Clean Dress Pants

Dress pants are often a necessity for work and special occasions. Typically, dress pants need to be washed carefully or taken to the dry cleaners, especially if they are made out of a delicate material. Always be sure to read the care instructions before washing and drying your pants. Whether you are using a washing machine, washing by hand, or drying your pants, be sure to carry out the process with special attention and care.

Steps

Using the Washing Machine

1. Check the instructions. It is very important to always check the instructions before washing the dress pants. The pants could be damaged if you wash them improperly. Take your pants to the dry cleaners if you are worried about damaging the pants.
   • Cotton, wool, and durable polyester are okay to machine wash. Wool, silk, and delicate cotton should be washed by hand.
2. Test the fabric with water. Do a spot test before washing. Run a small amount of water over a hidden part of the pants. You can also dab on a little of the laundry detergent that you plan to use. Rub a cotton swab over the fabric. You need to take the pants to the cleaners if any dye rubs off on the cotton swab.
3. Turn the pants inside out. Turning the pants inside out helps to reduce fading and protects the buttons. Once you have turned them inside out, put the pants into a mesh bag. You can find mesh bags made specifically for laundry at many supermarkets.
4. Wash the dress pants in cold water on the gentle cycle. Put the mesh bag with the pants inside of it into the wash. Use a mild laundry detergent. Turn the washing machine on to the gentlest cycle available and use cold water.
   • Take the pants out of the washing machine as soon as the cycle has ended.

Washing Dress Pants by Hand

1. Fill the sink with cold water and mild detergent to wash your pants. You can use the sink, a wash basin, or your bathtub to wash the pants. Fill the sink with cold water. Pour in a small amount of mild detergent until the water begins to produce suds.
2. Saturate your pants in the water and detergent. Dip the pants into the water until they become completely saturated by the water and detergent mixture. Use your fingers to rub out any stains or dirty areas. Scrub gently in order to avoid damaging the fabric.
3. Refill the sink with clean water to rinse out the pants. Drain the soapy water when you think the pants are clean. Refill the sink with cold and clean water. Dip the pants in and out of the clean water until all of the laundry detergent has been rinsed out.
4. Spot-clean with water, salt, and the cleaner of your choice. Begin by soaking the stain in room temperature water. Then, pour salt directly on the stain and allow it to sit for 10-15 minutes. Rinse off the salt and apply the cleaner from the inside of the pants (which will depend on the type of fabric the pants are made of). Lay a paper towel on the stain, let it sit for an hour, and then rinse off the area where the stain was.
   • Use light acids, like lemon and vinegar, on cotton pants.
   • Apply a wool detergent to wool pants.
   • Use a standard laundry detergent or dish soap on pants made out of synthetic materials, like rayon and polyester.
   • Silk is very sensitive, so soak the pants entirely when spot-cleaning silk pants. Apply glycerin to the stain.

Drying the Dress Pants

1. Roll the pants up in a towel. Do not dry the pants in a dryer. Lay the wet pants onto a clean, dry towel. Roll them up into the towel. Squeeze the rolled up towel to remove the excess water from the pants. Roll out the towel, and move the pants to a drier part of the towel. Repeat until all of the excess water has been squeezed from the pants.
   • You will probably need to roll up and squeeze the pants in the towel four or five times.
2. Lay out the pants to dry. Lay the pants out on a flat surface. Make sure the flat surface is clean and nothing will be laid on top of the pants. Wait until they are completely dry to pick up and iron or store away.
3. Iron your pants. It is best to have a professional iron your pants if they are pleated. If not, you can iron them on your own. Turn them inside out and iron the pockets. Then, turn them back out and iron the rest of the pants. Set a crease in the front by aligning the inseams. Hold the iron a few inches away as you steam along the edge of the inseams.
4. Hang up the pants. Make sure to hang up your pants after every cleaning. If your pants have pleats, fold them along the pleat and hang them across the hanger. If they are not pleated, simply fold them in half on the hanger and hang them up.
   • Folding the pants on the hanger helps to prevent wrinkles.
   • Try to avoid hanging your pants in a place that is very humid. Hang your pants in an area that maintains a 40-50% humidity level.

Tips

• Buy your pants in the correct size, or have them altered to fit you properly. Wearing pants that are too large can cause extra wrinkling.
• At-home dry cleaning kits are available from brands like Woolite for around $20. These kits, however, may not work for all stains and types of materials.

Warnings

• Always be sure to read the instructions. Take your pants to the cleaners if you don’t feel comfortable machine or hand washing on your own.

Things You’ll Need

• Laundry detergent
• Cotton swab
• Mesh bag
• Towel
• Iron
• Clothes hanger

Sources and Citations

See also

• Clean Ink off the Inside of a Dryer
• Clean Nylon
• Clean Dress Shirts
• Wash Acrylic Fibers
• Clean Jeans
• Wash Clothes without a Washing Machine
• Disinfect Laundry
• Remove Lint from Clothes
• Get Fluffy Towels
• Wash a Backpack

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