Rules and tips on how to wash trousers in a washing machine and by hand

Pants are a popular item of clothing that both men and women have in their wardrobes. These versatile pants look appropriate both at a business meeting and at a friendly party.

In order for them to be a source of pride for their owner, they need to be properly cared for.

Read the article about whether and how to properly wash trousers (made of wool, cotton and other materials) in an automatic washing machine and by hand, and how to dry and iron them.

Is it possible?

Machine washing saves time, but not all pants can handle it. To understand whether they can be subjected to automatic cleaning, you need to study the manufacturer's information, which is indicated on the tag. It is encrypted in the form of characters. The prohibition is indicated by the crossed out image of a washing machine.

There is no need to take risks in the following cases:

1. The trousers are made of delicate fabrics: velvet, suede, satin, wool, leather.
2. They have a large number of decorations in the form of rhinestones, sequins, beads, etc.
3. Trousers of questionable quality, for example, with seams that may come apart.

Compared to machine washing, manual processing is more labor-intensive, but it allows you to carefully clean the item of dirt and pay special attention to problem areas.

You will have to refuse machine washing if the trousers label contains the entry “dry clean only”.

How to machine wash correctly, at what temperature?

Before you start machine washing, your trousers need to be properly prepared.

Procedure:

• clean pants from dust, threads, pellets;
• remove all things from your pockets, shake them out;
• fasten zippers and buttons;
• Turn the pants inside out.

The next step is to choose a detergent. Thick and durable trousers can be washed with powder.

If treatment in cool water (30-40 degrees) is required, then preference is given to gels or liquid concentrates. They effectively wash stains even at low water temperatures and quickly rinse out of fabric fibers.

The more delicate the fabric, the lower the temperature at which it is washed.

The main wash consists of 3 stages:

1. 
   Place the item in the machine drum. Pants can be washed with other clothes, but they must be in the same color scheme.

2. Select the appropriate washing mode. The guide is the type of fabric and information on the label. A single recommendation: do not exceed the temperature of 60 degrees. The hotter the water, the higher the likelihood of shrinkage.
3. The spin speed is set to minimum or turned off completely.
4. Start the wash cycle. After its completion, the pants are removed from the drum and sent to dry.

To prevent your trousers from being subjected to friction and centrifuge once again, you can use a special washing net.

A little preparation

As a rule, men's suit trousers or school trousers get dirty much more than a jacket, which means they are washed much more often. But before you put them in the washing machine, it’s worth getting acquainted with some rules and nuances on how to wash suit trousers, as well as prepare the product itself.

• It is necessary to check all pockets and remove all items from them, especially small ones. This will help prevent the MMA from malfunctioning, since small things stuck in the drum body will simply cause it to jam.
• Pull the belt out of the trousers, remove the decorative elements.
• Fasten existing buttons and zippers.
• Study the label to select the appropriate mode correctly.

Manual processing

Hand washing can be done with or without soaking. It all depends on the degree of contamination of the fabric.

Procedure:

• pour warm water into a basin and dissolve the detergent in it;
• soak the pants for 30-60 minutes;
• gently rub the stains, work on the waistband, pockets and bottom of the legs;
• rinse your trousers - change the water several times until it stops foaming;
• gently wring out the item if this does not contradict the care rules;
• wait until the excess liquid drains and hang the pants to dry.

For hand washing, you can use not only powder or gel, but also laundry soap. It works great on tough stains.

To make the soap dissolve faster, it is ground into shavings and dissolved in hot water (before washing, it is cooled to the desired temperature).

Features of hand washing

Check your belongings for important documents, equipment and remove all of the above. Wet your pants with running water using a hand shower. The next procedure is applying washing powder. Wash woolen items only with liquid detergent. For other fabrics, a delicate detergent is suitable.

To ensure that there are no streaks left on your trouser legs, dilute the powder in a separate container. Wash the item with a soft brush, dipping it into the prepared solution. When working with a liquid product, it should not be dissolved. Apply the gel directly to the brush and scrub the fabric. Particular attention should be paid to problem areas:

knees; pockets; bottom of pants; belt.

Removing detergent is easy with a hand shower. After hand washing, they should not be wrung out. Hang them over the bathtub, carefully straightening the trouser legs at the seams. After the water drains naturally, hang the item on the balcony or outside.

How to clean items that cannot be washed?

If trousers cannot be washed, they are dry cleaned. At home, you can resort to the following methods:

1. 
   Soda. Sprinkle it on the stain and press it with your fingers. After 12 hours it is removed with a soft brush.

2. Starch. The trousers are placed in a bag, starch is poured into it and shaken thoroughly. After 3 hours, remove the pants from the bag and clean them with a soft brush. You can moisten it slightly.
3. Cold. You can refresh the fabric if you put the item in the freezer for a day. The trousers are placed in a fabric bag without any pre-treatment. Under the influence of cold, microbes die and aromatic molecules, which are the source of an unpleasant odor, are destroyed.
4. Scotch tape or sticky roller . Using the sticky surface, you can clean your pants from dust, hair, and threads.

If it was not possible to clean the item using improvised means, it is better to entrust it to professionals.

How to get rid of stains?

To remove stains from trousers, you need to know the nature of their origin. Depending on the type of pollution, methods of dealing with it differ.

Fat

The main fat neutralizer is salt . Sprinkle it onto a fresh stain, rubbing it into the fabric with your fingertips. You need to change the salt several times. Instead, you can use talcum powder or starch.

As soon as possible, trousers are washed in warm water. To enhance the effect, treat the greasy stain with laundry soap or dishwashing detergent.

Wine, tea or coffee

You can lighten tea, coffee or wine stains with vinegar. It is used in its pure form, but not the essence, but a regular preservative with a concentration of 9%.

Apply vinegar to a cotton pad and wipe the dirt with it until it disappears completely . You can enhance the effect with soda.

It is sprinkled on the stain, which is also wiped with a cotton pad soaked in acetic acid. Thanks to the violent reaction, the coloring pigment is quickly removed from the fabric fibers.

Dye

You can easily and safely remove paint from fabric using purified gasoline or white spirit.

Rules for their use:

• apply the composition to a cotton pad;
• wipe the stain with it from the edge to the center;
• leave the disc on the fabric as a compress if the paint has dried;
• After 30 minutes, repeat the procedure using clean cotton wool.

Complete the cleaning by washing the trousers as usual.

For more information on removing paint from pants, read this article.

Blood

The main condition for removing blood stains is washing in cool water . When exposed to boiling water, the protein will coagulate and be difficult to remove.

Hydrogen peroxide is used to cleanse blood from tissue. The antiseptic is applied to a cotton pad, which is used to remove the stain. If it is old, the procedure is repeated several times. After this treatment, the trousers need to be washed.

Peroxide can lighten fabrics, so it is not used to clean dark-colored items. Read more about ways to remove blood stains from fabric here.

Cosmetics

Traces of lipstick, foundation or mascara can be removed using a mixture based on 3 components:

1. Glycerin – 1 tsp.
2. Ammonia – 1 tsp.
3. Water – 100 ml.

Apply the solution to the stain using a sponge. After 15 minutes all that remains is to wash the item.

How to wash wool trousers

Typically, wool trousers are bought for the winter, as the product is warm and perfectly protects against the cold. The disadvantage of the material is its capriciousness. Woolen items are sensitive to care. It is necessary to follow certain rules when washing and storing:

1. Woolen items should not be washed frequently as the item may become damaged. Wool absorbs odors well. To get rid of the unpleasant aroma, it is better to hang up your pants and air them in a room with a large flow of fresh air.
2. When washing, you need to be careful when choosing the temperature. The water should be at a temperature of no more than 30 degrees.
3. By the way, during rinsing the water temperature should not differ from the washing temperature by more than 10 degrees. Otherwise, the product may become deformed.

Washing trousers in a machine is a convenient and time-saving process, but it is still recommended to use hand washing to avoid damaging the product. In this case, you need to choose the powder carefully: liquid or gel products are suitable. It is not recommended to dry wool trousers on a line - it is better to purchase a trouser hanger. If this is not possible, the product should be laid out on a horizontal surface and excess moisture should be removed with a terry towel.

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Features for different fabrics

Depending on the type of fabric from which the trousers are sewn, the features of their washing will differ. The main recommendations are presented in the table:

What does the type of material affect?

Costumes are made from various materials. The characteristics of the product and the requirements for washing depend on the type of fabric . Velvet, for example, is designed for dry cleaning or dry cleaning at home.

Cotton and linen

Lightweight suits are made from natural linen and cotton, designed to be worn in the summer.

Trousers made from this material can be processed both manually and by machine. Read about how to wash cotton here.

Depending on the density of the material and color, such pants can withstand processing up to +60ºС , if this indicator is allowed by the manufacturer.

But it is better not to exceed the value of +40ºС, since at high temperatures slight shrinkage is possible.

Recommended modes:

• "handwash";
• "cotton"
• "delicate".

Synthetic, polyester

Synthetics and mixed fabrics with a high percentage of artificial fibers are washed on a delicate cycle or on a “synthetic” cycle. The water heating temperature is set to no more than +40ºС.

Polyester or other synthetic fabric tends to fade, so it is recommended to wash such items separately from others.

This publication will tell you how to wash polyester.

Velveteen

Corduroy fabric is sensitive to high temperatures. The optimal option for it is from +20 ºС to +30ºС. It would be better to wash these trousers by hand.

Wool, tweed

Trousers from a quality wool suit are washed on a delicate cycle or with the “wool” setting.

As a rule, such fabrics are washed at +30ºС . If you exceed this figure, the material may shrink and become deformed.

Wool and wool mixture are the main types of fabrics for sewing most high-quality men's suits of classic models.

Atlas

Wash - on delicate cycle, without drying or spinning. The fabric requires very careful handling, as it tends to be easily damaged by contact with hard surfaces, elements of sewing accessories, etc. Washing should only be done with liquid detergent.

What to do with arrows?

It is better to wash pants with arrows by hand. You should not soak them in a basin; it is better to use the bath . This will allow you to straighten them to their full length and prevent creases from appearing.

Do not rub your trousers with a brush against the direction of the arrows. They are cleaned only along the length of the trouser legs.

Machine wash is not recommended, but not excluded. You need to lay your trousers in such a way that the arrows coincide with each other. Be sure to use a washing net.

The video will show you how to wash trousers with arrows in the washing machine:

Rules for ironing trousers with arrows are displayed in this article.

On a note

• These methods are perfect for washing camouflage and uniform pants.
• Ironing linen trousers when wet will be much easier.
• Wet wool trousers should not be dried in a warm room - this will cause them to shrink.
• Jeans should not be washed with other things, because this fabric does not hold dye well and fades a lot.
• Using a clothes brush will extend the wear of your trousers and delay washing.

Classic trousers are a sign of the taste of their owner, and casual trousers indicate comfort and spontaneity. Whereas worn and dirty pants, even the most elegant and expensive ones, spoil the impression of their owner. Do not make such mistakes, because pants are not afraid of washing!

What to do if your pants shrink after washing (in length or width), how to stretch them?

If your trousers shrink after washing, you can restore their size. To begin with, they are washed in one of the following solutions:

• in vinegar - for 1 liter of water 1 tbsp. l.;
• in hair conditioner – per 1 liter. water 1 tbsp. l.;
• in hydrogen peroxide - per 1 liter of water - 1/ tsp (only for light-colored fabric).

After treatment, the fabric will become more stretchable. The trousers are suspended and pulled wide. To make them longer, you can attach additional weights to the bottom of the trouser leg.

Another way to increase your trouser size is to wear them while they are still wet. In wet trousers they perform a series of exercises: squats, jumps, and swings their legs. You can iron the belt with a hot iron and then pull it wide.

How to hang, how to dry quickly?

You need to dry your trousers in natural conditions. Basic Rules:

1. Do not hang them in the sun.
2. Do not use a hot hair dryer.
3. Do not dry on the radiator.

You can speed up the process by using towels. Roll up the trousers in them and leave for 15 minutes. Then the wet towels are changed. When the pants stop giving off water, you can hang them out for final drying.

Pants must be turned inside out. If there are special ribbons sewn inside, they are attached to the shoulders . When there are no such holders, the pants are secured to the belt using clothespins. Another option is to hang your pants by the bottom of the legs.

How to stroke?

Iron the trousers from the wrong side. If they have arrows, you need to make sure that they lie flat. It is not recommended to wait until the fabric is completely dry. It is easier to iron an item if it is slightly damp.

For delicate fabrics it is better to use a steamer. If it is not there, then iron the pants through damp gauze. The permissible ironing temperature is indicated on the product label.

Read more about ironing trousers here.

Important Tips

Before you start washing, you need to familiarize yourself with the recommendations of professional laundresses:

1. 
   Washing in cool water using powder requires turning on the extra rinse function. Detergent particles remaining in the fabric will appear as white streaks.

2. Sorting things before washing is a must. It is important to separate them only by color, but also by type of fabric.
3. Temperature changes are harmful for wet trousers. They may stretch or shrink.
4. Thin and lightly colored fabric should not be subjected to excessive friction. They refuse the brush altogether. Otherwise, whitish scuffs or even holes will appear on the trousers.
5. If the trousers are colored and prone to shedding, before processing they are soaked in a vinegar solution (1 tbsp per 1 liter of water). Exposure time – 15 minutes. The vinegar will help set the pigment in the fabric.

You will find maximum useful information about washing clothes and various fabric products here.

Should you soak your pants?

Properly soaking your pants is a task no less important than washing yourself. The soaking stage can precede both machine and hand washing, helping to cope with stubborn stains and large dirt.

• Linen pants should be soaked in warm, clean water for an hour.
• Jeans are soaked in warm soapy water for no more than two hours.
• Wool products must be soaked in cold water with the addition of a teaspoon of ammonia. You need to keep your pants in the water for no more than an hour.

After soaking, proceeding to the next stage of washing, rinse the items thoroughly.