of the trouser legs making sure the seams
are lined up in the center and then gently press the crease on each side of the leg.
You will form the crease roughly six inches below the waistband.
You don’t want a crease that goes all the way to the top.
The bottom of the pockets on the inside is a good stopping point or if the pants are
pleated, you can crease all the way to one of the pleats.
Step five, the middle crease.
Now, that you have the beginning and end points for your crease in place, you will now travel
down the pant leg.
Gently pressing the crease all the way along the leg, make sure you’re setting the iron
straight down, then picking it straight up again.
You don’t want to press and slide the iron along the fabric.
Step six, the center leg.
Now, the creases were in place, you can focus on removing any wrinkles present in the middle
of the trouser leg.
Use the same technique setting down and picking up the iron to remove any wrinkles along the
fabric.
You don’t need to iron both sides of the same leg.
Pressing one side is enough.
It’s time to repeat the process on the other leg.
Flip the trousers over and go through each step again.
[0:04:59] Step seven, final touchup.
If you find that the front and seat of the trousers require a little extra attention,
you can slip the pants over the end of the ironing board and give them a quick press.
Be sure to pull the pockets out to avoid creating unwanted creases.
Protips.
When ironing cotton khaki trousers, you can actually use the standard push and slide ironing
method.
Because of the light-colored fabric, it won’t leave a shine.
Two.
Try to iron your trousers and shirts in a batch.
The setup process can take as long as the actual ironing.
Ironing all of your clothes at once will save you time.
Three.
If you’re ironing wool trousers, use a low heat setting.
Gentlemen, I recommend using a pressing cloth to avoid damaging this delicate fabric.
A simple wide cotton sheet works perfectly.
Four.
Iron your cotton trousers as soon as you pull them out of the wash.
This saves them from the wear and tear of the dryer and the moisture will make it easier
to get a crisp finish when ironed.
Five.
Decrease ironing time by sliding aluminum foil under your ironing board to reflect back
heat.
There you go gentlemen.
Now, you know how to quickly and effectively iron your trousers.
For a detailed step-by-step guide on how to iron your trousers, check out the support
article at RealMenRealStyle.com.
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