Some pants are pleated or have a naturally occurring fold, but this doesn't mean that pleat has to be a permanent feature. Side or front pleats in pants can age the style of your look and create wrinkles after extended periods of sitting. Change the style of your pants or update them to fit your personal taste by removing the pleat.
Turn pants inside out and check pleats for stitching, which may be used to hold a pleat in place. Locate any stitches on the pleats, avoiding hems or seams, and use your scissors or a seam ripper to snip the stitch and release the fabric. Repeat for additional pleats, taking care to cut only stitches holding pleats and not to damage the pant seams or fabric. Turn pants right-side out to prepare for washing.
Wash the pants. Check the label for the proper settings; high heat can shrink some fabrics, such as cotton mixes or denim.
Remove wet, clean pants from the washer and place them on a clean, flat surface. Clip your wet pants onto the hanger. Be sure to clip the pants at equal intervals from the front-closure zipper, centering the pants evenly across the line of the hanger and sliding the clips so that the waistband is not drooping or unevenly positioned.
Hang your pants in a clean, safe place. Avoid contact with dirty surfaces or objects so that the pants hang freely from the waist without making contact with anything. Make sure the fabric is not clinging or wrinkled by separating any fabric that's touching or lightly shaking the legs of your pants from the bottom hem.
Unclip dry pants from the hanger. Examine them for naturally occurring wrinkles and check the status of your pants pleats. If your pleats are still visible, remove any remaining wrinkles or remnants of the pleats by ironing the area in small circles.