How To Iron Slacks

Some men don't know how to iron slacks because mom or wifey always did it. But you're an independent man now—time to learn how to iron your pants on your own. It isn't so bad once you get the hang of it.

1. Pull out the ironing board. Whenever you iron slacks, use an ironing board. Don't try to iron them quickly on your bed or a table because you're not going to get a good result.
2. Lay the slacks out. Lay the slacks flat on the board (both legs) so that they're folded along the creases. The easiest way to do this is to run both sets of your fingers (forefinger and thumb) into the bottoms of the slacks, let them fall downward, and then flip them up onto the board.
3. Check the creases when you iron slacks. The hardest part of learning how to iron slacks is getting the creases just right. If you don't check the creases thoroughly before ironing, you're going to end up with two creases, which is very unprofessional looking and hard to fix.
4. Lift one leg of the slacks. Lift the top leg of the slacks so that you can iron one leg at a time.
5. Turn the iron on the proper setting. The setting depends on the fabric of your pants—for example, you usually need the highest setting to iron slacks made of cotton. Read the iron for specific instructions for your fabric.
6. Slowly iron your slacks. Hold the creases down and carefully place the tip of the iron on the crease. Check it to be sure that you're on the right track (no double creases) and then continue. Be sure to iron down the bottom cuffs as well when you iron slacks.
7. Flip the pants over. When you finish ironing that leg, flip the pants over, lift one leg again and finish up the other side. The heat is usually warm enough and the pants thin enough so that you don't have to get both sides of each leg when you iron slacks, but you can if you want.