Blog
How to Soften Stiff Work Pants
A selection of heavy-duty canvas pants, Dickies, or cotton duck work pants is essential if you work in construction, forestry, or other strenuous work environments.
The best construction pants are soft and comfortable once you break them in. However, a brand new pair feels stiff when worn for the first time. This stiffness is due to the chemical residue from the manufacturing process and the fabric’s bonding properties.
Here’s how to break in Dickies pants, Carhartt cotton pants, jeans, and sturdy canvas work pants to make them as soft as your older pants.
How to Break in Dickies Pants and Soften Cotton Pants
Some of the best construction pants are made from cotton, which feels stiff until it is broken in. Examples for this type of work pant include:
- Painter's Pants by Dickies
- Women's Premium Cotton Cargo Pants by Dickies
- Washed Duck Work Dungarees by Carhartt
- Flex Twill Cargo Pants by Tough Duck
- Industrial Workhorse Double Knee Jeans by Dickies
Your washing machine and dryer are your best weapons when you need to soften stiff cotton fabric.
- Read the pants' washing instructions before breaking in Carhartt pants, Dickies, or any other brand of construction pants. We cannot stress this enough. While the following steps will teach you how to soften pants, some pants have special washing instructions. Make sure you stick to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- To break in construction pants, add a teaspoon of mild detergent to the washing machine with the work pants, and add one teaspoon of liquid fabric softener and a teaspoon of water to the machine’s dispenser. If the washing instructions on the pant’s tag allow it, set the washing machine to a hot wash. Otherwise, run the machine on cold. Following these steps should remove any chemical residue.
- Repeat wash. Repeat step 2, but add a ¼ cup of vinegar to the final rinse.
- Dry pants. If the manufacturer’s instructions allow tumble drying, put the pants in the dryer and tumble dry on low heat. Dry until halfway dry, then wear until completely dry. If you choose to hang-dry your pants, give them a shake every twenty minutes or so.
How to Soften Pants that Remain Stiff After Washing
Breaking in the best construction pants takes time; they’re designed to be tough. If your Dickies work pants remain stiff after taking the above steps, repeat the process and see if that provides you with better results. If not, try the following suggestions:
- Put a pair of clean sneakers in a laundry bag (make sure the sneakers are spotless!), and add the laundry bag to the dryer with your pants. Set the dryer to regular to “beat” some softness into the materials (You might find suggestions online for softening heavy-duty canvas pants by substituting the sneakers for rocks and the dryer for a concrete blender. Don’t do this: you want soft Carharrt pants, not ripped, damaged ones).
- You can soften work pants by placing them on an ironing board. Cover the pants with a damp cloth, set the iron’s heat to low, and iron over the cloth to relax any remaining stiff fibers.
- If you have access to a handheld garment steamer, fill the steamer reservoir with water and set the heat to low. Drape the pants on a hanger, and steam them by angling the steamer nozzle towards the fabric.
How to Soften Stiff Thick Jeans and Heavy-Duty Canvas Pants
Some of the best construction pants are made with denim or heavy-duty canvas. Examples of such pants include:
- Duck Carpenter Jeans by Dickies
- Industrial Regular Fit Jeans by Dickies
- Relaxed Fit Jeans by Carhartt
- Canvas Work Dungarees by Carhartt
- Loose Original Fit Work Dungarees by Carhartt
Use the same steps to soften jeans and canvas pants you use to soften stiff cotton fabric. You can help soften the fabric by scrunching up the pants, rolling and twisting them with your hands to break down the fabric bonds that cause stiffness. Once you've done this, wash the pants to remove any wrinkles.
Some people take a different approach when breaking in Carhartt jeans and soak them overnight in eight cups of hot water and one cup of white vinegar, after which they wash and dry the jeans.