Do You Iron Chinos?
The first thing to remember is that there are different types of pant fabrics and each has its own set of guidelines for cleaning and stains. The best way to know what works best for your pants is to check the tag (or at least read the instructions on the label). But if you don’t know where your pants were made or you can’t find the manufacturer’s information on them, here are some general rules that will work with chinos.
When chinos aren’t wrinkled enough: ironing is overkill. Only iron them if they have wrinkles in them. Save the time and effort of ironing your chinos until they have gotten wrinkled enough that the wrinkles won’t fall out on their own. Don’t iron them when they don’t need it.
If you want to eliminate those wrinkles, use a light touch with your iron. Just be sure to test the heat setting first on something else.
Don’t spray starch on your chinos, as that can make them stiff and shiny. Just press down on the fabric with the warm iron for about five seconds per section.
Can You Iron Chinos?
Can you iron chinos? Of course! While there are a plethora of items in our wardrobe that require dry cleaning, there is still plenty that can be pressed at home with a little know-how.
Tailored dress slacks are one of those items. Although they’re called “slacks” they’re more of a smart-casual staple than something you’d wear to the office. Chinos are preferable to jeans as they tend to be more comfortable and versatile, however, they still need some special care.
Chinos are just like other garments that can be successfully ironed if you know how to do it properly.
- First, turn them inside out and press the seams with an iron set on the longest steam setting (or use steam from your iron).
- Ironing the seams should get rid of most of the creases.
- Then switch to a medium-high setting and press the legs with an ironing board cover (the foam board that comes with most home irons works fine).
- You can also hang them up to dry in your bathroom while you shower — the steam from the hot water will help soften up the fabric even more.
And speaking of softening, another trick is to spray some water directly on the pants. Then lay a clean white towel over them and press down with a warm iron for about 30 seconds. This softens up even sturdy cotton fabrics like chinos, helping them move more easily over your body.
Do You Iron a Crease in Chinos?
The truth is – there is no right answer. Everyone has their own opinion on what looks best, but the general rule of thumb is that if they look good without a crease, they look good with one.
The thing to remember is that we’re not talking suit trousers here. Chinos are casual trousers and are meant to be more relaxed and casual in nature. Of course, this doesn’t mean you can’t iron a crease into them, it just means that you shouldn’t feel pressured to.
- The key is how you’re wearing them at the time. If you’re heading to an interview and wearing a shirt and tie, then go ahead and iron that crease! You want your chinos to match your suit or formal shirt as much as possible.
- If you’re heading to the office and wearing a blazer or jumper, then don’t bother! It’s unlikely your outfit will benefit from a pressed line down the leg of your trousers anyway.
Why Do Chinos Wrinkle?
Chinos, like any other pair of pants, have a few potential causes for wrinkles. The first and most obvious cause for chino wrinkles is simply from walking, sitting down, or bending over.
Here are the most common causes of wrinkles in chinos:
- Wrinkles in your chinos after washing and drying are typically caused by incomplete drying. This can be due to improper loading or an excessively damp load. Make sure that all of your garments are wrinkle-free before taking them out of the dryer. If you have an excessively damp load, remove some of the wet clothes from your dryer immediately after the cycle ends.
- Wrinkles in your chinos are also caused by storing them in a less-than-ideal environment. Over time, polyester fibers will break down if they’re stored improperly. Maintain proper storage conditions—65-75 degrees Fahrenheit—and make sure that your chinos aren’t stored with other items that could damage them over time, such as bleach or other laundry products.
- Chinos are a little more prone to wrinkles because they don’t have as much structure as other pants. If you’re moving around throughout the day, your pants might be getting twisted and wrinkled.
- The tightness can also cause chinos to wrinkle. Just like with any other type of clothing, if your chinos are too tight, the fabric might bunch up and create wrinkling. But don’t worry, if you’ve bought a pair of chinos that are too big for you, they can be tailored to fit better and this will prevent future wrinkling.
- The main reason your chinos would wrinkle is improper care. Chino fabric is rather delicate and needs to be taken care of in order to prevent unnecessary wrinkling. If you’re not properly caring for your chino pants by washing them correctly or drying them in the dryer then they’ll begin to wrinkle more frequently.
- You can also minimize wrinkles caused by improper care by only washing your chinos when they need it and by hanging them up immediately after taking them off so they don’t get scrunched up and wrinkly from being on the floor.
How Do I Stop My Chinos from Wrinkling?
There are a few ways to combat trouser wrinkles. Start by hanging your pants immediately after you take them off, instead of tossing them on the floor or over the back of a chair.
Trouser pockets can also create unwanted creases and folds. To keep this from happening, turn the pockets inside out before you hang your pants and your pants will come out wrinkle-free. If you’re in a hurry, use an ironing board cover to smooth out the fabric as soon as you take them off.
The best way to avoid wrinkles altogether is to choose a fabric that doesn’t wrinkle easily in the first place. You can now buy wrinkle-free chinos like the following Amazon Essentials Men’s Slim-fit Wrinkle-Resistant Flat-Front Chino Pant
If you’re looking for a slim-fit chino pant that’s wrinkle-resistant, this men’s flat-front pant is a perfect pick. With a cotton/polyester blend, the pants are soft to the touch and comfortable to wear all day. A stain-repellent finish ensures that spills or splashes won’t cling to these pants and make them look messy. An added stretch provides comfort as you move throughout your day.
This men’s flat-front wrinkle-resistant chino pant has a button-through back welt pocket that adds style to your outfit. The no-iron fabric makes this slim-fit chino pant easy to maintain, so you can spend less time ironing and more time doing what you love.
How Do You Get Wrinkles Out of Chinos?
The best way to get wrinkles out of chinos is to hang them up in a steamy bathroom or outside on a rainy day. They will naturally wrinkle and give off steam, allowing you to put them on without an iron. But if they’re really wrinkled, you’ll have to break out the tools. A dry iron will work, but it’s less effective at removing wrinkles than a hot, damp one because it’s harder to control the moisture content of the fabric.
Chinos are casual, comfortable, and stylish. They’re also notoriously wrinkly. But leave it to The Fashion Police to find a solution to that problem: steaming. We know what you’re thinking: “Steaming my chinos? Won’t that melt the fibers?”
Our answer: No, it won’t. Not if you use a low temperature setting on your steamer or handheld steamer, anyway. (The heat is much closer to heat from a hairdryer than an iron.)
Here’s how you do it:
- Hang up your pants and face them the right way (so the crease is down). If you don’t have a proper hanger for your pants, use anything with a bar in the middle (like a towel bar) — just make sure the bar is wide enough so it doesn’t leave any wrinkles.
- Run the steamer over all of the creases and wrinkles until they’re smooth. You can get into the pockets this way too, which is always good to do after washing chinos.
- Hang them up again and let them cool completely before putting them on. Enjoy your wrinkle-free chinos!
In summary, from casual and corporate to smart-casual, these pants look great when they’re new. But by the end of the day, the range of materials and styling means that some may not need freshening up at all, while others will have developed some unwanted creases.
So do you iron chinos? At the end of the day, it’s up to you. We won’t hold it against you if you swipe that board straight from the cleaners and don’t give a second thought to the little crease in the front of your pants.
Ultimately, there’s nothing inherently wrong with ironing your chinos. Assuming you bought a good pair from the jump, they will last a long time and look great as long as you take proper care of them. And if you prefer well-ironed chinos over their crumpled counterparts, then that’s your call—don’t let our opinions stop you from doing what you want.
Just remember that those cool Italian guys have been wearing their pants unironed for years, so don’t feel like you have to keep up with an arbitrary standard; just do what’s right for you.
You may also be interested in… What Are Chinos Pants? and How Trousers Should Fit?
