Things You'll Need:
- Spot and stain remover
- Home dry-cleaning product
- Pressing cloth
- Spray starch
- Pants hangers
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Step 1
Treat stains or spots as soon as possible. Blot, don't rub, the stain to remove as much moisture as possible. Before using any stain-removing treatment, including water, check the care label of the pants, so you won't damage the fabric. Start with the gentlest form of spot treatment---such as water, for most fabrics---before moving on to something else.
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Step 2
Inspect the pants. Check for dirt around the hem, loose stitching in the seams, hems or zippers, and missing or loose buttons or clasps. Treat stains that were previously missed; home dry-cleaning products such as Dryel have a spot-removing liquid that works on most fabrics. Do any repairs before laundering, as washing the pants can put more stress of weakened stitching.
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Step 3
Launder the pants according to the instructions on the care label. Do not add dress pants to a heavy load, and use the correct water temperature. If the pants can be machine dried, remove them as soon as the cycle ends, to prevent wrinkles. Even if the care label says they can be machine dried, hanging dress pants to dry is gentler on the fabric. If the dress pants cannot be machine or hand washed, use home dry-cleaning products, such as Dryel, to freshen the pants between professional dry cleanings.
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Step 4
Iron dress pants only if the care label says the fabric can be ironed. If you wish to use spray starch, lightly spray them before heating the iron, as it will prevent spots that occur while drying the wet starch with the hot iron. Fill the iron with water, and set it to the appropriate temperature and steam settings. Use a pressing cloth for shiny fabrics such as satin, silk or linen.
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Step 5
Hang dress pants on pants hangers. These can be either the thick, plastic type, the padded type or the type with clothes clips. The way they are hung will depend upon whether they have a front crease. If they do, turn the pants so that the creases are lined up with each other. For pants without a crease, hang them so that the front of the pants legs are facing outward, to prevent creases from forming while hanging. Don't crowd the pants in the closet, to allow the fabric to breath and to prevent creases and wrinkles.
