How To: Iron Pants

Crisply ironed pants help create a pulled-together look. Follow the simple steps in this video for a quick, flawless press―with creases or without.

Iron, ironing board, pair of pants

1Iron the pockets
Turn pants inside out. Iron pockets first, laying them flat against the board.
2Iron fly, seams, and hems
Iron the fly area of the pants, then the seams and hem of the first leg. Go back and forth for a nice, flat finish. Repeat on opposite leg, then turn the pants right-side out.
3Iron the waistband
Slip the waistband around the board’s narrow end, with the fly facing the floor. Iron waistband, rotating pants around the board as you go.

Tip: Iron lightly over the pockets to avoid creating creases with their outline.
4Iron the legs
Fold the pants lengthwise to line up the legs, then lay pants on the board. Flip one leg up to iron the inside of the bottom leg, working in sections all the way to the crotch. Then flip pants over to iron the outside of that leg. Repeat this step on the other pant leg.

Tip: To avoid a side crease, iron just out to (but not directly over) the edge of each leg.
5Set creases with steam
To create a front crease on your pant legs, align inseams and lay pants on board. Iron directly over the edges of the legs or give pants a burst of steam along the edge while holding the iron a few inches above the fabric.

Tip: Hang pants right away—and don’t forget to unplug your iron.