Removing Shine from Men's Pants

Lion

Wed, May 13 2015, 6:01 pm

Hi
The title says it all. My seamstress says that nothing could be done. I can't believe it. The pants are not worn (out). If not for the shine, the pants are in excellent condition.
Any Advice?
Thanks,
Lion

zaq

Wed, May 13 2015, 6:08 pm

The seamstress is correct. Shine comes from friction, or from excessive heat or pressure. As in from using an iron without a press cloth. You can try misting the trousers with dilute white vinegar and pressing LIGHTLY with a press cloth and steam iron, or steaming with a steamer. This may make the flattened fibers swell and reduce the shine. However, if the trousers are synthetic, the shine may be from excessive heat that melted the fibers, in which case those trousers are done for.

zaq

Wed, May 13 2015, 6:22 pm

pesek zman wrote:

I always thought that dry cleaning caused it

Not the cleaning but the pressing. Shine can result if the presser used too much pressure, too much steam, or pads that were too stiff. Basically, the fibers are flattened and therefore reflect light. (Think of how much shinier hair looks when flatironed smooth than when it's fluffy.) Natural fibers can be restored by light steaming that makes the fibers swell. Shine on synthetic fabrics is most often caused by excessive heat that melts the fibers. Once they're melted, there is no going back.

Hashem_Yaazor

Wed, May 13 2015, 6:39 pm

I think the problem is mainly from the "benchwarming" (ha ha) -- meaning, a man sitting for long periods of time a day is sufficient to wear out the fibers and cause this sheen. We don't iron pants but still get this issue. And eventually we just get new pants.

zaq

Wed, May 13 2015, 6:44 pm

You can ask the cleaner to "restore" the garments. They can do it by steaming. Good luck with asking, though--cleaners where I live act as if they are doing you a favor just returning the clothes to you. YMMV.

You can steam the garments at home in one of several ways. best for the garment but worst for your house is to hang it in the bathroom and run a very hot shower for a long time. Wasteful of water and fuel (though you could take a shower at the same time) and bad for the bathroom walls unless you dry them immediately and ventilate the room to prevent further condensation.

You could use a hand-held steamer appliance if you have one.

Or you could lay the garment on an ironing board and hover a steam iron over it so the steam, but not the iron's soleplate, touches the fabric. the point is to get the fabric to absorb steam and swell the fibers.

If you don't own a steam iron, boil up a kettle of water and hold the fabric in the steam cloud that emerges from the spout. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS as the chances of getting a steam burn on your hands or face, or of the garment falling into the flame or electric coil and catching fire are both excellent. It is also rather difficult to do this and not get the garment all creased everywhere else.