How to Iron Slacks

Walking into an interview or a business meeting with a wrinkled pair of pants sends off a sloppy image. This guy doesn't even take the time to iron his pants, your peers might think. Don't be that guy. Take the extra five minutes in the morning or the night before to seal a perfect crease along the front of the leg and create a smooth, professional looking pair of slacks. Read on to learn how to iron slacks.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Iron
• Ironing board
• Wrinkled slacks
• Spray-on starch (optional)

1. Shake out your pants and lay them flat on the ironing board. Smooth out the pockets and any large wrinkles by hand.

2. 
   All four seams should line up.

   Fold the pants lengthwise, holding the back belt loop in your left hand and the front flaps in your right. Fold them so the seams line up parallel in the center of the leg.

3. 

   Make sure you fold the zipper and button portion inside the pants so that the crease runs all the way up the leg from the cuff to the belt line.

4. Iron one leg at a time. Start with the creases and seal those in first. Then work your way from the top of the pants to the cuff, making sure the crease remains stationary.

5. Flip the pants over and do the bottom side just like the first. During ironing, add the spray-on starch if desired.

6. If you don't put the pants on immediately, don't hang them on a metal hanger or fold them in a drawer. Lay them loosely across a soft chair or on the bed to prevent wrinkling.

Tips & Warnings

• If your pants are extremely wrinkled, toss them in the dryer with a damp towel for about 10 minutes. Then iron to form the crease.
• To prevent horribly wrinkled slacks, hang them up or fold them immediately after the dryer finishes a load. Also, avoid wire hangers as they create difficult wrinkles.