Dress pants are bound to severe damage when they are cleaned improperly. There are washing and ironing techniques which you must take note in order to keep your pants in mint condition for a long time.
Before wetting your slacks, know the fabric they are made of. Information about that and the caring techniques which go with it may be read in the inside tag attached to these pants. Often times, dry cleaning is recommended as rinsing with water affects the quality of the fabric. Fabrics like silk, cashmere and combination of wool and polyester fall under this category.
Although men’s dress pants made of 100% cotton can be washed with water, they are most likely to shrink with the use of warm water. Dry cleaning is also the best option for slacks made of pure cotton. You can also have your pants machine washed as long as you use cold water and a gentle detergent. This will protect from shrinking and acquiring unwanted texture. Segregate your pants according to their respective colors before soaking them in the washing machine. Turn the knob to gentle cycle. Carefully crumple your slacks to remove excess water after rinsing them.
Now, let us learn which kinds of fabric are recommended to be washed by hands. Wool dress pants generally require hand wash. Wool is a delicate fabric. Because of that, it is expensive. Prepare a washing concoction for your wool slacks using a basin of cool water mixed with a tablespoon of mild liquid detergent. When it is ready, soak your slacks for five minutes at the least. Rub them gently afterwards to removed the dirt. Rinse them thoroughly to eliminate presence of soap suds. Use cold water for rinsing. To drain all the water they have absorbed, wrap them in a clean towel and gently press them to excrete water. Crumpling, pulling or tugging them will cause the fabric to loosen.
Cotton and linen slacks must be hung for air dry. Cashmere and wool slacks must be laid on the floor after they have been taken out of the dryer. Before laying them on the floor, turn the slacks inside out to avoid the front part from getting soiled in any case. Silk, polyester and rayon slacks are best dried either way.
Slacks may be ironed. Cotton and silk slacks must be pressed using a steam iron. Lay them flat on a full-sized ironing board so that you can press all of its parts easily. With the use of a sprinkler, you can moisten wrinkled areas before you iron them.
On the contrary, men’s dress pants made of silk must not be sprinkled with water. The heat of the iron and the moist from water can create spots on the fabric. From the waistband, start ironing the front part followed by the back part.
